Free range question

[Fishfam6]

What age did you let your chickens outside alone to free range? Ours are 7 weeks. When we let them free range we usually stay outside with them, but I can’t do that all day everyday. What age will they be okay on their own? Will they wander off? Will they go back in their pin when they want? Do I need to leave water around the house or just keep it in their pin with the door open?
Tia!!

 

[hysop]

My personal opinion is: the older the better. So maybe around 6+ months.

I leave water in their chicken run and they know to go back in there to get some water if they need it. They don't usually wander off too far from their coop if they have already established that is their* home.

I also only feed them in their run because I want them to associate that with coming back right before evening, I throw them some scratch grain and close the run for the night.

Before I would let them free range all day every day, but they started laying eggs everywhere! So now, I do it from a certain time in the day to another to monitor their egg laying.

Yes, leave the door to the pen open the entire time they are free ranging.

 

[Kaesi2020]

Hello! I am new as well. I know these types of things really depend on environment. For me in an upstate NY rural area, I have been doing supervised free ranging (outside with them the whole time other than some short trips inside) starting when they were around 7 weeks. They are very acclimated to the yard now, know the safest zones (under deck, in the coop or run, etc.). They are ten and a half weeks old now and I let them free range with partial supervision in the daytime. I may go inside or on an errand for a few hours, come back and hang with them for an hour, go away again, etc. I worry when I'm gone but it certainly is hard to supervise for extended periods of time. As they get older I become more comfortable leaving them unattended but doing periodic check ins. My neighbors let their chickens free range all day completely unsupervised. It all depends on what you're comfortable with I guess. I feel better knowing that mine gravitate under my deck and under our big trees.