The girl's day out

[adrianney]

I am new to the chicken game and am admittedly overprotective of my flock of 6. I spend lots of time with them in the enclosure attached to their coop, give them treats and basically spoil them. The thing that makes me feel bad is that they don't get to roam and have fun like chickens should. Plus, I know that if they get to eat grass and bugs and other things their eggs will be so much better (when they start laying...soon I hope). Our 2 acres is not fully fenced and I'm afraid that they will fly into trouble if left on their own.Yesterday my husband and I were working on the coop, adding some ventilation and a new window and I decided that I had to let them out. They roamed but stayed pretty close to me and the coop. It was so much fun to see them flap their wings and run around like crazy. So much fun that they got to go out again tonight before bedtime. It's so funny to see how they scramble for their enclosure if they get scared.

 

[Teila]

Hey there adrianney

Welcome to BYC and congrats on being a new chicken mum.

I also have 6 [little bantam girls] and I am also very protective. Free range is always supervised due to neighbourhood dogs and cats and the risk of aerial predators.

I let my girls out for a supervised wander every afternoon and mostly all day on the weekends.

If you can supervise them or at least keep a very close eye on them; if you let them out before bed time they will probably not wander far from the coop and run and as you have mentioned, that is their ‘safety zone’.

Be warned, chickens can tell time!

After being let out regularly at 4pm every day, my gals now start demanding to be let out anywhere from 03:15 onwards

Because I am always out there with them and there is the chance they might get a meal worm or two, or three, the girls do not wander too far away from either me or their coop and run.

Maybe if you can, let them have a supervised wander as often as you can?

But, if you can’t, don’t feel bad, as long as they have lots of room they will be fine. You can also take the treats to them; throw in some grass clippings [only very short clippings], clumps of sod to scratch through etc.

You have some lovely girls and they look very happy exploring!