How long do I need to keep my new chickens in the coop with my old ones before I let them out to free range? I've got 11 chicks that are due to go into my big coop in a few weeks to join my 4 four big girls. In the summer I tend to free range my chickens daily as we see less predators then and I was wondering how long should my new chickens stay in the coop before I let them out to free range. I've heard various lengths of time relating to keeping them in the coop.