Free Range Chicks?

[FayoumisFreak]

Hello! My flock of 30 (gave 4 away) is 6 weeks old tomorrow. They have been in the coop since week 2 (w/ a heat lamp). They have been roosting up on the perches for about 1 1/2 - 2 weeks. As soon as their run is closed off at about 8:45 they quickly perch. It usually takes an hour to get settled since they constantly fight over the highest perch. At this age, they are fully feathered and the breeds (Egyptian Fayoumis, EE, BR, SLW, Jersey Giant) are all very quick and nimble. The area surrounding the coop is full of tall grass that they can hide in. Is it safe to free range at this age?

 

[HappyDancin']

Safe? Humm...free ranging in general comes with risk The young/teenagers definitely get snatched off much more easily (than adult birds)...

I have had a few vanish... the more adventurous ones. And, I know that is to be expected now and then with free rangers. But it makes me sad. So with littles/teens, it's best to give them supervised free range time, if possible.

 

[FayoumisFreak]

Thank you for the advice!

 

[RWise]

I now put my new hatch in the flock at 5 weeks old, because of cats. Last year I lost every chick to the cat next door, and it happens fast! (cat is gone)
Will your birds be safe, look around your hood and see whats out there. I free range and have many many predators. Most are now trained to avoid me! The ones that do the most damage are pets (cats/dogs)
As said if you free range you must be prepared to loose a bird from time to time. (I find it most aggravating to loose a bird to someones pet)

 

[Chelsa'sChicks]

Safe? Humm...free ranging in general comes with risk The young/teenagers definitely get snatched off much more easily (than adult birds)...

I have had a few vanish... the more adventurous ones. And, I know that is to be expected now and then with free rangers. But it makes me sad. So with littles/teens, it's best to give them supervised free range time, if possible.

100% agree. Do not leave them alone this young is my advice. They do not yet know 'the ropes' of where is best to range and I fear you will have some go missing. I do not let mine free range until they are adult sized birds. I feel then they are knowledgeable of where to go/hide at that age and are smarter (more cautious) of where they originally will range....

 

[Ridgerunner]

It is never safe for any chicken to free range. Dogs, foxes, bobcats, coyotes, many birds of prey, some members of the weasel family, and many other critters can easily take an adult in the middle of the day. The smaller they are the more critters out there can take them. Any time you free range any chicken you are taking a chance.

Some people go years free ranging and suffer no losses, including people that raise chicks with the flock. Others get wiped out immediately when they try. This can be out in the country or in the middle of suburbia. This can be totally open to the world or inside a fenced in yard. You don't get guarantees with chickens and predators, there are too many different things that like to eat them or just kill them for fun. Again, there are more critters that can take a young smaller chick so they are more vulnerable. Big snakes can be bad on young chicks.

Since the chicks are putting themselves to bed in the coop, if you open the run gate or door and let them out, they will almost certainly want to return to the coop to sleep at night. No matter their age when you try this I suggest you be out there just before dark to make sure they can make it back. Chickens don't do gates really well, especially when they are desperate to get back to the coop to sleep. They may get stuck against the run fencing and not realize all they need to do to get in is to walk down to the gate, even if they have been going in and out of that gate all day. They do catch on after a couple of nights but sometimes they can be quite dense.

At 6 weeks old yours can free range and make their way around. But whether they are 6, 16, or 86 weeks old they are still vulnerable to predators.

 

[FayoumisFreak]

Thanks for the advice. Last night I let them out at 8:00 p.m and stayed out with them until they roosted. There are no chain link or wooden fences since this is a very rural area. There is a barbed wire fence near but the chicks just walk under or jump over it (I am friends with the neighbor so they wouldn't mind if I hopped the fence to catch a few chicks). There are no trees next to the coop but there is a creek 2/3 mile away full of trees. I have only ever seen one bird of prey (a male Merlin) but there are coyotes around. For now I am just doing supervised free range around bedtime. Unsupervised free range will wait for a couple months.

 

[Mrs. K]

Everything loves chickens... such a choice, I love to let mine out... I have donated a fair share to the wildlife population.

My advice is to use free ranging as a treat, don't do it all the time, and have enough room in you set up that you can go into lock down. Many people seem to think that you can cheat on numbers, if you free range, and you really can't.

 

[Criticalicious]

We recently installed an electric poultry fence around the chicken area to protect them from all the ground predators. Nothing has bothered the chickens yet (knock on wood), but we have seen fox, coon, skunk, snakes, possum, and black bear. I'm still afraid to let them free range unsupervised because we also have abundant hawks and vultures, not just in the sky but also in the trees around the property. Everything eats chicken!

 

[Chickassan]

Definitly supervise free range time if you don't have older birds to sound the alarm. One old battleaxe screeching out a heads up has saved my flock numerous times. Roosters are helpful with this sometimes but their minds tend to wander between food, danger and booty an awful lot.