What Age Can Chickens Free Range?

[Sjisty]

I let even one-week-old chicks outside, with supervision, to explore and stretch their wings. I love watching the little ones dust bathing and discovering the newness of life!

Don't worry, they're not dead, just worn out!

 

[mrhall]

My chicks are 3 weeks old and i have a coop and a run…the coop is off the ground and the chicks love the roosting poles inside and outside. At dusk they seem really scared and huddle together peeping their lungs out….but won't go up inside the coop. I know they can get up their because they climb all over the place…is it because its dark in the coop…should I put a light on?

 

[Belinda7]

As soon as they are old enough to free-range, when I want them to get back in the coop, I yell "come on chickens!" while clapping my hands . I have many predators around (dogs, cats, coyotes, cougar,etc.) so I want them to come running when they hear me clap my hands.

Initially they always get treats when they all hop back in the coop having responded to the hand clapping. Over time, you will just be able to clap your hands and they will come running....they're not very bright, but they sure aren't stupid!. It also comes in handy when they are headed for areas that I don't want them in... for instance my vegetable garden! I do let them free range in my garden while I'm turning it over, but not once the little seedlings are coming up because they damage/eat the plants.

 

[Illia]

I gradually get them used to it. As soon as they're able to leave a heat lamp, assuming you're not using a broody, I allow them to leave the coop into a temporary run for weeks, then when they finally figure that home is home, which is a VERY easy concept to get them to understand, I remove the temporary run. I still fence my chickens in, just, in a very, very large fenced area

Yours sound just at a good age to start. Since you already have a run - Do it! They're already pretty glued to the coop as home, so they'll return.



Under a broody hen is best of course because the chick starts out free-ranged. If it wanders, it will get scared, lonely, or called back on by mommy.

 

[brahmakid11]

i let my chickens free range at about 6 weeks

 

[NovaAman]

Same here. 6 weeks is good. Just need to know where home is, have an easy walkup... and let em go...

 

[pwog]

Thank you everyone for your suggestions. I haven't let them out yet, but I will soon and I'll let you know how it goes. Irene put a stop to my plans...

P

 

[saladin]

Quote:
Of course your first statement is true; I just don't call that free-ranging. As I use the phrase both terms have meaning: Free means Free, Range means Range. If the Range is confined then it isn't Free.

 

[saladin]

Quote:
Great def. centra.

I do have a confined area of a few acres for the hens; but, I don't call that free-ranging since their is a fence.

 

[centrarchid]

In my free-range settings, fences made for larger livestock may not impede chickens because they can either fly over or simply walk through, yet such fences can influence ranging habits. My birds treat fences and ditches like wildlife corridoors. They will nearly walk the perimeter of a 40 acre feild if good cover provided by border habitat yet not venture more than 100 yards towards center of such a feild unless pushed into flight. Therefore, fences actually promote ranging. I feel comfortable with such ranging because my games are very competent flyers and available cover helps limit loss to hawks.

The free-range concept is cool stuff to me for my less flight capable dominiques because I am yet to fully understand how to get the birds to use more of the ground and the natural productivity it provides that is in close proximity to roost / house / protection provided by dog. The birds prefer to go farther along fence rows, like the games, to get same levels of eats yet such lardbutts can not fly well enough to evade ground predators that come in when dog is not close. I want free range to involve more effecient use of habitat and will modify habitat to promote once ideal characteristics understood.