Do chickens need a free range?

[broilerhatcher]

I am struggeling to decide if my chickens need to range or just stay in the coop. Please is there anyone with a solution please?

 

[iwiw60]

Everyone has their own opinions/ideas on this subject so I can only speak for myself. I do not free-range. My coop is attached to a 9' x 15' run which allows my girls plenty of space to roam about during the day. Why don't I free-range? If your situation is like mine, I have predators galore where I live and will not risk losing a single one of them just because it's the "thing to do" so they can "be free" .... wishing you well.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Chickens need space. Whether that comes in the coop, coop and run, or they totally free range and sleep in trees doesn’t matter that much to them, just as long as enough space is available when they need it. How we provide that space comes down to personal preference and our unique conditions. You might follow the link in my signature for some of my thoughts on that.

There are advantages and disadvantages to them free ranging. The big advantages to me are that they have enough space to act like chickens. You just don’t get many behavioral problems if they have lots of space. If the forage is good, you can reduce your feed bill greatly. The disadvantages include they can do serious damage to a vegetable garden or even a landscaped area if you have that, they can roam onto neighbor’s property or maybe poop where you don’t want them to, and the big one, the predator risk. We all have different predator pressure. You may be able to go years without any predator problems or your entire flock could be wiped out the first time you try it.

There are degrees of ranging, all the way from a totally enclosed run that is void of anything green to total free ranging with no fences. Some people only let their chickens out when they can be with them and train them to go back into the coop or run so they can be locked up. Some only let them out a little before dark so they will go back to the coop on their own and can be locked up. I use electric netting to give them a relatively safe place to range during the day but lock them up in a secure coop at night. They are still vulnerable to flying predators but so far that has not been a problem.

Since the biggest threat is normally at night a common strategy is to take more risks during the daytime but lock them in a predator proof coop at night. There are still plenty of predators that can take a chicken during the day, whether here or in South Africa, but the risk is greater at night. We are all unique. Hopefully you can find the solution that works for you.

 

[centrarchid]

If you are producing birds for use as broilers then true free-range is not recommended, especially if birds are a boiler breed like Cornish X. Such birds never mature into the age group where they are at least somewhat resistant to predators and sometimes even the ability to withstand bad weather. Consider going a partial route with electrified poultry netting that can be periodically moved allowing grown to rest yet permitting more fresh ground access by birds. Such will provide good protection against terrestrial predators.

 

[broilerhatcher]

Thanks I am going to start with the Koekoek chicken ,are they good meat chickens because I heard the are good breeders

 

[Mrs. K]

Personally, I think chickens need to be outside most of the day, so I strongly recommend a coop/run combination. My predator situation requires that I lock them up at night and that my run/coop is totally enclosed.

I do free range during the day during the warm months, and I do have mature roosters. With mature roosters, my day time predation is drastically reduced. However, if I am going to be gone, I keep them locked up.... so my run/coop is big enough to do that.

Space is critical, little chicks take up less space, but grow to take up more...... that being said, what is enough room for chicks is often not enough room for full grown birds.

Mrs K