slackercsb
Hatching
- May 6, 2020
- 4
- 2
- 8
I've decided to raise my 12 Buff Opringtons in a 9x9' barn stall for now. They are about 8 weeks old and seem to like it, but I also want to get them outdoors and learn to free range. The stall is surrounded by chicken wire to keep them in with a gate to get in and out, and a window that is about 5' up. The gate opens up to a cement floor and a sliding barn door is to the left of that which leads to a driveway and beyond that the rest of the farm. The window is on the opposite side of the gate, and leads directly out into a pasture (no other animals currently). My thought process was if I could build a ramp, or set of stairs up to the window that the chicks could come and go as they wanted and I just close up that window at dusk to avoid predators - it would be a more direct path to the grass than having them walk out through (or wander around) the barn, on the concrete, through the driveway and then into the green. Would they come and go on those stairs? Am I overthinking this and should just open the gate and let them come and go? I appreciate any thoughts or advice for this chicken newbie! Thanks!