So do I just… let them outside?
Our take
Hi all, newish chicken owner and very new chick owner here 😅 We got chicks five weeks ago and are starting to plan how to introduce them to our existing flock and transition them out of the brooder and outside! We have 8 mature hens and six chicks.
I understand you cannot just merge the groups together, it needs to happen slowly. We have a large backyard and part of it is fenced off for the chickens. I’m thinking that I will keep the hens in this area and let the chicks in the other part. They can see each other through the wire fence for a few weeks.
My question is more so about just letting the chicks outside in general, it feels a little nerve wracking! We’ve taken them outside for a couple short stints on warm sunny days but we’ve kept them contained in an empty raised garden bed box. At a certain point do we just let them free range? How does this normally happen? 😅
[link] [comments]
Read on the original site
Open the publisher's page for the full experience
Related Articles
- Introducing my Chickens to free rangingI have 3 chickens (2 hens / 1 roo) I would like to let them out of their pen for a little while. They've been with me for about a month, and I'd just like them to have a tad more freedom then the run I have, but supervised. Can someone give me some kind of pointers so #1 - I have all my chickens after free range time. #2 - no one runs away, they're still skittish around humans. I was planning to do it closer to dusk, because my 🐥 are really good at putting themselves to bed about 15 mins before the sun goes past the horizon, but I also don't want to be chasing chickens in the dark. submitted by /u/TonkaJahary [link] [comments]
- First chicks!Hello chicken veterans! (Photo taken right before bedding change, also their first time trying cucumber scraps! They loved them🫶) I raised chicks as a kid with my family, but stopped after the flock was brutalized by a family of raccoons (R.I.P. Red, you were my favorite). Now, I'm raising my own chicks! I got 6 to start: 4 Plymouth Rock and 2 Orpington. I bought them at my local Tractor Supply, and currently have these lovely ladies in a 4x4 indoor enclosure with a heat lamp mounted 3' up in their own room! When I bought them 4 weeks ago, I noticed some had wing feathers and tail feathers sooner than others. Now that they're nearly completely feathered, it's hard to tell how old they are especially since I couldn't possibly tell you when they were hatched. That being said, I'm not sure how to judge the temperature they'd be most comfortable at until their new coop is built. We had a cold front and with them being in a rather drafty room, I set up a small oscillating heater... but now I'm rethinking based on some of the temperatures you guys are putting the chickens out at. I'm hoping a more experienced chicken person can tell me how old you think these girls are and some guidance on indoor brooding > outdoor coop and run transition–especially for predators and safety. Do you allow them to free roam, and if so, how much area do they roam? Thanks in advance!! submitted by /u/unconscious-living [link] [comments]
- Chickies first day outsideIt’s between 63-69 today and the chicks are mostly feathered (except one.. he’s got less feathers than the rest but I think he’s ok) I’ve put them in the dog kennel in the big chickens run. Not a lot of room for them in there but I really want to make sure they get to spend time outside, and this is the safest way for me to do so. submitted by /u/Much_Tap4920 [link] [comments]
- Transitioning OutdoorsI’m a new chicken parent. We got our birds March 8th - I assumed they were probably just days old, but looking at them now, I’m thinking they are closer to 5 weeks old. 4 Easter Eggers, 1 Brahma, and 1 Speckled Sussex. I’m in the Pacific Northwest and have been really conscientious (worried) about when it’s time to transition them out to the run. I’ve been taking them out there daily for 4 days now and they seem to love it. It’s drizzly and maybe 50 F out and they are currently out there. They’ll huddle a bit but then go about their chicken business. Do you think they’re close to being ready to live out there full time? Pics for reference. submitted by /u/LibrarianFlaky951 [link] [comments]