When to start free-ranging

[Lil Chickie Mama]

Well, today I let them out to free range for a few hours then locked them back in the regular penned area for about 2 hours, then let them out again for an hour or two before locking them up for the night a little early. All went well. I watched from my kitchen window and as I ran back and forth between the house and work (live on site). They only came up to munch grass for less then half an hour then went back to munching leftover rice in the rice hulls and even ran down to see some critters in the scum of a small drainage ditch.

They seemed to have a great time and when I went to round them up they came back easily. A few even had stayed in the coop by choice (the doors were open so they could choose). I also introduced a new and higher roost tonight and that also seemed to please them. Being pet by someone who you can look in the eye must be less scary. They even contentedly let my husband pet them and they hardly have seen him. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I love chickens!

 

[Preservation Acres]

They'll come home. That's not at all a worry. They know where their coop is, and it's where they feel safe.

The much, much bigger threat is from animals who see them as possible dinner.

 

[rstampa]

I started letting my chicks out after 2 weeks. I take them in the back yard and they would be all looking around and wondering what this new world was all about. It was so funning to watch them at that age. At 3 weeks old I put them out in the coop with a run. It is much easier to keep an eye on them and let them in and out as I please. I still supervise them but now I just on check them about every half hour. From the very first day they always gone back to the coop on their own.
They are now 8 weeks old and all feathered out.