Mary Allen
Now comes the time when hens and chicks are allowed outside. It is important that they are well protected from enemies. There are other things to keep in mind when it comes to spouting.
Chickens like to go outdoors. Experienced breeders report that their chicks are allowed onto the grass as soon as the grass is dry in the morning. The Aviforum in the teaching aids for prospective poultry farmers is somewhat more precise: laying hens that are kept in a particularly animal-friendly manner have to go outside on their 43rd day of life. Many pedigree poultry farmers usually let their chickens out earlier.
The departure times should be adapted to the weather. In the first 14 days of life, a walk outside is only recommended when the sun is shining and there is no wind. With increasing age, the chicks are no longer so sensitive and they notice for themselves when they are getting too cold and they are better off retiring to the coop.
Regular exercise for young chickens is good for their health and makes them more resilient. Although the chicks seek the warmth of the sun, shady places must also be available, especially in midsummer. Chickens love it when they can find an extra water container in the exercise pen and don’t have to go back to the chicken house for every sip.
Orchards are particularly suitable for young chickens. Alfred Mehner writes in the textbook on poultry farming that pullets used to be kept in groups of 50 to 80 animals in mobile stalls in the orchards. The trees provide enough shade in summer and in return the young chickens eat a large amount of vermin.
Crows are Unpredictable Enemies
However, letting chicks run free also harbors dangers. The fox can be kept well away from the hens during the day by means of a good fence that is buried 10 to 20 centimeters in the ground. As an additional defensive measure, you can pull an electric wire above the fence.
During the day, however, it is not so much the fox that lies in wait. Most often, the enemy comes from the air. Birds of prey can certainly reach for chicks. You need enough space and a large approach and departure lane. This can be reduced by trees, shrubs, or twisted ribbons. Hanging mirrors or dummy owls can also help keep raptors away. Some breeders tell of a special trick: if you keep a single black hen in a flock of white chickens, birds of prey will think it is a crow. These, however, are the most unpredictable enemies, as experience shows. They do not shy away from people and approach them in stages. If they have caught a chick, they are back quickly and can kill several animals within a short time.
A home breeder is less concerned about when to let their chickens out into the run. Unlike the economically oriented poultry farmers; the hens are only allowed out here once the eggs have been laid so that they don’t get soiled by dirty chicken feet. Another reason that speaks against a lot of freedom relates to feeding intake. In order to maintain the laying performance, the hens have to eat enough feed in the barn in the morning and in the evening. This is the only way to ensure that the nutrients are sufficient for continuous egg production.
Chickens Should Have Access to Exercise Every Day
If you have a lot of chickens, it is best to leave them in the coop in the rain, snow, and wind so that the lawn is not bare. Keepers of several hundred hens have a conservatory or an uncovered exercise yard as a substitute for periods of bad weather. Another way to protect the lawn is to divide the entire run-out area into two or three sections so that one area can constantly recover, i.e. the grass can grow back.
However, the grass should not be too high. In his book on raising chicks, Horst Müller describes special seed mixtures for the grass in the chick run. Pastures with sour grasses are considered unsuitable. It is best to cut the grass short like an English lawn. This makes it more durable. If the grass is tall, there is a risk that the hens will scratch hollows between the tufts of grass and take a dust bath in them. In addition, chickens prefer to eat short grass. If you keep a breed with feathered legs, regular lawn trimming is essential. This is the only way the feathers on the feet are not torn and the animals can move easily.
It is important for “happy” chickens to have plenty of exercises and enough space so that the turf is always preserved. In commercial poultry farming, there is the animal husbandry program RAUS (regular outdoor run), which stands for animal-friendly husbandry. For example, RAUS stipulates that the pullets from the 43rd day of life must have free access to the pasture every day from 1 p.m. to at least 4 p.m. The hens must be able to scratch in the pasture for at least five hours a day. Only in bad weather can the farmer restrict freewheeling. These are all specifications that every private chicken lover also complies with.