Poultry Talk Ontario (pto.ca)

Does anyone have any advice on introducing chicks to the great outdoors?

My chicks are currently 3 weeks old or so. Is it appropriate to let them have short stints outside? Supervised, of course. They've been living in a brooder in the milk house of my barn since I received them. They're feathering out quite nicely but aren't fully feathered yet.

If it is okay to let them outside, should I keep them corralled or do you think they would be okay to mill about and they won't go too far? Eventually I plan to let them free range all day, but obviously not yet!

With my last flock, I didn't really let them outside until they were around 15 weeks old, so doing this with chicks is all new to me!

They should be fine as long as weather stays fine, I would definitely keep them corralled for their own protection and to get them used to coming and going back in to the coop, before they are free range.
It will take a bit of time for them to remember where they live, but once they get it, they will know it's a safe place to return in case of emergency.
You are the "mother hen" so some early education provider too. :)

I usually make up a small pen on the grass and hang a brooder lamp in one area of it so they can get warm if need be. A top is a good idea too.

Use feed bucket to control movement. Only feed inside . Luck

To control time outside let them out late in the day ie 5pm, if your shed or coop is not super easy to go in they may sleep outside next to the door (my meat birds always do this when young, i had to toss them in for two weeks then they got the idea). Warning: when a bird has had free range they will be restless if penned afterwards: ie pacing the wire