Settling in birds before free ranging?

[chickensnew2me]

This may be the wrong thread for my question and if it is I apologize, I'm kinda new to this. I have an adult RIR rooster and some hens that have not free ranged before. I just moved them to a new pen and want to allow them to free range during the day. How long should I keep them in the new pen before they know it is home and will return at night so I can lock them up?

 

[gjensen]

This may be the wrong thread for my question and if it is I apologize, I'm kinda new to this. I have an adult RIR rooster and some hens that have not free ranged before. I just moved them to a new pen and want to allow them to free range during the day. How long should I keep them in the new pen before they know it is home and will return at night so I can lock them up?

Maybe a week, maybe two. I would try it in a week. The worst that will happen is that they will be confused, and you will have to round them up. That is easy to do right as it gets dark. No drama.

 

[Lacy Blues]

Heritage Large Fowl Thread

This may be the wrong thread for my question and if it is I apologize, I'm kinda new to this. I have an adult RIR rooster and some hens that have not free ranged before. I just moved them to a new pen and want to allow them to free range during the day. How long should I keep them in the new pen before they know it is home and will return at night so I can lock them up?

If you can set up some kind of a temporary fenced-in area outside their pop door so they can go outside at least a little bit, they'll come to recognize the building from the outside as well and that should make it easier to get them to come in at night. Depending on how many predators are in the area, you don't want them to be out at dusk but safely up on their perches by then.