anyone else NOT letting their chix free range ALL day?

[lilmama]

Hello,

Just wondering if there are others who let their chix free range for parts of the day, rather than all day. I also have dogs that want to play in the yard at times so I round the chix up and then sometimes bring them back out again later in the day. (Also, it makes it so that they are not eating my lawn ALL day.) They get about 4 or so hours free ranging in the yard every day. They do have a run in their coop as well, though it is not HUGE. Plenty of room, though.
Just curious if anyone else does it this way...

Cory

 

[adbayer]

mine get out around 11, and i close the gate when they go to roost. but it doesnt happen every day (and boy are they angry when it doesnt!! i can just hear em cussin me!) i would let them out every day, but my garden just cant be ALL chicken food!

 

[SycolinWoodsChickens]

We only let our chickens free range once we get home from work. My neighbors shared that they had chickens but they were picked off -one by one - by the local fox population. So ours are only allowed out with supervision and probably not at all in the Spring since we have a fox that raises a kit on our property every year.

 

[jerseygirl1]

Quote:
I do the same, I let them out when I get home from work, they stay in the coop and they also have a covered run during the day.

 

[featherz]

I have one group I let free range all day, but that's because it's just a few chickens and a lot of guineas - whole purpose of our guineas is to control the tick population so they are out all day. My other group is in until I get home from work so their 'out' time (they do have a run that's fort knox) is getting rather slim. they are my laying hens.

 

[shortstaque]

Yes, I only let mine free range when I am there. The rest of the time they are in the chicken tractor which moves to fresh ground daily. My favorite time to let them out is late afternoon/evening. Then I don't have to search for all 23 of them. The head chicken rounds them up for me and puts them to bed. I just have to lock the door for them

 

[farmerlor]

We can't let our chickens free range outside because of predators but they do have a huge, HUGE fenced run to play in, dig in and eat every living thing. The turkeys on the other hand, have the run of the farm because they're big enough to intimidate the foxes.

 

[Boo-Boo's Mama]

I'm in town; we have many feral cats in our neighborhood and dogs that run loose so mine do not free range. Also concerned about someone stealing them.

 

[GardenerGal]

I stopped letting my chooks free range when I was chatting with a neighbor one day and one of my RIR hens came running by with a fox after her. In broad daylight. Now my flock stays in their run, and I sometimes let a small group at a time come out and forage around me when I'm working in the garden (with a big stick within reach).

 

[fratermus]

Quote:
Same here. Get home from work, let the birds out, do feed/water maintenance, move tractor if needed. When it gets dark I go out and close the door because they're all roosting.

Maybe not ideal but they seem happy and it integrates well with my schedule.