When to Free Range

[Mattisonmandi]

my 6 guinea are about three months old now and seem to be getting bored of being in the chicken coop. When can I let them free range? I don't want to release to early.

 

[chickenmama109]

i let mine free rang after they got use to there coop you can free rang know you will have to teach them to go back in there coop at night chickens like routine so when they start going in on there own all you have to do is shut the door and let them out in the morning my chickens love free ranging and i dont think they would know what to do with out it hahaha good luck with your flock

 

[red horse ranch]

By the time guineas are 3 months old they have most of their adult size. You can start letting them out now but they do need supervision at first. And they might need guided back into their coop at night. They probably won't go far in the beginning since the coop has become their 'safe space' so they shouldn't be trouble getting back in.

 

[GlennLee]

They should be at a good age to start free ranging. My first flock was 12 weeks, the second group I've had were with an adult guinea who knew the ropes, so I let them free range at 8 weeks. If I hadn't had to raise them by hand and they had guinea mamas, they would have been free ranging even earlier.

Sometimes I've found they need help getting back in - if you think about it, their perspective is from the inside out and they need practice going from the outside back in. And don't be surprised if they don't go out the first day or so. They may need time to figure things out.

I'll free range mine in shorter intervals at first and make sure a light is on so they aren't afraid of going into the darker area from the bright sunlight or if you're still trying to get them in as dusk arrives. I try to get them in an hour before sunset so they aren't tempted to roost in a tree. I do train to a bell, so that helps and reward with millet once they are in. I'll stand outside the coop, just to keep them from going around and around.

Hope this helps! Good luck! It's always a nail biting experience at first and when they get it, you have a sigh of relief. FYI - I do encounter some problems when they start to pair off in the spring. The males are more interested in "getting the girl" than "getting in the coop". I usually have to pull out my arsenal of flashlights as they are still struggling to get in well past sunset.