What is a good age???

[anthonyjames]

Hi all,

My peeps are just a little over 3 weeks old and have been in their coop for a week as well as a run that I move every couple days.

I am wondering what age is a good age to let them out of the run to roam the yard? Is 3 weeks to young? Should I keep them in the run for a few more?

I still have to put them in the coop at night as they don't want to go in. But the second the door opens they are flying out literally.

As a side note I have 10 of them if that makes a difference

Thanks

 

[txbioteacher]

I don't know the answer, but I'm interested to find out... You may want to add more details to your title like "What is a good age to allow chicks to free roam?" Or something to that effect...

Good luck!!

 

[bethandjoeync]

i would think at that young of an age, and they are small, they would be way more likely to be easy targets for predators. if you don't feel like there are stray cats around or hawks in your area then I would closely monitor them. do they come to you when you call them?? would it be easy to corral them back into the run, if danger were approaching?? just some questions you might want to ask yourself

 

[gritsar]

I let mine out at the age, but I was with them constantly at first. I guess they were about 10 weeks old before I cut back on the supervision. I cut back to half hour checks, then hourly and so on and so forth.
Now I go out a few times a day to check on them and if I hear my rooster or one of the hens making a fuss besides the egg song, that is.

 

[Judy]

My broody is raising 4 chicks. She started taking them out of the coop on day 3.

 

[elmo]

Young chicks without a hen to look after them are vulnerable to predators (like Blue Jays and grackles, for example) that would not be able to harm them once they're full grown.

I won't be letting our chicks free range without my supervision until they're full grown.

 

[m2wandc]

I'd be a little worried about hawks, other animals that want chicken lunch...I'd wait until they are older...bigger...nearly full sized if you can...

 

[cmom]

I agree with the other posts and would wait until they are a little bigger before I would let them out.

 

[farmin'chick]

This is probably a goofy way to do it...mine moved out to the outside chicken coop at 3 weeks, and they had a fenced in yard with a 40" fence (I used those stick-in electric fence poles and plastic poultry netting to make their fence). When they started flying over the top and crawling under the bottom, they became free range chickens...I've finally taken down their fence (at 8 weeks) because they were using it as a springboard to fly over the garden fence, and they were ignoring it anyway. Some of them STILL spend most of the day in the chick house, while others range far and wide.

 

[Mahonri]

I've posted this before.

Only allow those chickens out of an enclosed area that you don't mind losing forever.