When to let them out?

[GalvestonWader]

I have 8 pullets that are roughly 11 - 12 weeks old. They've been in their new coop/run for 2 weeks. It's a 10' x 6' open air coop with an attached 10' x 14' run. Is it ok to let them out to free range in the evening? I'm pretty sure after being in their new home for 2 weeks that they will know to go back in there at dusk? Just wanted to double check with yall. I'd hate for them to run off and not come back.

Also I'm still feeding them start and grow crumbles. Are they old enough to switch to grower pellets? Then when they start laying I'll switch them to layer pellets. Please advise.

Thanks in advance

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

You may need to herd them back in, so be aware of that. Sometimes they go back, and sometimes they are confused. I generally start letting mine out by 4-5 weeks, and they do okay.

I personally would switch to the pellet when they look big enough to swallow it. If they are standard breeds they should do fine switching over. I would do a slow transition with pellet mixed with crumble for a while slowly phasing out the crumble.

You can just leave them on the grower indefinitely as long as it's non medicated, and just add a separate bowl of oyster shells for the calcium needs.

 

[GalvestonWader]

Thank you for the reply. I guess I'll wait a couple more weeks before I let them out.

 

[Artscape68]

I have 8 pullets that are roughly 11 - 12 weeks old. They've been in their new coop/run for 2 weeks. It's a 10' x 6' open air coop with an attached 10' x 14' run. Is it ok to let them out to free range in the evening? I'm pretty sure after being in their new home for 2 weeks that they will know to go back in there at dusk? Just wanted to double check with yall. I'd hate for them to run off and not come back.

Also I'm still feeding them start and grow crumbles. Are they old enough to switch to grower pellets? Then when they start laying I'll switch them to layer pellets. Please advise.

Thanks in advance

I have some chicks that are about the same age about 12 weeks. I let them out supervised for about an hour as I am doing things around the coop.. and I only let them out in a small area at the moment. We have a lot of hawks around here. I have put Decoy Crows around on a nearby fence.. LOL to try to scare them away.. and the chicks I have are Australorps which look like crows, and speckled sussex which are pretty camouflaged.. but I still worry. They love to scratch around the bushes and leaves though.. and they are pretty good at coming back in. I use treats to train them. LOL