When should chicks in coop have access to run?

[jonalisa]

I have 7, 7-week old chicks in a separated area of the coop where they can see the hens (who ignore them).
I have always abided by the 2-week rule of keeping chicks in the coop to learn it is their home. I have just sectioned an area of the run for the chicks.
Does anyone else do the 2-week rule? Does it matter or is there a better way?

 

[quackingdom]

I don't have a 2-week rule. Every time I get new birds, I usually keep them in their coop/nighttime pen for two or three days and then let them out. Sometimes I have to herd or carry them to bed in the evening after their first couple days free ranging, but they seem to learn quickly.

I've also raised chicks without a broody hen a couple times. I think I started letting them out when they were around eight weeks old. I don't recall ever having any trouble getting them back in the coop for the night.

 

[azygous]

There are no rules other than exposing the chicks to the adults so they get to know them and who they need to avoid. Before chicks are two weeks old, they do not know to discriminate among adult hens, being inclined by instinct to duck under any fluffy butt they see. After that, chicks become more "street smart" and know which chickens they should run from rather than under.

The most important thing you can do for the safety of your chicks is to rig a "panic room" for the chicks to duck into if they feel afraid for their safety. Anything will work as long as the big chickens can't get in and the chicks can. Do this by creating small openings, always more than one, or a long shallow gap under a fence partition that the chicks can squeeze under to reach safety inside a safe enclosure. Food and water are inside this daytime enclosure.

By age five weeks, chicks can begin roosting with the adults.

As for imprinting the coop as home, that won't work as well as you think since the coop won't look the same from out in the run. You'll need to teach the chicks to go inside at night until they finally get it. It can take as little as two nights or as long as two weeks.

 

[jonalisa]

There are no rules other than exposing the chicks to the adults so they get to know them and who they need to avoid. Before chicks are two weeks old, they do not know to discriminate among adult hens, being inclined by instinct to duck under any fluffy butt they see. After that, chicks become more "street smart" and know which chickens they should run from rather than under.

The most important thing you can do for the safety of your chicks is to rig a "panic room" for the chicks to duck into if they feel afraid for their safety. Anything will work as long as the big chickens can't get in and the chicks can. Do this by creating small openings, always more than one, or a long shallow gap under a fence partition that the chicks can squeeze under to reach safety inside a safe enclosure. Food and water are inside this daytime enclosure.

By age five weeks, chicks can begin roosting with the adults.

As for imprinting the coop as home, that won't work as well as you think since the coop won't look the same from out in the run. You'll need to teach the chicks to go inside at night until they finally get it. It can take as little as two nights or as long as two weeks.

I see, thanks, I'm going to do that!