What Time Do You "Release The Fowls"?

[cluckcluckluke]

What time does everyone let their chickens out of a morning?

I was always told

"never let your girls out to early or you will loose them to Mr Fox".

So I let my 22 chickens out at around 6:00 each morning (occasionally at around 7:30).

 

[donrae]

My coop doesn't have a door that shuts from the run, so they have access whenever they want. When I free ranged I never closed the door of the coop, so again the girls got to chose when they went in or out. My few days of sleeping in are too wonderful to lose them having to get up and let chickens out!

 

[lorain's fids]

What time does everyone let their chickens out of a morning?

I was always told

"never let your girls out to early or you will loose them to Mr Fox".

So I let my 22 chickens out at around 6:00 each morning (occasionally at around 7:30).

It depends on the season and what time it gets light out so it changes. Now I have been letting them out at 7am. But come the summer I generally let them out of their coop between 5:15 and 5:30am.( that is generally when I start to hear them stirring.)

 

[JackE]

Let mine out around 7:30 during the week, and a bit later on the weekend. Don't think your chickens are safe from Mr Fox in the daytime. I had two daylight attacks, one at around 10:30AM, and the other at 5 in the afternoon.
Jack

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

Mine go out around 7:00. But we've never had a fox problem in the morning--our predator attacks have been during the day.

And I'm always panicked to get out there and close them in at dusk, because TWICE I've had owls in there just after dark.

 

[Pinky Macgyver]

I only have two, one of which is a rooster. I live in town so if my neighbors complain about the crowing I have to get rid of him he doesn't crow in his house so I tend to keep him there until noon when nobody will care about the noise. He has a fair bit of space and everything he needs in there but is this bad?

 

[EggsBeesSeeds]

I have to be at work before the sun rises so I designed my coop to be open to a fully enclosed run so the girls (and boy) can come and go as they please. When I get home from work, usually around 1:30-2pm, I let them out to roam until 4-5pm (feeding time) when I lock them all back up again. In the winter they only get those few hours of free ranging but in the summer it is light here pretty early so my husband lets them out before he goes to work (at 6:30am).

 

[cluckcluckluke]

It's good to know I'm not to early or late letting them out.

I realise that foxes can get hens when ever they please but dawn and dusk are their usual hunting hours.
WalkingOnSunshine- what do you mean by the owls? do you find them roosting in your roost?
If so that would be so cool (or do they eat chickens?).

Pinky- How much room does your rooster have?
He might be a bit stressed so them his fertility rate wont be as good if you plan on hatching some eggs.

 

[Pinky Macgyver]

Hmm, his house is about six feet by three. I do plan on hatching but either way, don't want my baby stressed!

 

[From the North]

I don't have my chickens yet, but I was planning on allowing them free access to their run from their coop. Is this really uncommon, and if so, why? Just like my horses, I would think the chickens would prefer to come and go as they please.