What age to let chickens out to forage ?

[LeslieDJoyce]

Leslie, I'm so glad to see your response to this! My husband and I have been talking about adding several EEs to our flock once my Buff Orphingtons are ready to range with the rest of the feathered kids. I'm rather partial to the more docile breeds. But my weakness is a good looking rooster. I may stay away from EE roosters if aggressiveness is a trait commonly seen with them. I currently have 27 chickens. One adult rooster to watch over everybody and four (maybe five) young cockerels. The young ones are five weeks old today. Give or take a few days.

Yeah ... that's why I hung on to the one last EE roo. He was a very pretty boy with all kinds of colors and a nice long tail. He was my partner's favorite at the time, and I was hoping for lots of interesting egg options by crossing him with various hens. He got a lot less cute as he was terrorizing the whole flock.

One of our prettiest roosters is our Brown Leghorn, who looks a bit like the gorgeous rooster someone just posted a photo of, but maybe a little less flashy. The Black Australorp is a big gorgeous and gentlemanly bird. Buff Orpington roosters are big and pretty and can be sweet. And ... interestingly the EE mutt cross roosters are cute and sweet, too! Maybe a different source would have friendlier EE roosters ... ???

 

[ottbjumper06]

I was very nervous to let mine at first as well, I didn't want to chase them over 20 acres, 10 being hay field!
But I finally got the nerve to take my 5 little Roos out and I sat with them for about an hour next to a little tall grass where they could hide if they got scared, it was so cute to see them run to the grass when they heard a noise! I'm still not too excited about letting my 11 girls out free ranging, so they stay is a little run.
As for age, I started letting mine in the outdoor run at about 5 weeks of age.

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

I have procedure that results in chicks / juveniles consistently going back to roost without having to resort to baiting, driving or capturing them.

edited ... What I have been doing is imprinting chicks on a plastic box lying on its side that has capacity to accomodate all chicks without piling. ... edited

I like this idea. If you have to brood birds away from their eventual home base, give them something movable to imprint with and move it when you move them.

 

[AussieHens96]

Ultimately all our girls are free range and we let them roam around, freely, a large enclosed side garden from 8 weeks. When the babies arrive it will be up to mum to look after them and keep them in check. We don't really get foxes around our area, nor cats or dogs can get into the yard (next to impossible) and hawks are a rare sight - easily kept away.

 

[Reurra]

Any time I feed my chicks, from the first day they are hatched to the day they move into the coop, I call chick-chick-chick-chick in a high pitched voice and keep saying it until Im done. the other day i had them all outside in a dog crate and when i went to transfer them back to the coop, the scattered and started flapping and flying everywhere. I set up a holler chick-chick-chick-chick and they cam running into the coop.

 

[CathyTG]

My babies are now starting to look like chickens and love scratching through piles of last year's raked leaves that I put in their run. I will finish putting wood fence around the yard to keep out the neighboring dogs and then let the chickens run the backyard when we are home. I live in the city so have to be careful they stay on our 12,000 square foot lot.

 

[dpuleo]

How long do the mother hen take care of their baby chicks?

 

[AParmer]

Their are alternatives to EE's that are also easy on eyes. Many may also be suitable for larger groups.

Very beautiful indeed! What kind is he? He looks a little similar to a Welsummer. I almost want to say a Maran but I don't think that's it.

 

[riverguide101]

I opened the gate about two weeks ago. Very scary day for me, and when i went back twenty minutes later, the coop and the run were both empty. They were no where to be found... till i walked to the other side of the house, and there they all were. I dont evenclose the gate anymore at night , they all just go back at night. They are truly organic chickens now. I still feed them scratch in the evrnings and they all come running when i have there bucket. Gettig rid of my rabbits to get more chickens. Only have 30 chickens right now. Good luck to you..

 

[centrarchid]

Bird pictured is an American Game (AG). He is very similar to many wild-type colored breeds but has always been bred under free-range conditions. They make excellent harem masters for smaller (<10) groups of hens. Mine are very good at getting hens and chicks to move about to get into quality forage. Same roosters can also be kept with 4 week-old and older juveniles as a baby sitter. They not only warn of predators, they will also actively fend off a hawk. Down side is you can have only one free-range at a time.