When Should I Move My Young Ones Outside and into the Flock

[willu707]

Hello there, I want to start off by thanking everyone for their advice beforehand. My wife and I have 6 chickens that we raised last year, and we have fallen in love with them. So this year we purchased 4 new baby chicks to add to our flock. We're still waiting to see what they turn out to be, as their all around 7 weeks old at this point. So that brings me to my question, when is a good time to let the young ones out in the yard? Im tired of keeping them cooped up in a tupperware bin, and they do get some outside time daily in the front yard. The backyard has a large dog kennel that is no longer being used, so we moved a chicken coop over there for the new ones. I will be keeping the new chicks and old chicks seperated by closing the kennel, but it is chain link so injuries can still occur. Thanks for any advice, and feel free to let me know if any extra info is needed. -Will

 

[Christie Rhae]

I used a dog kennel to keep chicks separate one time. I just got some small chicken wire and ran it around the bottom two feet to keep chicks heads inside the pen.
I would not integrate your flock until the chicks are similar in size to your other hens. And then do it at night.
Wow you are dedicated keep chicks indoors until 7 weeks! After about 3 weeks I just gotta kick them out. lol