Okay, that’s what I need to know. Since I am an early riser, I will most likely let them out whenever the sun comes up! Closing them up for the night is no biggie. I just shut the cats in the shop at dusk while the chickens are heading inside and by the time I’m done with the cats, the chicks are settled. I think I got this! Thank you!
Thank you! Good to know that it’s all okay to vary! Particularly concerning predators. We do have lots of coyotes here. I hear them quite close at night, never in the morning, but my husband did come across one on his morning run not too long ago. I feel like the chicks are fairly safe inside the electric net. It is also covered with bird net because of the eagles and hawks here. Thanks for the input!
time i open their door if I leave before they wanna get out but I've been taking notice n like clockwork it's dusk when they go in cuz sun sets n poor eyesight but as for going out I've noted cuz it's cold still where I am (omg help me lol 42 degrees last night,) I could see my breath but the dew is heavy cuz humidity in the air usually runs in the 80% area I'm in northern Maine (still snow on mt. Katahdin which is the end of Appalachian trail or beginning depending which end ur at but still lighting stove till July n only one month without HAVING to fire it up mandatory but the chicks who are six wks n I have 12 of 4 different breeds built for my climate but they don't come out to sun is high enough to just start showing on their coupe n if it's cloudy they come out when warm enough. Ok I guess when sun is visible they come out v maybe not as quick to move out of coupe if rainy/cloudy (still running 150 watt heat flood) my chicks are already hardened to my climate as I had to put them outside way too soon but the pack n play wasnt containing them anymore and at two almost three weeks these tiny birds took flight already.. ya were Findin them perched all over the house n 12 poopin chicks sure make a mess) but if it's cool n rainy like in the 60s they are in coupe still most of the day and don't come out if raining so far anyways.. If sprinkles then they will but they don't like getting wet.. so I feel like n i have found by watching these lil smarties that they will not exit coupe until a certain amount of time after sunrise cuz of eyesight is so poor...I a have an ace in the hole tho as far as predators cuz my kitty Oliver is my chicken guard and he heels them like a heeler cattledog or sheep dog... He heels with me by rounding em up to send em in and he's a horrible killer to critters even birds in the air aren't safe if too low n he has notches on my bedpost of all the red squirrels he has killed which bugs me but he's a cat so I worried about those fuzzy yellow babies (one day old) plus two ducklings, n this cat has adopted them.. they are his and he ran a huge raccoon off two nights ago.. No irmin or Martin's or coons Gunna get anything not a single egg but a fox might win in a fight with my cat but their too cautious up here to stick around if domestic animals are present .. watch them about half HR or an HR sometimes after sun sets they should go in and id say a half HR after sunrise they will come out depending on temps... Mine do anyways and mine are free free range lol can't get any more free here... No Rd close to us and woods all around the camp.. They are resort chickens.. but only they live in the resort lol...we don't feel like we are at a resort they have a playground my boyfriend built n all my chicks learned how to play lol added a pic of one out of two of my lavender eggers(bought as americauna but I have two like this with lavender/blue-ish but opposite each other) have three in all but this is Mr big but I'm suspecting is a pullet as my Cockerel is a partridge (color indicative and named cuz of colors) but he's smaller like bantam size.. My BLK lorps (austrolorps) are my friendliest my lap sitting chickens,but the eggers not so much I added a pic of all three eggers n at 6 wks are stunning... Only one in comparison is the one orpington hen someone gave me.. She's beautiful
