When to free range

[Carlos Spicy Chicken]

Hello All. I was looking for some advice on when to free range. My chicks are 6 weeks old and getting pretty big. When is a good time to start letting them out to range?

 

[boskelli1571]

Hello All. I was looking for some advice on when to free range. My chicks are 6 weeks old and getting pretty big. When is a good time to start letting them out to range?

At 6 weeks they are small enough to be picked off by hawks. If you can make tehm a secure covered area where they will be safe they can start to range now

 

[Mvan42]

Mine are about 4 weeks and I am currently letting into the run of the coop after the older ones are let out to free range (i have a built in brooder in my coop) I wait until they are almost fully grown to let them out to free range in the yard)

 

[centrarchid]

Three considerations for when to start. Predators that go after smaller chickens. Weather that impacts unprotected chicks. Forage and how it impacts distance chicks go for eats.

When not under protective custody of broody hen, then I like to wait until four or five weeks. By then they are more tolerant of temperature extremes and getting wet. To reduce risks from predators like hawks, they free-range only in the last couple hours of day. I have three groups of birds that a managed in this manner. Each has its own pen to roost in. We also have a lot of quality forage that makes so the birds do not go so far away. I stay out with them most of the time as do my dogs.

When broody hens involved, then they are out all day from day one. The hen protects them from weather issues and does a good job with hawks until chicks about 5 weeks old. Dogs help with that as well.