What age to let chickens out to forage ?

[ChickStarter13]

I don't know if this answers your question or not, but I have a chick that is only a few weeks old, I let her out while im outside and she follows me around like a puppy.


but I'm sure your chickens are fine, just lay some scratch near or in your coop and they will all eventually go in especially when ready to lay.

 

[fowlmouthgirls]

Lol, today I was letting my girls out for some free range time, and when it was time to go back up, I made a loud "caaa caaaw" noise and they high tailed it back to the run, I too almost peed my pants laughing!

 

[GAFarmGirl87]

Try this to protect them and you won't have to chase them all over the place

Nice tractor!

Did you make this?

 

[Homestead girl]

Thought I would update on how my chickens are doing with going out to forage. They love it , they see me coming and they all gather at the door. Yesterday they bulldozed me as I opened the door and I had chickens running around my legs through my legs and out they went.
I have noticed that they will go out and when they are ready they go back to the coop for a drink of water or just to hang out in the coop.
A few brave one's like to stray a little far already , they are the oldest of the pullets 15 week old Buff Orpington's and the 13 wk old GLW.
But so far no trouble from any hawks , even though I heard one today off in the distance.
Now to get the pecking under control (have one in sick bay at the moment) .
Oh and can't wait for those EGGS to be laid

 

[AParmer]

Thought I would update on how my chickens are doing with going out to forage. They love it , they see me coming and they all gather at the door. Yesterday they bulldozed me as I opened the door and I had chickens running around my legs through my legs and out they went.
I have noticed that they will go out and when they are ready they go back to the coop for a drink of water or just to hang out in the coop.
A few brave one's like to stray a little far already , they are the oldest of the pullets 15 week old Buff Orpington's and the 13 wk old GLW.
But so far no trouble from any hawks , even though I heard one today off in the distance.
Now to get the pecking under control (have one in sick bay at the moment) .
Oh and can't wait for those EGGS to be laid

Oh I'm so happy to hear all your feathered kids are doing so well! You're not too far out from eggs either. Please post pictures as soon as you get some. We will certainly celebrate with you! I'm also expecting to see the first eggs from my six oldest Black Australorps towards the end of August.

 

[GAFarmGirl87]

Thought I would update on how my chickens are doing with going out to forage. They love it , they see me coming and they all gather at the door. Yesterday they bulldozed me as I opened the door and I had chickens running around my legs through my legs and out they went.
I have noticed that they will go out and when they are ready they go back to the coop for a drink of water or just to hang out in the coop.
A few brave one's like to stray a little far already , they are the oldest of the pullets 15 week old Buff Orpington's and the 13 wk old GLW.
But so far no trouble from any hawks , even though I heard one today off in the distance.
Now to get the pecking under control (have one in sick bay at the moment) .
Oh and can't wait for those EGGS to be laid

Yippee!! That's wonderful! I've got 3 girls laying right now, and I'm still waiting for the other 7 to get with it. It should be any day now, as they are all about 5 months old.
I got mine as 3-month-olds. The last 2 months have been very hard to wait. I can't imagine what it's going to be like when I get chicks and have to wait for them to mature!!

And off I go to let my own out of the pen to forage for the evening

 

[Homestead girl]

Oh I'm so happy to hear all your feathered kids are doing so well! You're not too far out from eggs either. Please post pictures as soon as you get some. We will certainly celebrate with you! I'm also expecting to see the first eggs from my six oldest Black Australorps towards the end of August.

I will post pictures of the first egg laid . They will hear me in china ..

My husband just smiles at me and the chickens, But he love's egg's he will be doing the chicken dance too when the first eggs are laid.

 

[Homestead girl]

Yippee!! That's wonderful! I've got 3 girls laying right now, and I'm still waiting for the other 7 to get with it. It should be any day now, as they are all about 5 months old.
I got mine as 3-month-olds. The last 2 months have been very hard to wait. I can't imagine what it's going to be like when I get chicks and have to wait for them to mature!!

And off I go to let my own out of the pen to forage for the evening

Oh How wonderful for you fresh eggs. , I know I have already been thinking about next year , to hatch some egg's . I haven't told my husband yet ..
I hope I will have a broody hen. My neighbor rented a chicken from a man to brood his egg's . Had no idea you could rent a chicken. But now I know . I love learning about all this chicken stuff. Let me know when your other seven start laying. How exciting for you.

 

[RoxyBird]

Thought I would update on how my chickens are doing with going out to forage. They love it , they see me coming and they all gather at the door. Yesterday they bulldozed me as I opened the door and I had chickens running around my legs through my legs and out they went.
I have noticed that they will go out and when they are ready they go back to the coop for a drink of water or just to hang out in the coop.
A few brave one's like to stray a little far already , they are the oldest of the pullets 15 week old Buff Orpington's and the 13 wk old GLW.
But so far no trouble from any hawks , even though I heard one today off in the distance.
Now to get the pecking under control (have one in sick bay at the moment) .
Oh and can't wait for those EGGS to be laid

Mine only peck or pull feathers in winter when it snows and they are in the coop most of the day (less so if I manage to shovel the run). It's a huge coop/lots of floor and dust bathing space... but I think they just get bored. They don't pull/peck aggressively or run away from each other (much)- it's more curiosity... which is why I think it's sheer boredom. If I can let them out in the yard a couple hours a day after work and on the weekends, and provide scratch grains or entertaining food (cabbage hanging from a hook or veggie treats in a chicken wire pouch hooked on the wall so that they have to work to get to it), the pecking generally stops.

A friend of mine uses a thick layer of Vicks vapo-rub on bald spots (from pecking). Apparently the taste is so horrible that it breaks the habit rather quickly. She says it makes for very dirty chickens though- since everything sticks to it. I guess I'd rather have the birds be dirty for a week or two than have them being pecked on. Have not tried it yet though...

We have been letting the 13 week olds out in my SO's yard whenever possible. This is his first set of birds and he has a large pallet coop- we have not left them unattended because we aren't sure if there are neighbor cats who are still interested, etc... and he doesn't have an adult hen or roo to fend them off. They are having the time of their lives!

 

[RedDrgn]

We started letting our new chicks out, supervised, in a covered pen area when they were 3 days old. The ant population has been taking a beating.