What age free range?

[loriensmom]

At what age can you let the chics out to free range (and hopefully eat up the hords of grasshoppers)? And how do you get them back to their temporary home/brooder (in process of building coop)? Thanks in advance for the info!!

 

[BeckyLa]

A lot depends on your setup. Is the brooder outside or inside? If they are fully feathered out and the shelter you want them to come back to is outside then just open the door and let them out. They won't go far at first but will go farther as they become familiar with things. I'd begin by letting them out an hour before dark so they won't have gone very far before they feel the need to go in and roost. If they feel that shelter is home, if they've been in it for a week or two, then they will come back to it on their own at roosting time.