The door from the coop to the run is always open. I usually go out around 9:00 - 9:30 once everyone is done laying and let them out of the run for the day. We have 12 unfenced acres.
I'm usually in and out of the house, outside, or in the shop, but if not, I'll go out 3 or 4 times throughout the day to see how the girls are. They wander from 9:00am until bedtime at about 8:30pm. I used to search until I found all 8, now when I go out I'll count what I can see, almost never all 8, lol, but if they're calm and happy I know one or two are just off somewhere and not likely eaten. I have one that is an intrepid explorer who often enlists an accomplice.
So far, they have only visited the vegetable garden a couple of times over the two months they've been here. The most thorough visit was last week, the evening after my wife did most of the planting! I sent her out to scold them and laughed uncontrollably from the house as she picked one up, moved it a couple of feet, then picked up another while the first went right back in! Luckily, they have enough near the coop and run to keep them occupied. However, we have discovered that if we are inside and they hear our neighbors outside, the adventurous ones
will travel the 200 yards across our property to visit! Our neighbors are older, but very active, and years ago had 300 laying hens, so they love the company. They are very gracious about chickens in their gardens and don't care at all!
All of that to say, they free range all day with periodic check ups, lol.
Some pics...
Coop / run on the right, shop in the middle, veggie garden on the left around the pergola-ish thing. To the right of the coop is about an acre of evergreens that the girls roam, our compost pile is along the edge just past the trees in the foreground.
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The girls hang out around the compost pile quite a bit, scratching, napping, and dust bathing.
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Coop / run on the left, big rock in the middle, compost pile to the right.
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I built this frame 10 years before I ever dreamed I'd have chickens. A wheelbarrow goes underneath, sifter goes on top of the wood where the chickens are perched, and I shovel compost onto the screen and then sift it into the wheelbarrow. As soon as I saw it, I figured they'd like it so I moved it to a nice shady spot beside the pile.
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