What time do you let your hens out in the morning?

[traceyseymour]

It's my first time at keeping poultry and I have 3 wonderfull hens that are 30 weeks old and laying me an egg a day each. they are free range all day in my back garden.
My problem is i'm not sure what time to let them out in the lighter mornings & what do I do when it gets light at some unearthly hour in the morn.!!! they always know when to go in at night so thats not a problem....please help.

 

[Wildsky]

I don't think it really makes a huge difference.

I let mine out when I get out there

Normally around 8:15am at the moment - weekends though they have to wait till 9 or 9:30!

 

[Buff Hooligans]

I do the same as Wildsky.

 

[Crazy4Chicks]

between me and DH we try to let them out the same time every morning - normally around 7 and they go to bed when ever my rooster tells them to.
now during the warmer months when it gets light ealier i think we will keep to the same routine of letting them out at 7

Julie

 

[newchickowner]

My girls get on the school bus just before daylight. Because there is a couple of Owls living on and near my property, I wait till the sun is up, I usually go inside and make a pot of coffee. By then the sun is up and then I let them out.

 

[cheeptrick]

Winter time they are let out at 8am...if no snow on the ground....they are let out at 10am to discourage early morning predators.

HINT ** You can usually tell if you've got a predator in the winter because of the tracks in the snow around the coop!!

Found tracks last week...
DH had to make yellow SNOW...and IT has been cold this week in NH. LOL

 

[MissChessy]

I let mine out around 2 p.m. Make sure they lay their eggs before letting them out as they seem to just don't understand how to get back into the hen house. I have a problem with mine going back into the run, they want to roost on top of the run which is covered with deer netting to keep the predators out and they fly right on top of it and I have to get them unstuck.:

 

[mullers3acers]

Dh let's ours out before he leaves for work which is about 5:30 am. We really have no problem with them laying and the black sexlinks are excellent layers and very hardy. Usually we have a problem with the hens pecking when you collect eggs but it just seems second nature to them for us to move them to get the eggs.

 

[Redfeathers]

I used to let mine out around 7:30 when I could see well enough to go outside. Now it's lighter out by 7 am and I let them out then. They are going to roost around 6:40 pm now, just last month it was around 4 pm. Spring is on it's way!!

 

[Wildsky]

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