I'm about to start free-ranging.

[davecash]

After about 6 weeks of having our chickens in a coop.. We are gonna let them out tonight about an hour before sundown.. Anything we should know?

 

[devora]

Our coop is a bit difficult to get into (they actually have to fly UP to get back in) so a few were running around near the entrance. I just picked ‘em up and popped ‘em in. Now, for the most part, they all go in no problem.

Good luck w/ it. It is so fun!!

 

[davecash]

i have weeds and thickets behind my coop,will my hens go there and get lost? or will they stick to open grounds?

 

[mdbucks]

They Probably will stay in the open and evetually venture into the woods, to answer other thread, for shade mine can get under bushes/trees. If you have no shade you could put up a leanto/carport type structure if you want it freestanding. If you have fencing, suspend a tarp over part of it, they dont care what it looks like as long as it is shade. Mine actuallly prefered going under the coop. I also put a waterer outside coop, so they dont have to go back inside just to get a drink.

devora-My entrance is about 1 1/2 feet up so I just built a ramp up to door 1x8 with slats for gripping so they can walk up or fly up

 

[davecash]

once they go into the thickets will they return home?

 

[mdbucks]

Mine keep coming back. I have some heavy woods that they will go into, and dig thier moon holes just to cool down, but they have always come back so far

 

[davecash]

Okay, sounds good.

 

[Itsme]

I was real nervous when I first let mine out to free range.
When they first came out they just came out a little ways around beyond the gate, everybody kind of milling around and clucking about new discoveries and eventually they worked their way into the thickets and all around the yard. There were a couple of times that I had to go and get a hen that couldn't figure out how to get around the fence back to the gate...lol the silly! Mine are pretty tame so I just threw scratch down to lead her back.
I quickly fenced in my garden.They loved the cabbage and the tomatoes!
They now have their favorite spots they head for as soon as I let them out. The hens go back in and lay in the boxes and they all go back in at bedtime. I leave the gate open during the day so they can go in and out at will.

 

[ruth]

Quote:
Same here. They know where they live and they always come back at sunset and often during the day just to "hang out".

 

[davecash]

well theyve been oin their coop and a fenced in yard for sometime, so tyhey should know wheen to ocme bakc