Hi everyone! I just joined, although have been reading posts for at least 2 months. I must say, I've gotten more info here from BackYard Chickens than anywhere & I'm one of those people who researches the heck out of a topic. I want to first say thank you! To all of you who are so willing to share your experiences, what works & what doesn't, the funny as well as the sad stories & just the obvious passion & love that you all have for your animals, whatever they may be! I chose to get only 10 chicks from a farmer that has many different kinds of chickens. Each one is just as precious as the next, no favs here. I also got 2 goslings. The chicks are about 7 weeks old & the goslings are a little over 5 weeks old. I have no idea of males & females. All chicks are completely feathered now, looking like adults in small packages. The goslings have just a little fuzz left on their necks & head, otherwise it looks like they have all their feathers.
Throughout all of my searching, I've come across very little about the details that are important to me regarding free ranging, such as what age to begin free ranging chickens as well as the geese & the steps/process to begin free ranging. They are all together now but the coop is getting smaller & becuz of the heat I can't get my mind off of them. I do have a fan on their coop & a small penned area that they can go outside. It is not ideal yet becuz they can only go to the penned area by moving some loose gates around & situating them to allow them access. But I want to let them outside to free range, no fences. I live on a farm so they will have options to go anywhere they want. People that lived here before had chickens running everywhere. I don't know if breeds matter but they were all the same kind with all red feathers.
I would appreciate any tips on this. I will be home most of the time to supervise once they are outside with the exception of 1 day a week that I work or those short runs to town. Anyway, any advice, ideas, etc. is appreciated so much! Thank you in advance for any knowledge offered!
Throughout all of my searching, I've come across very little about the details that are important to me regarding free ranging, such as what age to begin free ranging chickens as well as the geese & the steps/process to begin free ranging. They are all together now but the coop is getting smaller & becuz of the heat I can't get my mind off of them. I do have a fan on their coop & a small penned area that they can go outside. It is not ideal yet becuz they can only go to the penned area by moving some loose gates around & situating them to allow them access. But I want to let them outside to free range, no fences. I live on a farm so they will have options to go anywhere they want. People that lived here before had chickens running everywhere. I don't know if breeds matter but they were all the same kind with all red feathers.
I would appreciate any tips on this. I will be home most of the time to supervise once they are outside with the exception of 1 day a week that I work or those short runs to town. Anyway, any advice, ideas, etc. is appreciated so much! Thank you in advance for any knowledge offered!
