My 7 week and 5 week old chicks!

[kla37]

We just got started with chickens and just love it! They grow so fast, and are really all becoming sweeties (or they just know I am the Bringer Of Treats).
Our partridge cochin

All 7 weekers in their dusty box. I mixed screened topsoil, sand, and some DE. They love to roll in it and nap in it. There is a buff orpington, the partridge cochin, 2 black autralorps, and one barred plymouth rock.

Our 4 5 weekers, a blue cochin, a splash cochin, and 2 more black australorps.

BTW, I would love to let them out in the yard, but I'm so afraid they won't come back to their run/coop! How old should they be before I try this?

 

[Morgan7782]

They are adorable! Great job

How long have they been in the coop and run? Usually if they are locked in coop/run for a few days or week they should be good to go. Whenever anything happens scary you will see them all hightail it for the coop and run.

 

[kla37]

They have been in there for 2 1/2 weeks. I figured even the little ones would be OK since it's so HOT! They have gotten out of the run, just one, on a few occasions, and I have to catch them to put them back in. We have a completely wooded lot, except for our fenced in backyard where we have a lawn and mulched natural areas with plants and bushes. I'm worried about hawks! I know the dog is some protection, but the littles are just still so little! I think I'm just a worried mommy.

 

[kla37]

BTW their run is 8 X12 so I hope that's enough space for them until they are a little bigger and I won't worry so much! I have it completely enclosed in 1/2 " hardware cloth, except the bottom under the substrate, I used 1/4" so things couldn't dig their way in. I even put locks on the run and coop doors, I remember from keeping rabbits as a kid that raccoons are VERY handy at opening latches...