Fully Cooped Up?

[Svyetii]

Hey all,

How many of you on here keep your chickens fully cooped up in the run? If you do:

• How many use sand for the run? How often do you clean it?
• What do you do to keep your chickens active and entertained?
• Do you supplement with live bugs/greens, etc.?
• Any issues?

I've been free ranging my flock for at least part of every day or often the full day since starting our flock two years ago, but the utter destruction of our yard and the constant poop where we'd prefer it not be is wearing on my husband. I hear a lot of people mention that they can't let their chickens out due to predators, etc. I hate the idea of not letting them roam free, but we also did loose two chickens to a bobcat and we have quite a few hawks, so I think I'll at least start limiting their free range time. Just curious what that looks like for those of you who don't let your chickens out.

Thanks!
Sarah

 

[Sally PB]

Mine have never been out of the run. I have 10 hens, the run is about 165 square feet, plus the coop, about 60 sf.

The run is dirt with leaves, shavings, and wood chips. They have a few things that they can get up on, or be under, giving them more use of the vertical space. I have 1 (large) bowl of water and 3 bowls for food. They get "chickie snack" in the afternoon; that can be some of their food wetted into a mash, or a bucket of garden weeds, or (rarely) some mealworms or black oil sunflower seeds.

I visit them several times a day. Scooping the poop off the poop board, collecting eggs, chickie snack time. I try to interact with them as often as I can.

 

[rosemarythyme]

For entertainment, clutter up the run: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-cluttered-run.1323792/page-6#post-25037140

 

[SandyRiverChick]

Not sure how much space you have but maybe you can try rotation and cooping during seasons like spring when they will decimate anything trying to come up. Land does always need a break from them so if you can't rotate with temporary fencing, then keep them cooped spring to fall and let them out fall through winter, something like that. It works for me, my yard area and landscaping look good in summer because I move my temporary fencing after a few weeks and I keep them cooped most of the summer. You can see in this pic that the green spot they were on in winter, the not great looking spot next to it I just moved them off of so that it can turn green, etc. I don't care if they get bored, they have fall and winter party time to look forward to.

 

[21hens-incharge]

Mine are fully cooped due to hawks and my desire to garden.

I have 29 birds with a 400 square foot run and an 8x14 coop.
The run is dirt, leaves, and some shavings. There are things to get up on and under here as well. The run has a solid metal roof so it stays dry and hawks cannot stress them by sitting on top.

 

[aart]

Mine are confined to coop and run, due to hawks and other preds as well as the 'poop all over' scenario.
I mostly use coarse wood chippings in the run, has worked well for 12 years here. Never needed to do any 'cleaning' because the poops break down with the wood.

Sand wouldn't work here, too wet.

 

[Happy hen lover]

Mine have never been out, for the same reasons poop, hubby, and garden. Like aart I have dirt, large pine shaving, dried leaves, weeds I pull, some carcasses from leftover soup makings, etc. Sometimes I make a "cabbage tether ball" or hang small amounts of meat scraps from tether wire( remember it's for entertainment purposes) so I make it hard for them. I should clarify I work at food bank and when things are WAY. Too old for humans my chickens get them. I had year and a half old brisket slices so I stuck those in a suet feeder they REALLY had a time with that one! They have a stump and 3 perches. I feed them in several spots, wet mash mostly and small amounts of grain in afternoon when gathering eggs. . I catch bugs and give to them. Sometimes I just dig down a bit then they'll scratch area to check for bugs. I wet dirt and they'll play in mud. I grow wheat right outside their run and cut wheat grass several times and give them that. Be ornery and make them work for their treats ; that keeps them occupied. I just planted some "grazing boxes " ( 2x4 frames covered in hail screen) and that's in their run so soon they'll graze on those

 

[Ridgerunner]

I have a "main run" that is about 12' x 32' that is native dirt. It is elevated a bit so it drains well but if the weather sets in wet for a few days it can get muddy. I put pea gravel in strategic places so I can walk in there to get to my feeders and waterers. It is bare dirt, nothing grows in it.

I also have an area over 2,000 square feet inside electric netting. They dust bathe and kill some of the grass and weeds in a few spots but mostly it stays green in spring, summer, and early fall. I have some fruit and nut trees in there, they like to use the areas in the shade in summer so that is where most of the bald spots are.

They selectively eat what they want and ignore certain weeds and grasses. So the stuff they don't eat grows and shades out the stuff they keep trimmed. Maybe 4 times a year I mow that stuff to give the good plants some sunshine and a chance to grow.

How many use sand for the run? How often do you clean it?

Mine is raw dirt in the main run and mainly grass and other plants in the netting area. I never clean it. They spread out during the day enough that the poop does not build up in any one area.

What do you do to keep your chickens active and entertained?

Basically I give them room. They can go out and graze on the grass and weeds or rest in the shade. They get what fruit drops to the ground. And they chase grasshoppers and other critters in season. With room they entertain themselves.

Do you supplement with live bugs/greens, etc.?

They get excess and wastes from my vegetable garden and fruit trees. When I can corn they get the corn ear worms I clean off. When I can beets they get the cooked skins, that turns their poop blood red. And all kinds of other veggies and greens. And bugs. That's not to keep them entertained, they don't need it with all that space. But it supplements their diet and the stuff doesn't go to waste.

Any issues?

To me the huge issue is how much room will they have. With my room I don't have issues. If they are shoehorned into a small space you will probably have issues.

In winter my flock is one rooster and maybe 6 to 9 hens. In summer it grows to over 50 chickens of various ages. Having enough room for the immature to avoid the older ones is critical. It helps to have multiple feeding and water stations. The different ages can sleep in different spots and avoid predators. Your flock make-up has a lot to do with this.

I used to free range until two dog attacks took 13 chickens. That's when I went to the electric netting. It has stopped all land-based predators. Over the years I've lost one to a hawk and one to an owl. The netting does not stop flying predators but I've been lucky. Some people have tremendous problems with flying predators.