what to do

[gallina man]

ive had my birds one month now .ive been doing a lot of reading on this subject and still dont know what to do.should i let them out there run .i have a big garden and a 7 foot fence. wing clipping some people say yes some people say no .i want to let them out but i want them to be safe too from preds .do i be brave and let them out and hope they come back .i think i will try this later on today what time to do it at it gets dark at 7 pm so do i do it at say 4 30 pm. thanks for any info

 

[annie3001]

if you want to start free ranging them, then try a small cage for their safety. with an open bottom if you have one.
how many are you talking about? i think its alright as long as your chickens,, can come to you and know your voice. thats my opioion, others may chime in..
also stay right with them , just in case. little a bit each day. they should be just fine.
good luck and take some pics!! (if you can)

 

[gallina man]

thanks i will take some pics and it is six hens keep u posted

 

[TinaK]

im in pretty much the same situation gallina man.. I have 2 chicks atm that I would love to let out for a free range in my suburban backyard... except I only have 5ft fences and dogs on all sides

They have a decent sized open bottom cage so they can scratch around enough.. but I would like to let them roam free for a few hours each day...

I don't know how high they will fly, or whether they will try and get over the fence.... but I don't really want to find out the 'hard' way... They do like me.. and come to me.. but I am sure that once they get out they won't be so forthcoming.....

People say clip their wings when they are fully feathered..... I have no idea when that is! I'd be guessing.... but I know they are too young now....

I was thinking about letting them out at about 7:00pm... because they head into their beds at about 8:45pm at the moment (dark time)....

I'll see what people have to say!!

 

[chickenlover220]

i really think you should do the 7 foot long fence.

 

[blue fire]

Some chickens will fly over a fence and some won't, I guess it depends on how they were raised. mine won't fly over my chainlink fence, maybe they are too large

, let them out and see what they do. A 7ft fence seems like a big jump. How high are their roosts? That might be a factor. I might do a survey to see if roost hieght has something to do with chickens flying over fences or not...

 

[lalaland]

chicks are pretty easy to let out in the yard - make sure there are no dogs/cats, have the cage/pet carrier/cardboard box at the ready, and enjoy. You can make a temporary "play area" with chicken wire if you are super nervouse.

I had chickens for about 6 years in a city back yard with a chain link fence (about 4 feet tall, I think), and I had "heavy" breeds - buffs, astrolorps, barred rocks - and they stayed in the yard 98% of the time. Squirrels caused a panic on two occasions, and the chickens flew over the fence and couldn't figure out how to get back inside. Neighborhood kids retrieved them once for me, leaving me a stern note about properly caring for the chickens, and the other time I retrieved them, easily.

If your chickens know you, and if you have trained them to come to you (make a habit of shaking a treat can and always giving them treats when they hear it, or making a certain call and always offering treats when they respond to it), you should have no problem getting your chickens if they do stray.

Don't leave them out unsupervised!

Caution: flighty breeds, are, well, flighty! bantams and light breed are more likely to fly
I never ever clipped wings, but some people do

have fun!

 

[Wesa]

I clipped the wings of all my chickens. Of course they grow out when they molt but that seemed the best way to 'train' them to stay on their side of the fence. None of them have seemed inclined to go over the fence since. They have plenty of hiding places in the yard & also have a netted run to escape to besides a green house should danger from a hawk arise. They ignore my dogs & actually sleep on their beds on the deck when sunning themselves or when it's cold. These are very spoiled hens. The one hen who flew the coup when I first got her doesn't even have the desire to explore anymore. The neighbor got & returned her before his dog got her. Whew! Lucky girl that Maggie. The cats give the girls a wide berth as Maggie is a great intimidator of my mighty calico huntress. She's just a little larger than my banty Abigail but as I witnessed formidable.

I live in a finger of the county surrounded by city so am thrilled to have my flock of seven wonderful ladies. They love their 2 legged momma & my husband gets so disappointed as do they when they run to see momma & it's only daddy, lol. Keep telling him he needs to give them treats.

Netting & wire works as a good deterrent but the clipped wings in the first year ensured their safety in this environment. They only fly if threatened is what I've observed from my free ranging flock.

 

[nzpouter]

depends on what predators you have and what's the law in your area says about how to deal with them....

sometimes free range is not an option, but if possible, 7 ft fence is a very good detterent for most heavy breed...

 

[gallina man]

thanks for all ur replies i let them out the last four days now all went well all came back just before dark panic over