I want to pasture my chickens...nervous

[chanty]

I have 5 new chickens, 3 chantys, 11 weeks old and 2 red bovans, 20 weeks old and they are at each other in their 10 by 25 foot run. Also, it is getting a little picked over. So, I want to put them out on the pasture (tall un-kept field of tall, grass and weeds) but we are next to a road and large woods and no fence. My chicken tractor is almost done but I thought they might like to forage and roam a bit outside of a cage. I am very nervous about doing this because of taking off and predators. Will they stay around the house? I am not always out there with them. The two older girls have only been here for 3 days and the youngsters have been her about 3 weeks. Do you think it would be safe?

 

[mjuenem]

Yes the will stay around, yes they will love it, yes you will lose some if not all eventually.

 

[zazouse]

The best way to keep free range chickens is to keep their area clean of tall grassed and weeds and keep place for them to run under cover.
I keep my woods clean and pastures cut this allows the birds to see if something is coming and are able to get away

I rely on my dogs to keep things safe and they do their job very well.