How Old to Let Them Out of the Run

Bezzie · Post: # 62185Post **Bezzie** » Wed Jun 20, 2007 8:44 am

In my series of How Old .... questions ......

My gang has now been with us for just under 5wks, the youngest being now 14wks and eldest 18wk. They've demolished all the greenery in their run and now creating a nice bleak patch of 6inches width the length of the fencing where they're sticking their necks through to get at the grass outside.

Someone told me that I have to wait for them to be laying before I can trust to let them range over the rest of the garden - but these guys are chomping at the bit (well, they would be if they were horses - not sure if they know that they're not).

They come running as soon as they hear my flip flops. They have already clicked to the idea of the corn-pot and have a particular chatter when this appears ........... so can I now let them have access to the rest of the land?

I know I'm going to be a blithering wreck for a couple of days when I first let them out worrying about escapes and not coming back to the coop at night though.

I'd be grateful to hear about other people's experiences.

CrazyParrot · Wed Jun 20, 2007 10:48 am

I would let them out now. There is no need to wait untill they are laying - we let ours out over a month before they started laying.

If they have been there more than a week, and take themselves to bed at night even while they are in the run, they should know by now that it is home. I would be surprised if they explored more than a few metres away from their hut at first. Since they know the corn tin, it should be easy enough to put them back if they start to cause trouble!

Bezzie · Post: # 62201Post **Bezzie** » Wed Jun 20, 2007 11:13 am

They'll have been in there for 5 weeks tomorrow, and take themselves to bed religiously by 9pm - even earlier with the recent thunder storms. Come running to greet us whenever we appear, and have definitely caught on to the idea that I have my lunch on the bench near their run and they anxiously wait for crumbs ........

Millymollymandy · Thu Jun 21, 2007 5:27 am

I'm no expert, but I'd let them out.

First of all though, have you barricaded off anything important and of value to you like your veg patch and favourite flower beds?

Martin · Post: # 62275Post **Martin** » Thu Jun 21, 2007 8:14 am

the other alternative is to alternate runs if you don't want to risk them decimating the rest of the garden - they can be incredibly destructive!
It's not good to keep them on a scratched-out bare chunk of earth - eventually it'll get "fowl sick", and you'll get worm and other problems

We found that you can use "sheep netting" connected to an electric fencer unit - it keeps the birds in, and the foxes out.

Bezzie · Post: # 62318Post **Bezzie** » Thu Jun 21, 2007 3:29 pm

It's not good to keep them on a scratched-out bare chunk of earth - eventually it'll get "fowl sick", and you'll get worm and other problems

This is what I'm concerned about as I need to have them homed at night in a fixed run, but can allow them out into the rest of the orchard and gardens to free range. However, keeping them in there for another 8 wks or so till POL wasn't making sense to me - that's why I needed to ask for experience. Just got one stretch of fencing to finish, and then they can test it houdini style. Whilst I like a nice garden, I'm happy for them to be part of it.

ohareward · Post: # 62494Post **ohareward** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 5:50 am

We let our chooks (18 weeks) and rooster (15 months, was a free ranger before we got him at 12 months) out this afternoon for about 3 hours. They hung around the hen house at first and then ventured out to all parts of the property. I then herded them back in. Need to put up chook wire where they can get out. They were eyeing up the fence that goes into the cow paddock. It was the hens first free rangeing. It does not take long to denude their run.

Robin

Millymollymandy · Sat Jun 23, 2007 6:07 am

Nearly everywhere that I see chooks they live on completely bare earth. I think that is so sad.

I divided my run up into one patch they can always access (which is now fairly bare apart from some weeds and a bit of pathetic grass), and two runs that I alternate which have lots of long grass and wild flowers. I'm sure if I hadn't done that the whole area would have been quite bare.

Bezzie · Post: # 62663Post **Bezzie** » Sun Jun 24, 2007 3:39 pm

I agree with the 'bare earth' comment. The run they are in IS now bare, which is bothering me, hence why I want to get them out free ranging asap. Only got one hedge to fence up, and then it should be as secure as I can initially see (I know that the little jesters may prove me wrong, of course). Whilst their immediate run may be bare, their time in the run should be minimal to last thing at night and first thing in the morning now.

The last two weeks have been perpetual thunder storms and floods which hasn't helped though.

Thomzo · Post: # 62665Post **Thomzo** » Sun Jun 24, 2007 3:43 pm

Mu run has become a mudbath as well and all this rain doesn't help. I keep throwing grass cuttings, shredded paper, branches from pruned trees, weeds and prunings, into the run. Anything to soak up the mud a bit and make it more interesting for them.

Zoe

Bezzie · Post: # 62668Post **Bezzie** » Sun Jun 24, 2007 3:50 pm

Fortunately, we have created the run under some wonderful trees and bushes, with the intention that it will provide shelter from the worst of the rain each year (and it does, it has to rain a lot before the run gets it), and it gives them lots of things to mooch around and investigate with all the different branches, trunks and bushes in there. So, as yet, its not a mudbath, though it is wet.

I don't recall a time in my life when I've experienced so much thunder on an almost daily basis for so many weeks. We keep getting powercuts with it too - so glad I'm not looking to run incubators or anything like that till next season. Surrounded by power stations - literally, and yet we get power cuts often!

Well, Zoe, do you think we might make an industry out of 'boating for chickens'? We could make special little canoes for them to roam around the garden in ................ Cockerels become Coxon etc.

Millymollymandy · Tue Jun 26, 2007 6:08 am

....... or, you could just get ducks!

Thomzo · Post: # 62949Post **Thomzo** » Tue Jun 26, 2007 6:54 pm

My chooks are so bedraggled I think they believe they are ducks!

I love the idea of chook boats though.

Bezzie · Post: # 63281Post **Bezzie** » Thu Jun 28, 2007 2:15 pm

All this questionning became quite hyperthetical as of Monday when we got flooded. We rescued the chooks from their coop just as the water had submerged their run and was creeping into their beds, and managed to get them into the one place in the garden that didn't get hit - the greenhouse!

They have loved it in there, warm, dry, lots of tomato plants to eat, though four days in they're getting a little stir crazy for the outdoors again.

They'll have to stay in there for a bit as priority now is clearing out the house. We've moved upstairs with the cats and five in a bed is now starting to take its toll - of course the 3 cats believe that they should have the majority of the bed ......

I lost my sanity somewhere out in the orchard. I'm furious as our flood wasn't caused by nature - it was caused by Severn Trent not fixing the local pumping station for 12 days even though they'd been alerted to it not working.

Millymollymandy · Fri Jun 29, 2007 5:16 am

I am sorry to hear that Bezzie.