Free-range question for a newbie!

[Cat Thompson]

Hey, y'all! So, my husband and I are getting ready for our new chicks and are totally excited about it! We are brand new to the chicken life and are asking, researching and seeking all the help we can get! One of our many questions has to do with partial free-ranging (a term I think I may have just made up?). When of age, we plan on keeping the ladies in the run/coop but we would like to let them roam and scratch whenever we are home to watch them. My question is this: how do we go about bringing them back into the run? Is there a whistle we need to learn? Should I special order a "bring 'em home" device? Do we need to do a roll call? I know it's several weeks until we get there but this is what we are wondering about now.

Thank you to anyone!

 

[Chaos18]

My birds all come back to the coop at bed time by themselves. You can condition them to come to treats. I've done this a couple times but usually I just let them put themselves back in the run and coop.

 

[Cat Thompson]

I thought about treats but didn't know if they just went back in or not. Thanks!

 

[Chaos18]

I thought about treats but didn't know if they just went back in or not. Thanks!

Keep scratch in a can, use the same can every time. You can then go into there run, shake the can so they can hear the scratch (while saying something along the lines of "come here chickens"), than give them some scratch when they come. Do this for a couple days before you let them free-range and they should come when they hear the can shake and you call when they are free ranging. Than when everybody get's back in the run you can give them there treats for listening.

 

[Cat Thompson]

That's a great idea! How old should they be when they go into the coop? 3months? 4 months?

 

[abraga]

Hey, y'all! So, my husband and I are getting ready for our new chicks and are totally excited about it! We are brand new to the chicken life and are asking, researching and seeking all the help we can get! One of our many questions has to do with partial free-ranging (a term I think I may have just made up?). When of age, we plan on keeping the ladies in the run/coop but we would like to let them roam and scratch whenever we are home to watch them. My question is this: how do we go about bringing them back into the run? Is there a whistle we need to learn? Should I special order a "bring 'em home" device? Do we need to do a roll call? I know it's several weeks until we get there but this is what we are wondering about now.

Thank you to anyone!

I started training my chicks as babies. I used meal worms. Every time I have buggies I said " chick chick". So they associate chick chick with " come and get it" I then put them in the coop a couple if weeks and feed worms every eve w/my magic word. 1st day I turned out just a few hrs. B4 bedtime. I gradually increase the time out. Letting them out at the end of the day so they only have an hour or two out works best I think. Keeping them in the coop for a couple weeks gives them a sense if "home". I also only feed and water them in the coop for a few months so they must go back inside to eat/drink throughout the day

 

[Chaos18]

That's a great idea! How old should they be when they go into the coop? 3months? 4 months?

Do you mean without a heat lamp? If so that all depends on your location and your birds and how they feather out. I've had chicks outside without heat as early as about 4 weeks old, other times they are closer to 6 weeks old. I've currently got chicks outside being raised by a broody that are about 5 weeks old and they've stopped going under her for warmth. Typically people will wait until there birds are about about 6 weeks old to remove the heat source.

 

[Cat Thompson]

Lots of wisdom! Thank you! So in summary, coop time is probably about 4-5 weeks depending on the chicks themselves and how they feather. Train them to know food and water is in the coop only. 1 or 2 hours out is usually best.

Me and my husband both work full-time so we wouldn't feel comfortable leaving them out while we are gone. But letting them out while we're home would be great.

 

[abraga]

I put my chicks in the coop as soon as they didn't need heat. They were in there for awhile to b4 i let them out. Late afternoon is a great time for turn out while ur home. Once u open the doors..let them come out on thier own.dont force them. When I say chick chick...they all come running! I don't always give them treats now. Chickens r creatures of habit..ha ha. I also pick them up..pet them a bit and give them a worm b4 i put them down..now I can pretty much scoop one up..even my roo.that way..if I need to get my hands one one to treat them for something they r used to being handled and eating from my hands( helpful if u have to hand/tubefeed sick ones)

 

[abraga]

That's a great idea! How old should they be when they go into the coop? 3months? 4 months?

Once my chicks dont need heat anymore they go out. Usually when they have feathers on the wings, back. If u r some place like to Florida . They can go out sooner. It gets down to 50 here in the mornings. Mine did fine. I now have a baby coop/barn. I move my babies out earlier now..and if I think it's to cool I use a hear lamp just at night. They are so much healthier..socialized and grow better when they get plentyvkf activity and fresh air.