How old to free range??

[SportTees]

When do you let your birds free range? I have some that are 2 months and if they get out they stay around there pen? Is 2 month to young?

 

[SportTees]

 

[redoak]

We started to let our chicks free range at about 2 months. Our biggest concern was our cat and when she stopped looking at our chicks as food.

 

[victor1800]

Yes I have the same question my 7 week old plymyth rocks sure want get out of the coop they are in. Everytime we open door they trying to sneak out. Will they come back to coop at night or will we have to go find them and carry back to coop? They are shareing a coop devided by some fence so older chickens can see them but not attack them. Just want to know if they will be accepted into flock or is it going to be war!

 

[gritsar]

Take a look at this:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=9351

 

[SportTees]

Thank you- good info

 

[Mahlzeit]

I have made a little portable pen that I put the little ones in to run around and eat bugs. It keeps the predators such as cats, hawks etc from having a snack.

 

[jelmer]

I introduced new chickens to the flock and it took them about a day before they got used to each other and I locked them up for about two days then let them free range 5 from 6 are staying close by the coop laying and sleeping in the coop except for 1 who walks around far away from the coop and sleeps in trees

 

[Lady Lavendar]

I have seven free range 2 1/2 month olds. I bought them in March as chicks and since we live in Houston (its warm all year) they immediately went outside during the day into a large wire cage. There was plenty of room for them to play all day and to enjoy the spring grass. At night, I would pick them up and put them all into a large guinea pig cage with shavings. I did this until they were too large to fit in the guinea pig cage. I started to let them roam in the front yard. At first it was only for a few hours under close supervision because we have hawks and I was terrified that they would be eaten. Then they started to stay out all day by themselves. We found that they liked to stay together and stay close to the house, they usually would hide behind my potted plants or under our Elephant ear plants. At night they would all go into the wire cage by themselves to roost. All I had to do was shut the door. They free range all over the yard now and I only feed them once a day. At night they all sleep on my front porch, huddled together in the bottom part of the guinea pig cage. I fill it with shavings so they can poop to their little heart's content and my porch stays clean!

Katrina