Letting my new flock free range for the first time

[jwsmith1959]

It's been 2 1/2 weeks since I got my 6 chicken flock of Production Reds. They were ~17-18 weeks old when I got them. My coop is about 8 X 50 feet and after some initial skittishness, they have settled in quite nicely inside the coop. There has been no bullying and they now seem to look forward to my excursions inside the coop to feed and change water.

I feel it is time to let them out to stretch their legs and wings a little bit. I have seven acres, but expect them to stay fairly close to the coop. How long should I let them out for initially. I'm pretty sure I can lure them back inside with a little scratch and some encouragement on my part. The coop is about 50 yards behind the house and is mostly shaded with a large row of old live oak trees running down one side of the property about 20 yards away.

Here is a photo from my driveway showing the area they will be introduced to. Thanks in advance.

 

[DobieLover]

Plan on them exploring quite far from the coop once they develop some confidence. Mine were hiking up the road one day and two houses down the road another day. They are now confined to 1/3 acre of my property.
For the first time you let them out, wait until about 2 hours before dusk to open the door.
Stay with them until they start to head back in. If you haven't already, you can train them to come to you with a specific call and their favorite treat. They will get this treat and call ONLY when you need them all to go back into the run/coop whenever you want.

 

[writerskramp]

"8 X 50 feet"..! They need no Range to be Free.. but it's nice free proteins.. and better eggs! You'll see... If they can find their way home. Odds are they'll roost next to your house, my experience.

 

[AntiqueB]

@DobieLover said it well. They will gradually expand their territory as they become more comfortable with being out of the run. I consider fencing a must, as well as training them to come to you.

As a side note, they WILL develop certain expectations about free ranging, and will pester you (sometimes loudly) to let them out, once they learn it's a possibility!

 

[jwsmith1959]

Well...the wife couldn't wait to let them out. They are keeping close to each other and almost immediately came to me sitting on my mower and in the last 2 1/2 hours have not gotten more than 15 feet away from me/mower. The last 45 minutes, they have scratched out a small area 4 are still taking a dirt bath. They love being outside and have been chasing some bugs around while the flock follows the lead at every move.

I am guessing the dirt bath is either that it feels good or that they have mites...or is this just normal behavior. Here are some photos. Thanks for y'alls comments.

 

[TooCheep]

Dirt/dust baths are perfectly normal. If you watch the birds, they love it. I call it "spa time". It does help hold down mites, but they will do it even without.

 

[jwsmith1959]

"8 X 50 feet"..! They need no Range to be Free.. but it's nice free proteins.. and better eggs! You'll see... If they can find their way home. Odds are they'll roost next to your house, my experience.

Is this a large coop? I have 13 nesting boxes and maybe 30' of roosts. I have a lean-to at one end that takes up a fairly large area that they have been gravitating towards lately.

 

[writerskramp]

Is this a large coop? I have 13 nesting boxes and maybe 30' of roosts. I have a lean-to at one end that takes up a fairly large area that they have been gravitating towards lately.

Wow.. I now feel small like a new potato..

 

[jwsmith1959]

Well...smart chickens even at ~20 weeks. I came back outside after coming inside to type the above messages and was surprised that all of the hens were hiding under my mower. I first figured it was due to overhead sun, but there is plenty of shade around the coop...

I hear a Red shouldered Hawk and low and behold, he/she is in a pecan tree 50-60 yards away. They started a nest in one of my water oaks, but abandoned it when I started mowing about a month ago. I have heard them, but have not spotted their new nest. I have worried about them, but have found over the years that they (Red Shouldered) limit their prey size to smaller than squirrels. They can be tenacious raptors when hungry though.

They followed me without prompt inside the coop. I just coaxed them by calling. I did give them a little treat though. I'll probably keep my mower parked close by there instead of under my shed in the back for the time being. I'll try and find a short table that they can easily fit under and place it nearby for some additional peace of mind. Here was what I saw when I came back out.You can barely see one...all the rest are well underneath my mower. lol

 

[jwsmith1959]

Wow.. I now feel small like a new potato..

I did not mean that negatively in any way. I inherited this coop and took a year and a half to do anything with it due to covid. My Wife and I wanted chickens ever since we got this place, but I wanted to do my due diligence. We raised chickens when I was a kid, but my Mom did most of the heavy lifting. This was in the 60's. We had well over 100 chickens back then, so I thought that 6 seemed quite meager.

Good luck and all the best.