This is what we did. As you can see everyone does things a little different.
When we first put the chickens and turkeys out to the coop we kept them locked into the coop for 2 weeks. Now they think of it as their home. After that we would let them out into their yard until they were a little bigger like 2 or 3 more weeks. [We started with chicks and they went out to the coop at 4 weeks.] The only ones we ever had trouble with going into roost at night was the silkie girls, I had to round them up 2 nights and then they got it. Whenever I call my chicken to me I make sure I have some bread, that means they come running now whenever they see me.
I am home full time, but with all the hawks and eagles we have soaring overhead I only let ours out in the late afternoon. They all go into roost at dusk or dark. The turkeys have great eyesite and are always the first to see any danger in the sky, including seagulls.
And everyone takes cover till it passes.
When we first put the chickens and turkeys out to the coop we kept them locked into the coop for 2 weeks. Now they think of it as their home. After that we would let them out into their yard until they were a little bigger like 2 or 3 more weeks. [We started with chicks and they went out to the coop at 4 weeks.] The only ones we ever had trouble with going into roost at night was the silkie girls, I had to round them up 2 nights and then they got it. Whenever I call my chicken to me I make sure I have some bread, that means they come running now whenever they see me.
I am home full time, but with all the hawks and eagles we have soaring overhead I only let ours out in the late afternoon. They all go into roost at dusk or dark. The turkeys have great eyesite and are always the first to see any danger in the sky, including seagulls.
