What age to let chickens out to forage ?

[sandrich]

This is my first post on BYC..I'm a first time chicken owner. I received my 13 Chicks three weeks ago and they went outside for good on Saturday. The reason they had to go was due to overcrowding in there cage.They were getting really agitated with each other and just began pecking each other. So i can say they are happy now and they have plenty of space to stretch there legs.

 

[rauch65]

Hi , Your chicks should be use to their coop for a few weeks, so when they are let out they will want to return. I let my new chicks out at nine weeks. Let them out about an hour before night fall. They should return to coop to roost. I also sit in chair and watch them. they stayed close to me at first.. As you get more comfortable with them being out you can increase their foraging time. It may be good idea to keep some treats on you just in case . I have used treats to get them back in coop if I want go in before dark. I this helps

 

[mischke]

Mine have been going out on nice days since they were 3 weeks and then the brooder went out at 6 weeks. They are in the coop now and spend the days ranging in the yard no problems yet.

 

[fowlmouthgirls]

I cant imagine not at least letting them into a run until 6-8 weeks. Mine are 3 1/2-6 weeks and they were not happy chickens confined in the house! I started letting them all out to the run a week ago, and would bring them in the house at night. Then this week I let the 4 big girls 5-6 weeks stay in the coop at night and I bring the babies in at night. Today I opened the run just to see what they would do, and all but my littlest Dominique came out to play. They free ranged and chased each other around for over an hour never getting more than 25 ft from the run, I stayed right there and watched them. Then back into the run they all went as I herded them in. Happy Chickies!!

 

[Iluvmallards]

I have 2 Hawks that come flying around and will actually land just outside the area and look at them. The big Brahmas now almost 4 months old will come running right to them. Stupid birds. LOL. I've had chickens for 3 years now and never lost one yet. I'm sure it will be a matter of time. If you have chickens you most likely will lost a few here and there. Unless you cover a whole area. Which I have 4 areas and too many birds to do that. So actually I just let mother nature play out. How ever you want to take that. But so far like I said, I have been lucky. A fox came by twice out there too. But can't get in. Hung a few sweaty t's and haven't seen him back.

I have 2 very large Roos that keep the hawks away, they stand on guard, when they see anything fly over they do a low growl like noise and all the girls run for the bush behind my house, I have more of a problem with raccoons tearing everything apart to get chicken food, they don't bother the chickens they just want the layer crumble, there have been a couple of times they have come out during the day to get chicken food and my chickens run them off, i also have problems with cats people dump off out here in the woods, my hens really hate the squirrels as well, I can watch them beating the crap out of squirrels in the yard everyday, one day I will have to get it on the video camera it's pretty funny

 

[fowlmouthgirls]

I have 2 very large Roos that keep the hawks away, they stand on guard, when they see anything fly over they do a low growl like noise and all the girls run for the bush behind my house, I have more of a problem with raccoons tearing everything apart to get chicken food, they don't bother the chickens they just want the layer crumble, there have been a couple of times they have come out during the day to get chicken food and my chickens run them off, i also have problems with cats people dump off out here in the woods, my hens really hate the squirrels as well, I can watch them beating the crap out of squirrels in the yard everyday, one day I will have to get it on the video camera it's pretty funny

I want to see that!!! I have squirrels and they drive me nuts!(no pun intended) they dig in my flower beds to hide their nuts and dig up my seedlings, I hope my chickens kick squirrelly butt!

 

[Triple Willow]

Hello I too had a lot of copper heads at my house until I turned my chickens and guineas loose, now the only snakes I see are the ones I see my rooster killing and then the small ones get eaten by the hens, about three weeks ago I heard a bunch of ruckus in the coop, ( I have 3 broody hens sitting on eggs) I went to look and there was a huge black snake trying to steal eggs, but those three Broody's killed it before it could get to the eggs, the power company was down here replacing the power lines, ( under ground) they told me every where they work they run across all kinds of snakes but they had been down in here for around two months and had only seen one that one of my hens was eating, thank heavens they love snakes!!!

Hi Iluvmallards. What kind of chickens do you have? I hope mine take care of some snakes.

 

[Iluvmallards]

I want to see that!!! I have squirrels and they drive me nuts!(no pun intended) they dig in my flower beds to hide their nuts and dig up my seedlings, I hope my chickens kick squirrelly butt!

It is really funny but I never have the video camera when they are doing it, they also gang up on the big black snakes that try to steal eggs 3 of my girls killed a big one in the coop last week, my hens are RIR and i have 2 white ones i dont know what they are but they are the ones that attack the squirrels, they are like little guard dogs, my geese keep the dogs out of my yard, they beat up 2 that were after my ducks last summer and now all the neighborhood dogs stay out of my yard, I will try and get it on video and post it, the hens always win!

 

[NestingHillsSC]

I have 2 very large Roos that keep the hawks away, they stand on guard, when they see anything fly over they do a low growl like noise and all the girls run for the bush behind my house, I have more of a problem with raccoons tearing everything apart to get chicken food, they don't bother the chickens they just want the layer crumble, there have been a couple of times they have come out during the day to get chicken food and my chickens run them off, i also have problems with cats people dump off out here in the woods, my hens really hate the squirrels as well, I can watch them beating the crap out of squirrels in the yard everyday, one day I will have to get it on the video camera it's pretty funny

Nice. I cooked some duck eggs for them last week. At 4 months they weren't all that interested in them, but the crows were. Within 10 mins there were like 15 crows trying to get the eggs. I also wished I had my camera so I could video the leghorns. When a crow landed, the leghorns came at the crows feet first.

 

[NestingHillsSC]

These are 12 day old Production Reds. Time to go out! I wait until there feathers look like this. Again though, you have to put them in there coop if it rains.