Free Range or Not? What Does Everyone Prefer?

[Jajika]

Hi. This is a little late!!! Ya think?

Hopefully you are signed up to get new posts. Hope this still helps.

 

[Chrysolinsbirds]

I love the pest control aspect of free ranging and just watching them, but we have several hawks and neighboring cats to watchout for, so I keep my breeders and bantams in covered runs. I do free range my ducks, they don't dig up my gardens as much I am in the process of repairing the fence of my vegetable garden, and hatching and raising my own chicks, I don't have roosters/hens to air with a few of my flock so by next spring I will have a free range flock of "mutts" that will be sturdy enough not to get carried off.. I hope.. Working on plans for a small portable hen house I can move around the yard.

 

[Muffinburgler]

I used to free range for years before I got tired of running out every few hours to chase them off the neighbor's lawn, or to protect them from a hawk. They're now in a very spacious 600 sq foot run with full netting covering them. Everyone is safe, and the neighbors aren't finding chicken poop on their deck anymore.

 

[3chickchicks]

I'm not sure mine are really free range but they aren't pinned in a run. I have a 1/2 acre back yard with a 6 foot wood fence around it for only 4 hens. They haven't explored even a quarter of the yard yet but I have a lot of grass and bugs. Their run is open every day for them to come and go as they please. The run is large enough to keep them in if I need to and they are locked up in their coop every night.
So far I've only seen one hawk which didn't go after them. A neighborhood cat chased them the other day.

For my purposes, there's no point in me keeping chickens unless I can let them out. I wanted to get eggs from chickens who live a life closer to what they would naturally.
Touch wood but I'm not out where there's tons and tons of predators. If I were, I'm not sure I'd go about things the same way. I'd definitely have a roo to help keep them safe. I'd have one now if it weren't for the neighbors and city ordinances.

 

[Suzierd]

Hi. This is a little late!!! Ya think? Hopefully you are signed up to get new posts. Hope this still helps.

Wow, how tall are those posts? And is that chicken wire over the top or bird netting? I want to do something like that around my orchard and let my silkies run around inside but it has to be tall for the trees. I was going to get ten foot post with two feet in the ground it would only be eight feet and just cut the trees down short. Hoping it will work.

 

[Jajika]

Hi:

The posts are about 12 feet.

The top is bird netting..green to sort of blend in.

I had a horticulturist come out to professionally prune the trees as well and cut them down. The first time I hired some guys from our local labor center. They were great, but I didn't have them prune, just lop off the tops of the trees. Was my error not to prune at the same time. Hence, the trees did not do well.

These guys did an amazing job.

I bought the rolls of bird netting at Home Depot. We stapled it to the fence on the other side. Rolled it over to the posts and attached it with zip ties. You can see the other side, but guys ran a cable through it to keep it up so it didn't sag immediately. Obviously the trees are what gives it support.

You can't see it from this view...guess I should take more, but there are two coops in the yard...one 5 x 7 and one little coop for babies or isolation. They have plenty of dirt to dirt-bathe and sun bathe.

It really works out well. When I'm out in the larger yard I let them out and run around for a "field trip." They are so funny.

Anyway, that's my set up. It's nice for them.

 

[PugetCountry]

Mine free range so far and we've been lucky.

We do have fenced acreage and that helps with safety and peace of mind. We have hawks and coyotes so we've had days where we don't let them out. If we free range for an extended length of time it seems we run into periods of higher than normal predation so we take a break.

We have an LGD, a bulldog (she watches over them too) and two cats who patrol.

My chickens have been free since they were about 5 weeks old so they love being outside. They all have their favorite sunbathing spots, scritch-scratch areas, and places to explore. They are chomping at the bit to get out first thing in the morning.

 

[Suzierd]

Hi:

The posts are about 12 feet. 

The top is bird netting..green to sort of blend in. 

I had a horticulturist come out to professionally prune the trees as well and cut them down. The first time I hired some guys from our local labor center. They were great, but I didn't have them prune, just lop off the tops of the trees. Was my error not to prune at the same time. Hence, the trees did not do well. 

These guys did an amazing job. 

I bought the rolls of bird netting at Home Depot. We stapled it to the fence on the other side. Rolled it over to the posts and attached it with zip ties. You can see the other side, but guys ran a cable through it to keep it up so it didn't sag immediately.  Obviously the trees are what gives it support. 

You can't see it from this view...guess I should take more, but there are two coops in the yard...one 5 x 7 and one little coop for babies or isolation.  They have plenty of dirt to dirt-bathe and sun bathe. 

It really works out well. When I'm out in the larger yard I let them out and run around for a "field trip." They are so funny.

Anyway, that's my set up. It's nice for them.  

Thanks for the info, I think I would like to go with 12 foot poles also that way I still have ten feet after putting them in. I need to watch some YouTube and learn how to prune my trees and I'm assuming nows the time to do it. I'm just getting my orchard started and I'm scared to go out and start cutting on them but I need them to stay short as possible. My little dwarf apple tree gets quite a few apples already and it gets six different kinds! I love it. My peach tree didn't do to well this year its leaves curled up and turned brown then it grew very healthy new leaves but because of whatever it was fighting I only got one peach. It was very tasty tho I can't use any sprays because of the chickens unless it all natural another thing I need to check into. Your set up is very nice I bet you got some happy chickens.

 

[loversday002]

i like to free range so the yolks are more of an orange color thats how i know that my chickens are eating a good amount of grass bugs and all that good stuff but when i keep them in during the winter they look very yellow and i hate that

 

[Beekissed]

Don't keep them in for the winter...let them free range then too and your problem is solved.