When is appropriate time to let the bird out for roam freely each day?

[tuanle]

Hi all,

I just got my first coop completely done yesterday. The flip version of "Wichita Cabin Coop" design. https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/tuans-coop.

Many thanks to "baldessariclan", the creators of the Wichita Cabin Coop for sharing his marvelous design!

My birds are about 9 weeks old, and it had been in their new coop about 2 weeks now. I am very anxious to let them out to roam freely couple of hours each day. I am wondering how long I have to keep them in the coop to make them get used to their new home before I can let them out for free range each afternoon without have to worry about they might NOT go back into their coop for sleeping or wondering off that never coming back. Do I need to train them first, etc… Any thought / advice will greatly appreciate!

 

[janinepeters]

No one right answer, here. IMO, 2 wks is plenty to 'imprint" on their new coop. I do train mine to come to a call so I can get them in whenever I want even if they cannot see me. It is easy to do if you follow a few basic principles - let me know if you want to know how I do it.

Some people let them out in evening because chx will automatically return to coop to roost when sun goes down. But if they are trained to come when called, you can get them in whenever you want and restricting their outdoor time to evening isn't necessary.

The best time to let them out is when you are home and able to pay attention, so you can keep an eye out for predators. Predators are bound to be a problem at some point, and you would do well to learn about those that roam your area, and how you are going to deter them. Letting them totally free range for the day while you are at work is asking for trouble.

 

[TXchickmum]

I agree completely with the above post. -started letting mine roam around the yard after two days in their new coops. -trained them to go back into their coops when needed (was pretty simple). I allow them to be out most of the day (as I am home/work from home) and can spend plenty of time watching them. If I need to run an errand or spend time away, I call them to their coops. We haven't many day-time predators, save a red-tailed hawk (which is enough)! They stay close to covered areas, and our little cockerels squeal if birds/hawks are around. I would not recommend keeping them outside a covered run for extended periods of time without the ability to check on them.

 

[Thassa]

From weeks 5-9 mine slept in the brooder at night and went out to free range during the day. They would be waiting on the back deck around 8 every night to come in. I moved them out to the barn to sleep and kept them inside 2-3 days and after that they started going to the barn on their own.

 

[bruceha2000]

I have the opposite problem. We can't convince them to go outside! They are now nearly 7 weeks. Seems only days ago we got them from the P.O.!

Their coop is a converted 9.5' x 12' horse stall. Immediately outside that is a blocked off section of the alley that is their ~8' x' 12' indoor run. There is a ramp to a window with a closeable door (1 pane of a 6 pane window) that hinges on the bottom and makes a platform. It is supported when open by a piece of wood across 2 studs.
Outside that is a ~16' x 16' run - 4' chicken wire, no cover (at least not yet) but I have a couple of pieces of metal roofing temporarily leaning against the barn to provide shade.

- The stupid birds will all lay in heap in a spot IN the coop where the sun comes in through their open chicken door.
- They will wander all over the indoor run eating spider webs and taking dust baths. Also, (according to my wife) repeatedly chasing a chipmunk out of their run.
- They will sit (and ****) on the ramp
- Some will go sit (and ****) on the open door or use the support bar as a roost and look out.

But they won't GO out!

We put all of them outside last week. They loved eating the clover. But most of them won't go out on their own and it is almost an accident when they do. The Cubalayas (about half the size of the Faverelles, EEs and Astralorps of the same age) are the most likely to come sit on us and love weed seeds. I stood in the outside run and fed them seeds. One came out enough I could pick her up and put her on the ground. One of the Astralorps (Echo the earwig decimeter) got nudged out the window somewhat forcefully by Andromeda (EE) and pretty much had no choice but to fly to the ground. Andromeda was the ONLY one to come out to the outer ramp and go down ON PURPOSE yesterday afternoon. She also went back up later, on her own. Peep (the Cubalaya) went up some time after that. Then Echo was all "OMG I'm alone!" and made the chicken "I'm worried" noise. Andromeda came back to the window and I guess Echo figure it out because she hopped up on the ramp and went in.

So how do you get your chickens to roam??

I'm SURE I'll regret it at some point

when they finally do go out then decide they want to be on the other side of the fence but at the moment, I want my "have plenty of access to the outside world" chickens to go out and have plenty of access to the outside world when we are there to watch for predators.

 

[KnoxvilleChick]

I'd love to hear more about the training process. I'm letting mine out in the evening so they come back on their own, but I'd love to be able to do it any time of the day. What's your trick, Janine?

 

[janinepeters]

Bruceha, I cannot really picture your set up, but I can tell you that if it is hard for them to see the paradise outside from their coop, it takes them a lot longer to learn to go out there on their own. I have a large fenced in yard for them with compost bins, trees, shrubs, etc...It is a real paradise. But they cannot see it from their coop and have to walk down a long, uninspiring path to get to the good stuff. So every time I get a new flock, it takes them weeks to discover it and feel comfortable going out there. Once they find it and get comfortable, they literally explode out the door when we open it. You can speed up the process by offering them treats further and further away from the coop, if you want.

 

[janinepeters]

Knoxville chick, here is the gist of getting them to come to a call. First find a treat they love (scratch?) and decide on a call they can hear from a distance and easily distinguish from other noises and words. I yell chick-chick-chicken in a loud, high pitched voice. Yeah, my neighbors just love this ) A whistle would work, too.

To get them to quickly associate the call with the treat, you have to show them that the call is the one and only clue to the treat. So visit them often, but only once a day, bring a hidden treat that you let them see only AFTER you have made the call. This way, they learn that the treat comes when, and only when, you call. If you bring a treat every time, they just learn that a treat comes whenever you show up. If you show them the treat before you call, they learn to anticipate the treat by the sight, and won't necessarily associate the treat with the call, or it will take them longer to learn.

Doing it this way, I can get them to respond to the call after as little as 4 days. I've trained 5 or 6 flocks, and 4 days is my record. That said, you need to keep practicing once a day for a few weeks, even if you are not letting them out. I have found that like people, chickens vary a lot in the rate at which they learn. I might have 1 or 2 whipper snappers that learn the call within 4 days, but the others are just responding to flock mentality and following along, when the smart ones go running for the treat. The problem there is that if a slow learner gets separated from the flock when ranging, you might not be able to call it back. Dumber ones can take a couple of weeks to really get it.

Hope this helps!

 

[KnoxvilleChick]

Makes sense and sounds good. Thanks for the tips! I'll be getting started soon.

 

[tuanle]

Thank you for all your quickly responded to this thread. After I read your comments yesterday, I have the courage to let my birds out for roaming freely for the first time. They certainly didn’t go too far from their comfort zone, the birds tend to stay nearby their coop. Perhaps this is their first time going outside. And yet, all the chicks are automatically gone back to their coop for roosting before sunlight go dark. They look very happy to explore surround area nearby, scratch, and ate grasses etc..

Janinepeters - Thanks for sharing your technique of calling them in as will. I will try to train them once I figure out which is their favorite treat. Although, I only intend to let the birds out for a few hours in the afternoon after I come home from work except for the weekend – I might let them roam freely a little longer. This certainly will become very handing later on when I need to go away somewhere in a hurry.