Does anyone else Free Range?

[happyfarmer]

I got chickens for the first time last summer, and I let them free range. It was fun to see them out in the yard, but they are quite the scratchers! I had to repair all of my flower beds in the fall, now they have a chicken yard. They loved my tomatoes, so I had to "beat" them to my getting ripe tomatoes.

 

[Sydney Acres]

I've seen and read a lot on here about coups and runs, but very little about free ranging. Mine are all out during the day and they head to the coup at night.

Does anyone else do this?

There's lots of people that free range, but you still need a great coop at night. I don't think the majority of people free range, but don't worry, you're definitely not alone. I wouldn't have chickens if I could only cage them, and won't sell my chicks to anyone who won't free range them SAFELY, which usually takes some investment in fencing. I do this as a hobby, not as a business, and I'm not looking to sell my chicks. But some people request birds from me. So before every sale, I put on disposable boot covers and bleached overalls (to avoid spreading disease) and do a home inspection. If I don't think my chicks will have a wonderful life, they don't get sold. Each of my flocks has 2-3 free-range yards that are 1-2 acres each, and they get moved between yards every 1-4 weeks, depending on the season, as needed to provide adequate and interesting forage, but also to prevent excessive damage to the area. I've only lost two chickens to coyotes in 13 years, and both were before putting in dig-proof fencing. There's still the danger of raptors (tons of bald eagles and red tail hawks fly overhead, and those annoying but not-yet-dangerous tiny Merlins), but we've got lots of cover and two roosters with every flock, so the boys have learned to work together to protect the girls. We've only had 2 raptor attacks on hens, both non-fatal, both from young eagles who hadn't yet developed good judgment. We've had one rooster have his saddle feathers plucked by eagles three times in six years, but never any serious injuries to him (he baits the raptors while the other rooster gets the girls under cover, so he's the one who takes on the predators -- he's sometimes aggressive, but is kept because he is so valuable for protection). Everyone comes into their coop on their own every night, except the Red Dorkings which insist on roosting in the tree right in front of their coop. I climb a ladder to bring them down, but there's sometimes a few that are too high. It's a good full evergreen tree, and so far no owl has picked them off at night, and I string a circle of electronet around the tree to prevent raccoons from climbing up the trunk whenever hens have to be left up there. It's a risk, but I haven't figured out how to prevent it other than cut their wings (they're great flyers), which I'm reluctant to do in free range chickens that stay in their yard. My free range heritage turkey hens had to have their wings cut, unfortunately, as they were taking flight like wild turkeys and about once a month were flying all over the neighborhood (my neighbors actually love them, so that wasn't the problem, but I worry about stray dogs and coyotes if they didn't take flight quickly enough). When the flock almost got hit by the postal truck (in mid-flight), it was time!! The toms stay with the hens, so their wings weren't trimmed, and the hens can still fly a little, but they don't tend to do much because it is now so much work. They can fly just enough to get up to their 6 foot high roost, or sometimes over one fence, but then give up and want back with their flock. Their yards are in the center of the property, so over one fence still keeps them in a safe area.

Super happy birds! I feel very lucky to be able to provide them this type of life. But even when I lived in the suburbs on a 1/4 acre lot my three backyard hens were quite happy, free-ranging over the lawn and through the landscaping, sunbathing, dustbathing, doing what chickens do without the stress of confinement or overcrowding. For me, it's the only way to raise them.

 

[Ros63]

We live in Adelaide, Australia in the outer suburbs. Our chooks are let out at about 8 am and then they have the run of the back yard all day. We often let them out the front about an hour before dark and work in the front yard to keep an eye on them. So they don't rip up the neighbours yard or get attacked by any strays. They put themselves to bed just before dark. They are very friendly ex battery hens.

 

[triplepurpose]

I don't freerange, only because our coop is near the gardens where we grow for our CSA, and we can't be chasing them out all day long and losing money on destroyed crops. If my circumstances were different and that wasn't a factor, I definitely would prefer to do so, predators or not. I think if your land allows for it to be convenient, it's kind of a no-brainer.

 

[heartsizedfarm]

I'm enjoying these free range stories because it reminds me of my first years with these chickens and how I loved just watching them live this full natural life. I even let them get into the tomatoes, happyfarmer, because I figured I could spare a few low hanging ones. But this past fall a hawk attacked a hen. I think my dogs scared him off before he finished, so she didn't die right away. I took her to the vets and had her euthanized. My rooster, who I'd had for over ten years, tried to protect her, was injured, and I think demoralized? Sorry for the anthropomorphization, because he'd never lost a hen before, and he died two weeks later. He was my pet. All the rest of the flock had scattered into the woods and came straggling home hours later. One of the crappiest days of my life. So, after ten years of free range I locked them in. Now I need to find the will and optimism again to let them out. Your stories are helping. Somewhat.

 

[dabbler939]

We turn ours out in the morning and they can come and go as they please till abut dark when we go down to close the door. They are in a pen about 35 X40 foot. They can be turned out if we want if we are going to be outside but I prefer to keep them corralled so they do not get in the road the rest of the time. I think they enjoy being outside.

 

[dabbler939]

So sorry to read about your loss. I have not lost any yet but know that it will happen at some point. We protect them as much as we can.

 

[herbsandspices]

We are suburban chicken farmers, living in the Portland metro area and facing less challenges than rural areas. No coyotes, but we definitely have hawks, raccoons, cats and dogs. We were careful at first, but our chickens have been fully free-range for 4 years. We even stopped locking the coop at night. Our chickens live in a converted shed, and have a trap door to enter through the outdoor fenced pen (which we rarely close the door). They are waiting for me at the back door in the morning (even in the dark, which I think is weird), and put themselves to bed at night. We've never lost a chicken to a predator, though our neighbor lost one to a hawk recently. Our saving grace was a really big dog that actually watches the skies, and is so motherly she raised a baby chick when the other chickens wouldn't accept it. We also have a lot of crows in our area. Crows drive off hawks, and when the crows raise the alarm, everyone pays attention (dog and chickens and human).

We open the human door to the shed in the morning for air, and close it at night. It's a good time for a bed-check, as I recently discovered a missing chicken at bed time. After searching the yard in the dark and talking to neighbors, we thought Nutmeg had been taken. Even the dogs couldn't help us find her. Three days of searching for carnage and our neighbor ran over one morning telling us that their dog had killed our chicken. She had fallen behind our 12-foot long compost bin and gotten stuck between it and the wood 'good neighbor' fence. Our neighbor's dog had pulled her through the fence, and they thought she was dead. She wasn't, but she was severely injured. We kept her in a large dog kennel in the house for 3 weeks while she healed, and although we laughed at ourselves for what we were doing for a chicken (sigh - they're pets), she has fully recovered and is a healthy laying member of our flock of 4 - with a 3 inch section of bare featherless neck. We think she looks 'decorative.'

Raccoon sightings in the neighborhood are regular, but with our yard surrounded by five houses with eight dogs including mine, the cats and raccoons seem to stay away. The dangers are real, and we recognize the potential loss and accept that it may happen, but the benefits to our flock outweigh any dangers. They eat little because they get the benefit of the yard, the eggs are better, and they are so much happier. They'll even walk in the back door if I leave it open, just to see what's going on! They come when called so I can always pen them when I need to. Love those girls - they're definitely pets even though we occasionally must send one to the big farm to bring in new layers (we have a 4 chicken limit in the city). We do have an old girl (Rosemary) that rarely lays but is just too much personality to part with.

 

[Sydney Acres]

I'm enjoying these free range stories because it reminds me of my first years with these chickens and how I loved just watching them live this full natural life. I even let them get into the tomatoes, happyfarmer, because I figured I could spare a few low hanging ones. But this past fall a hawk attacked a hen. I think my dogs scared him off before he finished, so she didn't die right away. I took her to the vets and had her euthanized. My rooster, who I'd had for over ten years, tried to protect her, was injured, and I think demoralized? Sorry for the anthropomorphization, because he'd never lost a hen before, and he died two weeks later. He was my pet. All the rest of the flock had scattered into the woods and came straggling home hours later. One of the crappiest days of my life. So, after ten years of free range I locked them in. Now I need to find the will and optimism again to let them out. Your stories are helping. Somewhat.

Anthropomorphize all you'd like. Chickens and turkeys make wonderful pets, and I love every single one of mine. Even though I do cull them for food and to improve the quality of my flocks, they still each have a name, are tame, and are given the best possible life while they're here. I know for some people that is contradictory, but for me it makes perfect sense. I am not a vegetarian, but I don't want my livestock pets to have any less of a good life while they are under my care.

It is very difficult for a ten year old rooster to defend a hen against a hawk, but he did his best for his age. You should be very proud of him. When you start free ranging again, be sure that you have lots of cover, scattered around everywhere so they won't have to run far, and an alert, attentive, young rooster (or two) to warn the girls of danger. You can always start small, like an electronet around a group of trees, or a portable netting frame (like those portable canopies you see at farmers markets, but with netting on the sides to keep the birds inside and safe). That will keep them in a protected area but still out enjoying life, and if you get a young rooster, give him practice watching the sky. Despite the risk, there is nothing like the sense of contentment you get watching a flock peacefully foraging throughout their day, instead of the subtle (or not so subtle) regret you have watching your birds pace back and forth in their pens, wishing they could get out and enjoy life.

I'm sorry you lost your hen, and then your rooster. I know it hurts to lose any pet, including chickens. But despite their loss, they probably enjoyed their lives more because they free-ranged, even though it was shorter than if they'd been penned.

 

[Daximom]

I free range about 90 chickens and although I have lost a few to eagles and falcons for the most part the Roos do a great job of calling out the "danger" signal and the flock scatters for cover.