How long can chickens be away from flock?

[Maka]

Hey there! I have quite a few chickens and I was thinking about taking a couple out at a time to clean up the garden etc but I wanted to know how long a chicken can be away from its flock before they have to be re introduced? All my girls would be rotated out in pairs to clean up the garden. I’ve just seen a lot of predators around and I want to make sure I only have out what I can keep an eye on as far as safety goes!!

Thanks for your help!

 

[Debbie292d]

They'll not lose their places in the pecking order if it's within the same day or even a few days. Chickens do have a memory. I'd think there might start being issues if it's over a week though.

 

[tofuflower]

Their memories seem to last at least a month since some hatch babies and come back. This month I had two mamas that were gone for more than three weeks, and the flock all remembered their positions. The first mom was #2 and allowed #1 to eat beside her chicks and chased off all the others. The second one was at the bottom, and unfortunately everyone pecked her away when I tried to feed her and her new chicks.