4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[*mummy_hen*]

Picked up my ex-batts last Friday and they are having a wail of a time in their lovely hen house and run. Everytime i open the door though, they poke their little faces out and have a peck about and i am desperate to let them out to experience the garden.

We live in a terraced house and our garden is quite secure, but it is on 4 tiers with quite steep steps. Two of them are still proper baldies and weather is awful at the moment, but just wondered how long roughly is it best to keep them in before letting them out for a little while (obviously attended)?

[puffball]

i would let them ou just for a half hour and see if they manage to get back home - if they do then start extending the time they are out if not then you will have to catch them and put them all back in the cube yourself and leave it a bit longer

[Hen Watch]

Omlet recomend 5 days for their new hens. Mine were out on day 4 as I just couldn't wait.

[Abbey Road Girl]

What is more important to you, the excitement of having chickens or ensuring that they are safe? Sometimes one overcomes the other, but without any negative outcome. Don't worry too much. Chances are that everything will turn out ok.

[Egluntyne]

I'd leave them for the 5 days, to fix the notion of "home" in their minds.

 

Only a few more days.

[*mummy_hen*]

Thanks all - i think they will love it out and i am excited about seeing them roaming around, but i wouldn't want to let them out until they were ready as we do still have some skinny baldies!

 

I'm sure it will be worth the wait

[Mrs Slats]

Some one here recomended letting them out near bedtime, so they don't get tempted to wander too far.

 

This is what we've done and it worked well. (Suits us too as we are at work all day). We started letting them out after about a week... you'll find they don't go far anyway. It's taken ours a week to realise the garden has a whole other level. Up until then they didn't venture more than 3 meters from the run.

[*mummy_hen*]

Have been a tincey bit naughty, went in about an hour ago to get their glug out to re-fill and left the door open on purpose whilst i went to the outside tap (about 3 steps away). They started chirping and came out onto the step outside their run, Martha caught a worm straight away, had a bit of a peck and went straight back in

 

Turned round and other half was looking out the kitchen window shaking his head

 

We've decided will let them out properly at the weekend!

[kaylis1980]

naughty

 

really you just do what is bst for you- as it is for me, i am going away on thursday (hubby joining me late friday) and so we arent going to let them free range until we return on sunday afternoon, then i am going to open the run so that i can have a poo clean out and see if they want a peck about- i was going to do this about 6pm ish so that after an hour or so when it starts to lose light i will be able to see if they "home"

 

good luck for the weekend (if you wait )

[*mummy_hen*]

I know, i know!!

 

They just get so excited and i'm a bit of a softie with them i must admit! They hardly went anywhere and 3 minutes later they were back in the run taking no notice of the open door. I'm off all this week with them, so i guess i have a lot of time on my hands to spend with them but don't want to rush them.

 

Hope it goes well for you, we will both have to do updates of their first time outside as would be interested to see how yours get on!

[kaylis1980]

i let 2 of mine have a very brief wander around the run on the garden side. they arent gifted in intelligence though, the one that was inside kpt pecking the chicken wire as if *wheres the way out* while they stood next to the wide open door then they swapped roles

[safari chick]

I got my ex-batts on Saturday too. I also want to let them wander but realistically I also want them to be safe and need to clip their wings which I intend to do Saturday morning if its not raining.

 

I'm out Saturday from tea - time so I cant free range them on SAturday as Mr Fox might tuck them in. I intend to free range them on Sunday for hte first time when I am around.

 

Kaylis - are your ex-batts from Jean on mash or something else - mine are on blended layers pellets but they arent eating much. I was putting off buying a 20kg bag of mash if I dont need to but wonder if they would have healthier appetites if I fed them mash.