How To Let My 2 Hens Roam?

[redmanplace]

We just bought two 8-week old hens last week stricktly for pets and as laying hens. One is an Americauna, and the other is a Golden Sex Link. We have the cutest little chicken condo that houses up to 4 chickens, and we put it on our back patio that surrounds our pool and has a picket fence around the backyard area. We live on 10 heavily wooded acres, and here is my question:

I would like to let the hens roam free for at least a couple of hours a day. Do I need to worry about them getting out of our fenced-in pool/patio area by going through the slots on the picket fence or flying over the fence? And, if they do get out, is it okay to let them roam in our woods around the pool area? Also, if they do get out, how do I get them to come back into their chicken condo?

I would like to be able to let them roam around the patio & small yard area that's fenced in around our pool so that we can enjoy them, but on the other hand, I feel like I should open up the fence and let them go out into the woods so then can chicken-peck bugs and stuff and live a happy chicken life? So do I let them out into the woods or leave them in the patio area? And how do I get them to go back into their chicken condo? There is a small grassy area (maybe 20 ft x 40 ft that's in the fenced-in patio for our 3 dogs to potty in, but I'm worried it's not enough room for them.

One last thing...we have about 20 wild cats that roam under all of our bird feeders. Do we need to worry about a cat getting them if they get out into the woods? Should I wait until the hens are larger before worrying about letting them roam in the woods?

Thanks for all of your help for this new chicken owner!

 

[15littlem]

A few tidbits of info...
If you are living in a wooded area, you have predators, whether you see them or not, which will attack your chickens at night. If you have only 2, you're increasing your risk, as they will be much bolder. They might even come during the day. Suggestion for this: Let your dogs be around the chicken area. Encourage them to urinate on the fence, as this might deter a coyote, skunk, racoon, or fox. They will also bark and warn you of the threat. They might even scare it off...
As they are only 8 weeks old, depending on how big your fence is, can probably get through the slats. If it is 4 feet tall or less, you need to clip their flight feathers in order that they cannot fly out. This is a simple fix for the slats, get some farm fencing, and staple it to the INSIDE of the picket fence.
DO NOT let them roam around in the woods. Until they have spent several months free-ranging in the fenced in yard, they will not be homing pigeons. (Learned this the hard way...) Even then, you would need to have a large flock of 5+ hens, in order to make sure that they stay together in one group.
After a while, they will naturally go into the condo at night, out of instinct. Provided that you have supplied adequate nesting areas.
Hope this helps.