At what age is a good age to let them free roam?

[ackie]

I personally wait until they're 4 months. Amprolium-medicated chick starter (if you're using it) is supposed to be 90% of their diet for the medication to be effective, and I assume they will eat way too many other things free-ranging if I let them out. They're also a good size that our cats wont mess with them and I feel like they have a decent shot of not getting picked up by a bird of prey. Living somewhere for 4 months gets them pretty solid on returning there at night once they're out, even though some of my birds roost in the trees and convince a couple newbies to join them.

So 4 months is my ideal, but sometimes my metric is simply when I need the pen to lock up something else smaller than they are. LOL.

Also if a loose hen shows up with just a couple chicks, I just let them free-range the whole time because I'm lazy. But like 8+ there is for sure no way she can keep track of all of them and one will just stop following and therefore die because she doesnt notice and can get way too far away too quickly. When they're cooped up somewhere smaller, the stupid chicks still live (yeah anti-darwanism I know). And again this depends on how much room I have in pens.

 

[beegirl950]

And my German speaking friend, I know exactly what you mean.

 

[Ridgerunner]

My broody hens raise their chicks with the flock from Day 1. Whenever the hens wean them they are on their own totally. A couple of times that has been as young as three weeks, so I have a group of 3 week old chicks out roaming by themselves. My brooder is in my main coop. If the main coop is not that crowded when the brooder-raised chick hit 5 weeks I usually just open the brooder door and let them roam as they will. If my man coop is crowded I move the brooder-raised chicks to my grow-out coop with a bit of run. I usually keep then in there until 8 weeks before I let them roam. That's to teach them to return there at night to sleep. If the main coop is crowded and a broody hen hatches I keep them in a shelter where I can safely lock them up at night. Sometimes the broody hen moves them to the main coop when she's ready to take them to the roost but usually she abandons them out there when she weans them.

They are more vulnerable to certain predators when small. A snake that would not be a threat to a larger chicken may eat a chick, for example. I almost never lose one but some people have a lot heavier predator pressure than I do. Even at three weeks the chicks can take care of themselves. It's always pretty warm weather when a broody weans them at three weeks.

Even the three week olds return to where they are supposed to sleep at night. But that is where some issues could come in. Less mature chicks rank lower in the pecking order than more mature chicks or chickens. Usually that is not a big problem but I have seen some younger chicks afraid to go into a coop to sleep because they are afraid they will get beat up. I have to train these where to sleep by putting them inside the coop every night after dark until they get the message. When this happens mine sleep in the immediate area and are not that hard to catch when if gets dark.

Use your various coops and shelters to train them to return there at night. It may take a little effort but you should be able to manage. As for the predators you'll have to assess that. I used to free range with very few issues until a couple of separate dog attacks from people abandoning dogs in the country caused me to get electric netting. I lost older chickens in those dog attacks, not young chicks.

 

[beegirl950]

Well I let out the dog cage/mini coop and they are all back. It is getting close to dark so I expect my 14 week olds and the main hens to come back to the main coop. I am concerned that my 14 week olds are still not roosting. There is an olive egger, a blue Americana, and two wyandottes in this group. Do I need to do roost bar training with these? Crapping in the box is not a issue now, but it will be in the spring.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Do I need to do roost bar training with these?

The way I understand it you have the 14 week olds and adults in the same coop. My juvenile pullets don't start roosting on the man roosts with the adults until they mature enough to force their way into the pecking order, usually about when they start to lay. If they try they are probably going to get pecked so they look for a safer place to sleep. That used to be my nests until I put up a juvenile roost, lower than the main roosts, higher than the nests, and horizontally separated from the main roosts. That solved my problem. If you have room to put a juvenile roost in you might try it. Since they are in the habit of sleeping in the nests you might need to train them to use it.

I'll include a photo of it. The main roosts are off to the right and up another foot or more.

 

[Wormhunter]

And now??????

 

[becks123]

Before I let my first flock loose... I bell trained. Yes folks. You read that right. I rang a bell and gave them treats. It helped me ensure they would know how and when to come back. They didn't really need it when I let them loose but it was mostly for my comfort that we had a way to communicate if they DIDNT come back. I let them out at 3 months old. Now, no matter where they are or what theyre doing... I ring that bell and they come RUNNING back to the run. Its pretty great.

 

[beegirl950]

I am including a picture of my roost bars in my coop. I hope that I can upload a pic. I am screaming because the computer wont do what I want it to.

 

[beegirl950]

My main flock is trained to chickie chckie, my voice.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I am including a picture of my roost bars in my coop. I hope that I can upload a pic.

I'd suggest you look at where the adults ae sleeping and try to roost train them as far from the adults as you can.

I am screaming because the computer wont do what I want it to.

The computer and phone are the only devices I use. I don't scream at them but I may occasionally say something my mother would not approve.