In Pen, But Letting them out?

[milezone]

Hi Gang,

Ok so my chicks are now not chicks, well ok maybe big chicks. They are about 6 weeks old. We have a 16 ft x 8 ft wire fence they roam in, but we want to try and let them out to free roam the yard. They seem to love eating the grass and such.

My question is, if I do let them out, say 2 hours before dark, will they return to their coop?

Russ

 

[AKsmama]

How long have they been living in the coop? Usually it takes several days and nights in the coop for them to recognize it as their roosting place, so I would say as long as you didn't put them out there in the last couple of days, then you are probably good to go. Just keep in mind that 6 week olds are still pretty vulnerable to aerial attacks, cat attacks, etc. Make sure they have some cover to run underneath.

Have fun! Seeing free ranging chickens- my own and others- makes me happy!