Supervised Free Range? Possible?

[FDaniels]

Just something I thought of. Is it possible, once we get our chicks, to let them out for like an hour a day to free range supervised? With us right there with them would predators still get them? Or are they safe to walk around with us?

 

[chicken farmer8]

if they are about 2 weeks old and it is warm about 80 degrees that that would be fine for a little bit but I would stay with them the whole time because at that age they need to be able to get warm if they get to cold they will die so if they are like day old chicks I would definitely wait till they have feathers

 

[FDaniels]

Oh well I meant once they're older & outside in their run.

 

[chicken farmer8]

oh ya that would be fine I let my chickens out of the run for a little bit every day I just sit out there with them and they are fine with it

 

[FDaniels]

That's what we were hoping. There's 2 of us so I'm thinking 1 of us watch 1/2 & 1 will watch the rest.

 

[chicken farmer8]

I think that would be just fine my hens love to get out and about and not be in the pen because they ate all the grass in the pen lol

 

[FDaniels]

lol and I'm sure ours will too but we're used to it from the cat enclosure & the dog enclosure. We plan to cover the floor of the run with straw so hopefully that'll make it look better & make "the girls" feel better about it. If you don't mind I've been asking about this and I'm getting mixed responses but we're wanting to get 5 girl sex link chicks but we also want to get 2 older girls as well so we can have eggs now while the babies age. We're looking at Red Stars from Mcmurrays for the started pullets. Have you ever integrated different ages or would you be able to tell me the safest way to do this?

 

[chicken farmer8]

my sex link girls did not want any thing to do with chicks that I bought day old but I have heard that if one of you hens are broody you can let her sit on a couple of eggs and then at night jently put the chicks under her and take the eggs and check on her because if she dose not take them she will kill them I have always kept my older chickens and younger chickens separate in till they are have way grown

 

[FDaniels]

We keep getting miscommunicated We were going to wait & try to start integrating them once the sex links were about 6 wks old. One person suggested locking the babies in the coop for about a week & building a temporary one for the 2 older girls and then once that wk was up we could open the door and things should go smoother since the babies will have felt more at home out there. What do you think?

 

[chicken farmer8]

I have never tried that before but as long as they don't constantly peck on them and chase them in a week or so they will be just fine but keep a close eye on them because the older girls will kill the little ones if they are to small