At what age do you start introducing free ranging?

[Raubkatze]

My kids are now 10 weeks old. Yesterday I let them out for a few minutes while I did a deep clean of their coop and run and they loved it. However, I was out there with them the entire time. I am wondering at what age does everybody start to introduce their young chickens/new flock to the idea of free ranging? I am thinking of doing it for a couple of hours in the morning on nice days for their own personal enrichment, and to give the run a break from their digging/eating/pooping.

 

[BURNIE450]

I would wait a tad longer but its all about opinion I would say 6 months or if they don't have like grass and stuff in the pen.

 

[Coffetym]

If it’s a nice warm day, we try getting the chicks out starting around a week old & sitting on the ground. It’s amazing how close to you they will stay & this seems to help them get accustomed to being near us for protection even when they’re fully grown.
It helps to have some chick starter that you’ve wet to a paste & hand feed this to them while they’re out.
As they get older they will venture farther away from us, but after a few minutes they will come running wildly back to their safe place.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

If they are putting themselves to sleep in the coop then they know where home is so it’s ok in that sense to free range now. If you have predators it might be a good idea to supervise or wait until they are a little harder to carry off lol

 

[Raubkatze]

If they are putting themselves to sleep in the coop then they know where home is so it’s ok in that sense to free range now. If you have predators it might be a good idea to supervise or wait until they are a little harder to carry off lol

Our biggest concern is coyotes, which I don't think will care what size they are.

I've been feeding our crows, and have seen and heard a significant uptick in our local murder. I haven't noticed any birds of prey hanging around.

 

[fluffycrow]

Sounds like you are quite observant. That is quite a helpful quality for a chicken tender, especially one of a free range group (or more).

Awareness does come with maturity, but acquiring the necessary skills and learning necessary behaviours for free ranging is easier to do at a young age.

Youngsters here go out ASAP. Brooder-raised chicks are at a disadvantage, since they have to get integrated first. Like yours, 10-12 weeks is when they usually get to out. A big difference is that the group of which they are a part of is multi-generational. Hens and roosters with years of ranging experience. That is surely helpful for the youngsters, gaining foraging skills and predator awareness.

For your bunch, I’d think supervised ranging for a few weeks would be the safest option. At the 16 week mark, they should be more than capable of doing everything by themselves. Should be safe (as much as one can be, when free ranging) to leave them alone even before that, if they have assumed their roles in the group. Someone to watch out for predators is most important. That usually is the male’s job, but one of the girls can definitely substitute.

There are no guarantees with live animals. Much less when free ranging. Setting them up for success is all that we can do. Plenty of cover helps. So does knowing the predators of your area, as well as your chickens. Seeing as we’ve introduced the chickens back into nature, working alongside it, as opposed to against it, is the safest bet

 

[MysteryChicken]

My kids are now 10 weeks old. Yesterday I let them out for a few minutes while I did a deep clean of their coop and run and they loved it. However, I was out there with them the entire time. I am wondering at what age does everybody start to introduce their young chickens/new flock to the idea of free ranging? I am thinking of doing it for a couple of hours in the morning on nice days for their own personal enrichment, and to give the run a break from their digging/eating/pooping.

View attachment 4107014

I start mine with free range at about 3 months.

 

[Raubkatze]

Sounds like you are quite observant. That is quite a helpful quality for a chicken tender, especially one of a free range group (or more).

Awareness does come with maturity, but acquiring the necessary skills and learning necessary behaviours for free ranging is easier to do at a young age.

Youngsters here go out ASAP. Brooder-raised chicks are at a disadvantage, since they have to get integrated first. Like yours, 10-12 weeks is when they usually get to out. A big difference is that the group of which they are a part of is multi-generational. Hens and roosters with years of ranging experience. That is surely helpful for the youngsters, gaining foraging skills and predator awareness.

For your bunch, I’d think supervised ranging for a few weeks would be the safest option. At the 16 week mark, they should be more than capable of doing everything by themselves. Should be safe (as much as one can be, when free ranging) to leave them alone even before that, if they have assumed their roles in the group. Someone to watch out for predators is most important. That usually is the male’s job, but one of the girls can definitely substitute.

There are no guarantees with live animals. Much less when free ranging. Setting them up for success is all that we can do. Plenty of cover helps. So does knowing the predators of your area, as well as your chickens. Seeing as we’ve introduced the chickens back into nature, working alongside it, as opposed to against it, is the safest bet

The run is nestled into an L-shaped section of our old carriage house, and there are trees all around them except for directly behind them which is an open field before turning into an apple orchard. Guess which way they headed first yesterday before I herded them more towards the house?

I just rehomed my rooster, and already I am noticing a difference in the flock dynamic. The hens are back to being mama-girls. Nobody seems to be in charge, though one hen is definitely the bravest and the first to try and do everything. She has been my favorite since day 1, and I think she knows it.

They have figured out putting themselves to bed at night. We are finally going to install our auto door this weekend.