Do Chickens Really Need a Run?

[Shadrach]

My reasoning, most successful commercial egg and meat farmers use enclosed structures which allow maximum controls over their flock and production. Chickens are domesticated fowl bred to survive under these conditions.

well, it rather depends on how you define 'survive'. Most chickens kept for egg production in large commercial concerns don't live much past two years. They get killed once their egg production drops off. Given many chickens can 'survive' to ten years old and beyond I wouldn't take your example as a testimony of chicken survival.
There is plenty of evidence from people who have 'rescued' chickens from these egg factories that suggest such chickens live a far shorter life even once their conditions improve than their free range, or pasture kept counterparts.
I suppose a lot depends on how you view the chicken. If it's just a creature to be exploited for eggs and meat then two to three years of enforced confinement and an early death may be acceptable. It's certainly not how I view chickens and definitely not how I would keep them.

 

[Better Than Rubies]

Personally, I would want my birds to have a run, as it's more natural to let them outdoors most of the day.
But I think if your birds don't ever get to go outside, then you should make them a coop with 10 square feet per bird, instead of the normal 4 sq. ft.
If they free range everyday and for most of the day, the no-run-thing and 4 square feet per bird in the coop should still be okay, but I know a lot of people don't necessarily have that option, or don't quite want to take that risk of losing perhaps most of their birds to predators.
I get even if they free range a little bit, you still have that chance of losing one or two.
My birds have a somewhat spacious run, but small shelter...I'm OK with that for the most part, as they love being outdoors anyways. And I used to let mine free range almost everyday and just about all day, but they aren't allowed to do that anymore after I lost one to a dumb roaming neighborhood dog. My neighbors have lost a lot of their chickens to the killer dogs behind their house that escape their huge fenced-in yard...and these dogs literally dug under the neighbors' chickens pen and started killing them!

 

[SueT]

Can people live in apartments in the city and work in cubicles? Yes absolutely! I myself prefer wide open spaces and I prefer eggs from chickens that have that too....and I realize the dangers because I have lost birds to predators.
But I say, to each his own. There are pros and cons to every situation after all.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

...

Ya know, that's another thing I really enjoy about BYC. We are from all over the world living in all sorts of different situations and environments, and we all keep birds for myriad different reasons. ...

So true.

HC is a really good point. Didn't consider that. Would let in light and keep out preds.

And fresh air. I don't have any glass covering windows in chicken buildings.

So humans make Vitamin D via sunlight hitting their skin. However, birds are covered with feathers, with the exception of their small faces and combs/wattles, so I'm curious if chickens manufacture Vitamin D at all, and if it is related to sunlight exposure in their systems.

Really don't know the answer, but since chickens and humans are really pretty different, beginning with feather coverage for one, and not for the other, I'm interested to know.

Exposure to the sun still causes vitamin D3 to be synthesized, even brief exposure.
https://birdsupplies.com/blogs/news/143338247-why-your-parrot-needs-vitamin-d

The seemingly obvious answer to the original question "is a run necessary", would be no.

My reasoning, most successful commercial egg and meat farmers use enclosed structures which allow maximum controls over their flock and production. Chickens are domesticated fowl bred to survive under these conditions.

That said, my coop is sized to house my numbers with relative comfort. I believe this to be crucial. Attached is a very secure large run with which they have unlimited access 24/7.

Although my flock prefers to be outdoors whenever possible, there are several days yearly where they do not venture outdoors, usually during inclement weather or harassed by a frustrated predictor.

Only a select number of breeds were bred to survive in complete confinement. And, sufficient D3 is added to the diet to compensate for direct sun exposure.
There are several non-commercial type chickens that also handle close confinement but other breeds would literally go nuts closely confined.
The former may apply to breeds like Silkies, Cochins, Faverolles, Houdans, Polish.
Hamburgs, most games and Mediterranean breeds become quite agitated when confined. Leghorns are one of the exceptions.

 

[Wendy Case]

It's my personal preference to have a run for my flock. My five (hopefully up to 7 by the end of Spring) have a 100sq.ft of floor space in the coop with lots of roosts and an 8ft high apex roof.
But I certainly wouldn't be happy leaving mine confined 24/7. My rooster can be a bit overzealous plus he has anger management issues!!!
I don't think the hens would be too thrilled either, as I've caught them picking on each other if I'm an hour late letting them out.... Then Rodger wades in. So no. I would have to vote against it for their stress levels..... And mine! Cannibalism is a big fear of mine, so they have a 160sq.ft of totally enclosed run 14ft high with roosts so they can get away from each other if needed... And they do!

 

[Wendy Case]

Have you ever seen a chicken sunbathe or scratch through a pile of leaves? They dearly LOVE it!

My birds free range and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I know the dangers of predation and I don’t like it, but I’m willing to chance it for their happiness. I suppose we have the usual predators: hawk, coyote, coon, possum. But my birds are locked up securely at night and for the occasional, daytime hawk flyover, the chickens have tremendous cover to flee to when alerted by the roosters, dogs, or another hen.

IMHO, a chicken being cooped up would be the equivalent to me being confined to a hospital bed. Doable? Yes, but I’d go insane. Literally.

Just yesterday evening while sitting outside I took this picture because it is representative of my total bliss, my happy place. It was chilly and drizzly, but my chickens were out milling about in the yard and my two outside dogs were content, which all made me happy.

View attachment 1632817

Love your setup!

 

[Wendy Case]

@Cyprus, I certainly hope this wasn’t directed at my post since it immediately followed it. Never once would I intentionally criticize anyone on their animal husbandry (not simply from something I’ve read on the internet, at least).

Please let me know if you feel I’ve unjustly criticized you and I’ll remove my post.

I thought your post as very informative and your photo so serene.
I'll be going out shortly to gather up trash bags full of dead leaves to put in my run! I know mine go crazy over a few... So a bag full?

 

[Wendy Case]

And just like apartment dogs, you could get one of those chicken leashes and take them for walks!

View attachment 1632923
(source: random pic of internet)

Sorry. Couldn't help myself.

 

[Mimi13]

Love your setup!

Thank you very much. I love my life and my little farm. Now don’t get me wrong, my life has major mountains and some pot holes thrown in, but my chickens help me get through all that mess, and I wouldn’t change it for the world. But I am more than thankful for my chickens.

 

[Mimi13]

I thought your post as very informative and your photo so serene.
I'll be going out shortly to gather up trash bags full of dead leaves to put in my run! I know mine go crazy over a few... So a bag full?

You know, that is exactly what the majority of stuff in my run is - leaves - along with pine shavings and a bit of mulch. And, yes, they do love it. You don’t even have to spread the leaves. Just dump them by the bagfuls in there, the chickens will do the rest.