Today I became a chicken owner! I acquired 8wk old Coronation Sussex and Black Orpington hens from a heritage breeder who was giving these away for $10/e because they didn't meet strict breed standards. I'm excited about the Sussex as it's a really rare breed. I'm hoping they'll warm up to me and my family...right now they seem very skittish and run to the back of the "coop" (an extra large dog travel kennel) when we approach. I'll keep the hens in the coop for 3 days and then I'm going to put them out in my "chicken tractor", a large metal wire dog crate with the bottom cut out. I'm not handy with the tools AT ALL--the best I can do is re-purpose something that's already been built. As much as I'd love to let the hens free range around my backyard, I worry that they'd be picked off by hawks. Do you think it would be alright to let them free range for a couple hrs a day when my 2 kids are outside with them?
