Intro to Free Ranging?

[anniem]

Free ranging here only means to our entire yard of our 1/3 acre, but it seems big compared to their little fenced area.

After a few nights in the coop do I just let them loose? Do I stay out and limit their amount of time at first? Our yard suddenly seems so big, and seems to have so many places to hide (under the deck, and the shed, in bushes...).
They've been spending most of their days for the past 3 weeks in a fenced off area I made near the coop, and they've spent some time in the coop--it's just not quite ready. So it's not like they haven't been out there at all.
Is this one of those times that I just have to remind myself that they are chickens and not kids?

Ann

 

[Gypsy07]

I find that chickens only tend to range as far as they're comfortable with. The first fortnight I left the coop door open, mine wouldn't go more than six feet outside the door. After a month they were venturing 20 feet or so and now they go wandering off down the fields and almost out of sight. At the same time I now have four 14 week old chicks as well, and although they are kept in with the older ones and are free to come and go as they want, so far they tend to stay in the run most of the day. I figure they'll get bolder as they get older.

 

[chicmom]

Once my chickens were used to being outside in their coop, I kept them locked up for maybe a week, and then I let them out to free range. At first they will stay near the coop, but then they begin to venture around. You can lure them back in with some type of great at dusk, just as it starts to get dark, but alot of the times, the chickens will head for the coop instinctively just as darkness starts to settle in.

 

[gryeyes]

I'm going to test some Free Ranging this weekend. My chickens have a rather large run area, but my back yard is much bigger, plus there is a lot more space (total one acre) to the property where I rent.

I will have to lock my dogs in the house for the duration, because one of them is a chicken killer.

I already know the cats won't bother the chickens at all. (Already pecked the biggest cat on the nose through the run fence!)

So it's just my hesitation (and locking up the dogs) that has kept me from letting them free range. They go into their coop by themselves at night and KNOW where it is, so I don't think I'll have to chase any of 'em.

We'll see.

 

[Qi Chicken]

Good luck. We're about 1 step behind you so I'm going to subscribe to this thread to see how it goes. I bet they'll have fun!

 

[sonew123]

when we put our in their new coop-they had never been outside before-we kept them locked up for 3 days. Then we allowed acess to their runs and coop for a few more weeks then we just open the gate to the outside-they free range from 7:30am-8pm -when I wont be home to lock them up on time-I dont let them free reange all day-they have to stay in coop and run.

 

[speckledhen]

You may want to train them to come to a certain sound. We introduce some mixed grains/scratch to them at about 9-10 weeks old. We shake the jar, let them hear the sound, then sprinkle some on the ground. Now, my 11 week olds come running to that sound and they have been let out into the yard a few times to explore.

 

[felidaet]

I have also trained my 1 year olds to come running when they hear me shaking the container of scratch. I only allow mine to free range when I am working in the yard because of the hawks and eagles. I can't always stay in the yeard until dark. Training them to come into the run on their own is so much easier than trying to catch them by hand during the middle of the day when they are free ranging.

 

[ellieroo]

remember the old dinner bell!! Thats what we use.If I shake a can of scratch I'd get the horses so a bell for the chickens!

 

[MamaDoula]

This is how we lost 6 of our birds last night...everyone else headed in at dusk, but the five roos never came back.

(They like to hang out under the rabbit hutches in the woods, and I wasn't keeping as close eye out as I should. ::sigh:

I saw a fox lurking around and chased it off, but my bet's that the fox got them. One lone cuckoo came timidly out of the bushes while I was looking for them, and we found the sole hen that was missing on top of the run early this morning, crying to be let it.

eta: I think we get a giant free range "fail".