afraid to let chicks free range!!!

[kayri]

Maybe you could ask the owners if their dogs are OK with chickens? That's how I generally start and then end with, . . ."Well, I just wanted to know because we just got pet chickens this year and we raised them from tiny balls of fluff, and we love them so much, and we would be so upset if anything ever happened to them."

One of my neighbors did say, if his dog ever hurt them he would pay for them and I told him they were priceless because of all the time we have spent with them and the love we have for them. I haven't seen his dog around. . .

Border collies might just try and herd them. They are pretty smart dogs.

 

[SillyChick]

I was also afraid of free-ranging my chicks for the first time!

If it is their first time outside, they might not wander very far because they are still afraid and curious of their surroundings. But, if they often see the outside from their coop, they will wander far so you should always watch over them. Maybe an hour a day.

Good luck!

 

[katknapp]

Our 10 week old chickens are out in their coop with a heat lamp. We open the run for them but haven't really let them free range because it is COLD and WINDY. Should we continue to wait until they are a little older? Also, when can they be without the heat lamp?

 

[JudyMcKinn]

Katknapp, the general rule on heat and young chicks and chickens is, 95 degrees the first week, then drop 5 degrees per week. So yours could stand 45 or 50 degrees at night without heat. Does it get colder than that at night there? If so, better keep the heat for them longer.
By the way, this free range stuff, in the winter time, is a bit over rated, in my opinion. No bugs, not much green stuff. Just miserable cold outside, with no reason for being out there, unless your coop is too crowded for them to be comfortable.

 

[devora]

Quote:
This is the odd dichotomy: pet owners cleave to their pets.

Tell a dog owner a chicken is 'priceless' and (generally) they will balk. But dogs are accepted as pets and surrogate family for most. Chickens are something that someone can replace by paying for the cost of the bird. Tell that to my DH if someone's dog ate ZsaZsa, our gorgeous Turken.

So we trust dog owners to say that their pets are going to be nice to chickens.

Man, dog talk does get me cranky. Sorry!

 

[katknapp]

Quote:
Glad to hear! I feel the same way but I was feeling guilty that I was keeping them "locked up."

 

[dbjay417]

my guys are suckers for food and shelter. They always come back to the immediate area around 4pm for dinner, and then they just hang around for a short time until the sun starts to set. They get in their cage and on their perches, all i do is a nightly headcount to make sure everyone is present and accounted for. They never leave the yard even though only a wimpy old barbed wire fence is all that stops them. We have stray dogs and cats and weasles, but the strays would rather suck up to humans for food than attack birds, and the 4 cats and one dog we have keep away the weasles.

 

[Wildsky]

Quote:
Glad to hear! I feel the same way but I was feeling guilty that I was keeping them "locked up."

I think perhaps winter will be a good time to start for me, I know they won't go far on SNOW - ! LOL

If my son had been home on time today I would have opened up at around 4pm - he was reading a book while walking home - so it took him an HOUR instead of 20 minutes!

 

[Wildsky]

Quote:
GOsh I wish we could just get a GATE - that'd close up our property - even with barbed wire a gate would make it not as easy to access!

 

[JudyMcKinn]

Winter is a time, usually, when predators are worse. Not as much, or as easy, for them to find food, and tame, or slow, or inexperienced chickens are an easy meal. I'd start out pretty slow and careful if you are going to free range.