To Free Range or not?

[Snicole]

I have 14 chicks ranging from 2-4 weeks. I wanted them to free range when they get older, but I’m worried about it because I leave for work at 7 am and don’t get home until 4.

We are on five acres in the country. My husband is working on fencing the property in completely. We obviously have coyotes and hawks.

How long do you free range for? Can I just let them out when I get home, or should I get a run? Can I mix a run with short amounts of free ranging?

 

[Kiki]

Welcome!
Yes you can just let them out for a while once you get home.

You should FOR SURE have a large fully predator proof run.

 

[Evadig]

Hi and ! I would not let chicks that young free range; they will quickly become dinner for any kind of predators. It would be best to only let them out while you are there to supervise them.

 

[Snicole]

Hi and ! I would not let chicks that young free range; they will quickly become dinner for any kind of predators. It would be best to only let them out while you are there to supervise them.

I would never let them out as babies. I was asking for future reference once they are much bigger.

 

[rosemarythyme]

If you plan on free ranging part time (whether that's 20 minutes or a couple hours) then you will need a sufficiently spaced run for the rest of the time.

Even with full time free ranging it's best to have a run as an option in case predator activity picks up.

 

[No Coop No Problem]

Depends mostly on the breed of chickens and the landscape. I personally free-range my chickens 24/7, they sleep in trees, and I'm not the slightest bit worried about any of them

Dogs and fences help but are non-essential. Proper vegetation matters more. Chickens are descendant from junglefowl, not grassfowl. It's large empty fields that get chickens killed from predators

I've been doing this for years, co-existing fine with an active fox den on my property

 

[fluffycrow]

Juveniles that did not have older role-model birds to show them how it's done need time to do it well and settle into a good routine, IMHO. Until you, and they are confident in their skill, I would be supervising their ranging time.

I agree with the above peeps, you should absolutely have a safe run, even if free ranging all day.

Dawn to dusk ranging is something my main flock has come to be very familiar with; sometimes with me being away. Not something I'd recommend to others, and definitely not something I'd recommend if you live in a high-predation area.

Basically, start slow, and see where you go before going to the next step

 

[AGeese]

I have 14 chicks ranging from 2-4 weeks. I wanted them to free range when they get older, but I’m worried about it because I leave for work at 7 am and don’t get home until 4.

We are on five acres in the country. My husband is working on fencing the property in completely. We obviously have coyotes and hawks.

How long do you free range for? Can I just let them out when I get home, or should I get a run? Can I mix a run with short amounts of free ranging?

I'm not going to tell you to do what I do because it comes with significantly more risk than confinement. That said if your husband is fencing in the entire 5 acres (which won't stop coyotes or hawks) why not have him put that effort into a large aviary and then worry about the rest of the property once the chickens are secure?