Bee's key points to successful and safe free ranging.

Thank you. I keep hearing it cant be done,awful person to free range..i live in the country,cattle across the street, game birds on that property, cattle next to and behind me, horses here on my place, horses next door... lots of ground cover and hides,dumped hog dog ( catahoula cur) roams several hours day and night, many security lights, old rott cross has 3 houses and 20x20 kennel directly next to birds and barn cats that sleep in the areas set up for birds..i lost one in a year to a bird my rooster wasnt sure he sort of alerted..she didnt run but it wasnt a full on alert..he sees cowbirds and egrets all day as well as hawks,peregrines and eagles..but a heron,well in a year one 9 week old pullet..i asked many old times all gave me similar advice..my rooster is good an asshat with humans but good with hens,chicks and amazing with aerial predators.thank you for saying its ok. Be safe take precautions but free ranging can work

The article gives clear steps to offer your birds the best free range life

This author knows alot about living with chickens and i respect her knowledge and sharing her opinions on free ranging. Thank you! CAROL

Lots of information

I disagree with your statement that says there is really no totally Fort Knox coop my coop is actually called Fort Knoxy it is the Ultimate coop as far as protecting my girls it is doubled wire welded fence on top of galvanized pole structure with double added center supports no seams all seams are lapped and protected barbed wire wrapped ties , galvanized welded floors so nothing can dig in or out , this is a three hundred and sixty degree protection ring. And to top it all off I have eight thousand volts of electricity surrounding the entire building !!! Nothing I mean nothing is getting my girls ?

Thank you for this informative article.

Useful information.

Good helpful hints on preparation. I want to begin letting my birds go out into the yard. I want to fence an area.

This is a good article! Learned some extra ideas and pointers.

I never let birds out too early, usually 11-12 pm, I find predators are more active early morning and at dusk. I have trained the flock to go into their fenced yard at least two hours before sunset. I use treats and a call and they all come running. Foxes come out late in the day especially around dusk, so we get them in two hours prior to that. There was a gap in the fencing that a racoon breeched, so we reinforced it and went over the side yard fencing with a fine tooth comband closed every gap, because a racoon can squeeze into a tiny hole. We have had far fewer losses due to these extra steps and the kids have a great time ranging and doing all of their enrichment activities when they are out. We have two roosters that always sound the alarm if trouble comes and we keep a window open so we can listen too. We NEVER let them our if we are not at home.

Hope these tips help and have a great year with your birds!

excellent article
we have a great pyrenee, a komondor and 2 of their children (pyrkom? lol) who take care of our sheep and... everything else including the ducks and the chickens. they are amazing deterrents. We have not lost a bird in over 5 years, so a good dog is priceless, I agree

We have experimented with many different styles of chicken keeping. All have advantages and disadvantages. Does anyone have input on using electric poultry netting and how to keep chickens from flying over?

1/4 acre fenced: with 6' high 2"X3" square welded wire and a stationery coop. This was set up for our dog who use to live with the chickens. There is plenty of vegetation, brush and tree coverage even a small pond for drinking. This is low maintenance and our favorite way to keep chickens. We run about 20 chickens in this space they have a great life, but sometimes hide their eggs in the bushes. We have never lost a bird to a predator in this space. But we keep between 60-80 chickens so have to find other ways to keep them.

Chicken Tractor: works great, but you have to move it daily (or more). This way they are always getting fresh grass and the parasites die off before the chickens return to that space. But I prefer to see the chickens have more room to roam and be free. We usually transfer the poulets into a tractor until they get larger.

The Brig: Completely fenced and netted over the top for my naughty chickens ( the ones who fly out and run straight for the garden, hop the garden fence and destroy everything). We have two brigs that we rotate every other week so the ground gets a break. A 4 brig rotation space would be a better longer rest.

Electric Netting: Recently we started using a mobile coop and 4' electric poultry netting, but many of the birds just fly over. They don't wander too far and usually show up for the evening feeding. But when they fly out they tend to drop their eggs anywhere they happen to be and some choose to roost in the trees. The fat bottom girls like Black Australorps and Bhramas stay put a little better. We have lost 2 to eagles inside the netting. I've been toying with the idea of fastening a fishing net to the top of the mobile coop that can be stretched out to the edge of the electric netting, this would provide more aerial coverage and may hinder their flying out. But it would be one more piece to move and set up which we do about every three days.

Deep Mulch Bedding: In the winter everyone moves in from the mobile coops and tractors to the "Big House". A 10' X 12' X 8' tall coop with a fully fenced court yard. The coop does not have a floor, just the ground, we put wood chips about 1'-2' deep in the coop and 1' in the court yard. Everyone is kept this way during the wet rainy season. The wood chips absorb the poo and make it not stinky, by spring we have amazing mulch!

Although there is some useful information here, you are incorrect about using electric fences with chickens. They are dangerous. Here is a picture of a chicken who recently got tangled in the fence and was electrocuted over time, a horrible and painful death of a completely healthy chicken.

DO NOT USE ELECTRIC FENCES WITH CHICKENS - THEY ARE TOO DANGEROUS.

I appreciate the practical aspects. Thanks for a plug for all the amazing dogs waiting to be of service at the shelter.

Great information with some very helpful ideas.

Great great information. Several things I hadn't even taken into consideration. Thank you very much

Good solid common sense advice fir all to follow!

Fantastic article!
Having just started a year ago, I've a couple questions, and if they're perfectly daft, then please forgive my ignorance.
Does one not coop their birds at any time?
If not, then how does one provide heat in the winter, and are eggs all over the place?
If so, is the solar electric fence the best deterrent you've found?
Again, I'm sorry if these are repeat or stupid questions. I just want what's best for the birdies :-D
Thank you

I enjoy reading a well written article.
This one kept my interest till the end.
Good job.

In searching BYC for information on when to start free ranging chicks, this article came up first and answered my question perfectly. The information is complete and clearly stated. A big thumbs up to the author!

Love this article. So much useful information in a neat, concise little package. Well stated.
Thank you for sharing your insight.