What age to free range?

[Mamato6]

@aart I let my older ones out and keep the younger ones I until I know I can trust them. Most people are saying they let their birds out at this age but I just got these so they don't know their surroundings yet or where to go at night.

@centrarchid there is plenty of forage. It's not a cleared 2.61 acres, it was actually all trees when we bought the land.

 

[centrarchid]

If center of property is open with perimeter more densely vegetated, then birds will move to perimeter for most of day which is likely to cause them to leave property. That is problem I have when basing a flock around my house.

 

[Mamato6]

@centrarchid they actually stay under my house. We have white base and it is very cool under there. We live in Southern Texas so there is heat until like Jan/Feb then a few weeks of 40's and back to warming up again. Then come 8:30 they all go in the coop

 

[centrarchid]

At some point they will move away from house. Immature birds not as motivated to get out there. My range well until temperatures get into the 90's F.

 

[Mamato6]

@centrarchid its 100+ here so they stay under the house until it cools off then they eat bugs and weeds etc in the front and back yard and also to the side of their coop because the way the trees are it makes a nice little alcove. My MIL lives on the other half of our property and has older ones (two hens at about a year and a rooster that is about 8 months) that go back and forth between the yards but never any farther

 

[centrarchid]

If like her today, temperatures did not cool off enough to forage in a quality manner so birds went to roost largely empty crops. Only chicks hit the feed hard and they complained. With will drop back into low nineties tomorrow when they will try to compensate.