When do you let them out?

I would probably only let them into their restricted run for the first 48 hours or so.

Wing clipping - depends on your situation.  If you are trying to restrict them to a certain area within a 4' fence, you may need to this, if you are happy for them to go where they like you wont.  Not wing clipping may give them a chance to get away from trouble.

I would wait and see how they behave before wing clipping

 

We only kept our four girls in for the first 24 hrs then let them out, with clipped wings as we only have a four foot high fence with netting.

As if by magic from the first day they have put themsleves to bed at dusk.  They seemed to know from day one where the bedroom was!!

We did get the odd escapee, even with a clipped wing they can jump quite high, so we put a couple of runs of string above the fence to give an extra foot or so in height using canes pushed into the ground.  This seems to have worked be either making it so they can't land on the top of the fence or they just think the whole thing is now too high.

Even in this cold, wet and windy weather we are still getting three or four eggs a day from our four hybrids.

We made the mistake of trying to round them up to put them back in their run after letting them free range, it was hilarious but frustrating! then realised all we had to do was call them and throw a handful of corn in the run and just like magic they ran all in. We let them out the day after we first got them.

We kept ours in for five days. First night we had to encourage them to go up the ramp and through to pop hole but after that they pt themselves to bed. Each day about an hour before dark we gave them a small dish of corn. We clipped them before letting them out for the first time and they didn't wander very far. They returned to the coop when it was time for their treat. Over the next six weeks they got more and more adventurous until they eventually escaped. We have now fenced off part of the garden so they can't do that anymore. The routine of feeding them a treat of corn seems to work. They come running the moment we open the back door of our house. 

By late afternoon yesterday, the new hens were restless ... so I put the ex-batts in their run and opened the door for the newbies ... no nerves at all!! If I'd been able to leave it 'til dark I think they would have put themselves to bed, but I had to go out while it was still just light ... two were in the run but I had to herd the third in. I'll let them out a bit later tonight so I can watch them a bit more closely to see what they do.

They're still not trained to come for corn, I need to work on that a bit!

Beulah59 - what happy looking chooks!  Am so glad I found this forum - you have all given me loads of good advice and I am so looking forward to them arriving now!