I'm afraid to let them freerange...Please help

[Shellyb]

Hello, I'd like to let my chickens free range, but am afraid that I won't be able to get them back at the end of the night. Do I leave their water in their run with the door open to it or do I put water outside the run. How will they know to go back in their run and then into their coop. They have been doing good with getting back in their coop before sun down on their own and all up onto their roosts on their own. I guess I just don't want to be out there trying to chase them around or lose one. Any help or suggestions are appreciated.

 

[sojeo]

I started calling mine in for a treat at night. Now they come in by themselves as they are all so tired of playing and exploring all day. I leave their food and water in the coop, they come and go as they please. I wouldn't want to have to carry their large water and feed dispensers everyday anyways!

I was a little concerned about having the pop door open all day, but with our dog keeping an eye on them, they do not have to worry about predators lurking around.

Now that I think about it, I think it only took 2 or 3 nights of calling them in. Now they run for their treats!

 

[valentinebaby]

I would let them stay at least a day or two in the coop (as long as it's not too hot) so that they know it's home. All I did was leave a pink light (it's what they grew up with in their brooder) on in the coop and they eventually worked their way into the coop. I turned the light off a bit after they were all in and locked them up tight. Good luck!

 

[valentinebaby]

Agree with Sojeo - I too gave them a bit of oats in the coop at night as enticement - they came running after that! I don't have to do that inside the coop anymore, but it helps in the beginning.

 

[willkatdawson]

They will go home at dusk or a little before. You will look outside and they will all be walking down to the coop. It's the sweetest thing. I do have water up near my house becaue they seem to spend most of their time around the house. Their there any time I open the door to see what I have for them. My husband and I bought a whiskey barell liner at Lowe's and added a pump and a pretty jar. The whole project took 30 min including digging the hole. The dogs and the chickens LOVE it. The water stays much cooler in there than it does in a bowl. Once a week I add more water from the hose. Don't worry you chickens will go home on their own. When I first started letting them out I did teach them to come by giving them treats. Now if there's a threat of a thunder storm or something like that and I need to get them up during the day all I do is walk down to the coop and call them and they all come running. I used live meal worns to train them, they go crazy for them. I ordered them from New York Worms and they were MUCH cheaper than the pet store. I ordered 1,000 meal worms for $16.00. They last for months.

 

[2468Chickensrgr8]

With my new arrivals I keep them in the coop and their yard until they realize they roost in this coop and then an hour or so before sun down I let them all out and do a head count after dark...or I watch to see if everyone goes in if not they usually hang around the door and I have to go back to making sure they know where they roost...but when they do understand I just let them free range...I supply water / feed inside the coop and also in their yard and just water outside the coop yard ...always making sure the door ways are open for them to come and go....
I have six "University student"(chickens)....never seen the outside world ...always been in a cage,,,..and I have put an old chicken in with them to teach them...she's like the mom...you should have seen them this morning when I threw in some worms ...they were appalled she was eating them...meanwhile in the other coop feathers would have been flying...

 

[Shellyb]

Thank you for your quick responses and help. I just need to hear that they will be ok. How old is old enough do you think? Mine are 9 weeks and 6 weeks although that sounds really young but they are really good size. What kind of Oats do you use. I don't have any from the feed store but I'm sure I have oatmeal type.

 

[CityClucks]

Mine went into the coop at about 7 weeks - they stayed indoors for two days and nights and then I opened the pop door into their run. They stayed in their house/run for a couple of weeks - always going in on their own at night. After that I let them into the yard, leaving the door to their run open and their food and water in the run as always. They always go back into their run and house on their own now. And if I have to go somewhere during the day I put them back in their run. All I have to do is stand in their run throwing scratch and calling them and they all run to me.

 

[Gwen]

I would love to know more about that watering jug in the photo above. Could you describe how you made it exactly? Thanks!

 

[noitulover]

we let ours free range from about 4:30pm - 8:00pm... the rest of the day they ae in the run/coop.

when the sun starts to set, the chickens slowly migrate back to the run. they don't always go INSIDE the run, but they will definitely come back to it. (we "shoo" them inside)

as it gets darker, they instinctively go inside the coop from the run.