Keeping them in

[Erin80]

Our chickens have free ranged since they were maybe 12 weeks old (that's a guess....). Maybe even less. Anyway....I want to start keeping them in the run more because our yard is covered in chicken poop.....there is poop EVERYWHERE. They free range because I have always felt bad locking them in their run (which is a great size....but it's still a run). Do you think they will have issues with being locked in much more often since they are used to free ranging? I'm hoping they adjust ok. I still plan on letting them free range once in a while, but not all day every day like we have been.

 

[Zoomie]

As long as they actually have room in there (about 10 square feet per bird) they will be just fine. They may whine and cry a little bit about it, LOL, but they will be OK.

 

[Erin80]

They definitely have tons of room

 

[Zoomie]

They definitely have tons of room

They will be fine then. I have to keep mine in pens all the time, there are just too many predators here. I've even had hawks fly over me hopefully when I am carrying a chicken somewhere, LOL! Not to mention there are dog and coyote foot prints all around my runs every single morning. And fox... AND raccoon... They are all just waiting for me to let my guard down. I would not be surprised if they signed on here and urged me to free range...

 

[lazy gardener]

Turn your run into a deep litter run, give them lots of play space, and they will be fine:

A couple of hay bales made into a hay bale pyramid with a tunnel between the bottom 2 bales (I span the bridge before adding the top bale)

A pallet raised up on cinder blocks or leaning up against one wall of the run

A couple of logs. Every few days, roll them over to expose a new crop of beneficial insects.

Toss a bit of scratch in the DL. Top off the DL frequently with garden weeds or grass clippings.

 

[aart]

there is poop EVERYWHERE

#2 reason my birds are confined to a large run.
15-30 birds in 2 runs equaling 500 sqft total.

As long as they actually have room in there (about 10 square feet per bird) they will be just fine. They may whine and cry a little bit about it, LOL, but they will be OK.

..or 2-3 times that much.

They will cryandwhine, bitchandmoan...may even stop laying for a few days, but be strong, don't give in!! They'll get used to it, keep them in there for at least a week or two before letting them out again to establish a new habit.

Definitely put lots of stuff in the run for them to climb on/under.....roosts, logs, stumps, big old branches....pallets, bales.....old benches, tables, chairs...grazing frames...all kinds of things you can do to 'clutter up' a bare run. I have semi-deep litter in my run which keeps the odors mostly non existent and makes them dig for their daily scratch ration.

 

[NancyNurseCxMama]

We are loaded with coyotes, foxes, raccoons, possums, skunks, mink, weasels, mice, rats, neighbor's dogs who have gotten loose and killed chickens, feral cats, hawks, and owls. And the occasional bear who has bothered only trash cans.
So no free ranging for us.
My six girls have a 200 sq foot run and I imagine they are happier there then they would be in the clutches of a predator.

 

[aart]

Folks teased me for building such an 'elaborate run'...
..but the second day my new flock was let out into the run I saw this:

 

[NancyNurseCxMama]

Folks teased me for building such an 'elaborate run'...
..but the second day my new flock was let out into the run I saw this:

I rest my case.

 

[rjrinehart]

Our chickens have free ranged since they were maybe 12 weeks old (that's a guess....). Maybe even less. Anyway....I want to start keeping them in the run more because our yard is covered in chicken poop.....there is poop EVERYWHERE. They free range because I have always felt bad locking them in their run (which is a great size....but it's still a run). Do you think they will have issues with being locked in much more often since they are used to free ranging? I'm hoping they adjust ok. I still plan on letting them free range once in a while, but not all day every day like we have been.

I have a whole lotta chickens that were free range, and they are now in a 10x10 run with a coop. They were awkward at first, and didn’t trust us very much, but they have adjusted very well too the change.