Losing the litter tray

[TillyApple1]

Advise needed please.
Our 2 kittens have now found the great outdoors which is great but they keep coming in to use the litter tray.
I would like to get rid of the tray altogether and get them to do their business outside like my older cat.
Any tips on teaching them to go outside please....

I would suggest keeping a patch of soil freshly dug over and clean it up regularly. However I'd still keep a tray for night time use and to try and ensure they don't use the neighbours gardens (assuming you don't live in the middle of nowhere).

I did this last year with GinCat, although he was a rescue rather than a kitten.

I waited until he was completely independent going out by himself, and then had about a week or so of both outdoor access and tray before attempting to lose the tray. I was home with him all day so was able to watch him out and about, and although he was confident playing/hunting/wandering outside, he kept going to dig and then jumping at small noises and running off.

I started off by putting the litter tray outside, but very close to the back door and inside a cardboard box (on its side, so he had all sides up around him apart from the front). This worked really well for him, and then I just started moving the litter tray each day closer to the spot I'd like him to use as a toilet. He now uses that same rough area of garden all the time now!

We don't have a litter tray in the house at all anymore, but I have brought it in twice in the last year. Once when he hurt his leg and I wanted to keep him in, and another time during a bad storm. I just throw it in the shed the rest of the time.