Free-range chickens about to be not so free-range

[Heatherberry]

I have a dilemma. I have had my girls for almost a year. They have been free ranging since last July. I let them out every morning and they go in every evening. They basically only sleep in the hen house and go in the coop during the day to eat and lay.

Even on vacation I have a girlfriend who comes by everyday to let them out and lock them up.

However, my husband is tired of the poop and the digging in the beds. They are pretty much tearing the joint up. We have a gorgeous patio and it is always covered in poop. I am clean, it is just hard to keep it spotless when they are out everyday.

So, I am thinking of adding a run to my coop. I have the Garden coop and it was made smaller than the plans. My idea is to add a low run that they could be in during the day. It would be in addition to the square footage of the actual coop. That way they would have much more digging area if I were to keep them locked up most of the time.

I still plan on letting them out but just not everyday or not all day. I feel bad if I keep them in there. They look bored.

Has anyone ever had to modify how they range? If you don't free range, are your chickens content to just hang out in the coop?

Suggestions are appreciated and no I will not get rid of the husband. So, not that suggestions please. I like him.

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

I keep my chickens in an enclosed run during the day for the exact reason your considering locking yours up (+ a few predator issues). We were leaving our flock out all day every day. They were pooping all over our deck and tearing up our flower beds (and the neighbors

). So we built them a large run and only let them out when they can be supervised. My deck is clean and my flower beds are beautiful again. Good luck!

 

[scratch'n'peck]

my chickens need to spend quite a bit of time in the run, because they need so be supervised when they are free ranging due to predators. They do fine but that is what they are used to. One consideration for the run you set up is if you put it in a grassy area, they will scratch through the grass until it is gone (if it is a stationary run). It might be nice to have something lightweight like a hoop run maybe, that you can move around some.

 

[Mrs. K]

Make your run have a roost in it, a couple boxes in it, a sun porch, some branches, so that they can get away from each other. Not just a flat, one surface floor. Really helps with boredom. I thow hay inside my run, and throw scratch on top of that. Works great.

They will squabble with you for about 3 days, and then forget, "what! Go OUT into the Big Scary World???" Don't fret it, you will all be happier.

 

[donrae]

I'm in the same situation, except I'm the one who is tired of chicken poo on the porch! My flock has ranged over five years. I'm actually culling all but three this fall, have babies started to replace them. But we'll have a run built before we cull, just waiting for the mud to dry up some

I will feel somewhat bad about confining them, but they'll get used to it. I plan to keep a few pieces of plywood in the run, to let the bugs build up under the wood and filp it for them every few days, give them something new to scratch at. And I like the idea of making a......what do you call it, where you seed some grass or wheat and cover it with chicken wire, etc, so they can eat the greens but not scratch out the roots? I'll have an area like that. And mine get lots of scraps---I think they'll be fine.

 

[jynnjynn]

You could try making a chicken tractor that you can move around the yard from day to day so they will not totally decimate one spot of the yard and then have nothing left to pick at. They still get to SORT OF free range, but they cant poop anywhere you don't put them.

 

[bluegoose]

My wife has about 50 hens and 10 roos that she let free range every day until I went in my garage and found my 58 chevy with chicken crap all over it. they would walk on every shelf and knock everything on the shelf on my car and there were dings and dents eveywhere.the first time it cost me $3.000 to fix the car.the next time i cought them going in I went in the back door and foot ball punted them as they came in.I know someone will say keep the doors shut and do this or do that.I will not turn my farm into fort knox just so a few chickens can walk around and do what ever they want.so dont chew me up to bad for just being honest.

 

[Heatherberry]

My girls have also gotten into my husbands shop. He is not happy about chicken crap in there either. He has been more than patient and willing to see how they do but it has come down to just what are we going to step in at any given second. I have a five year old and we just live on a lot in the middle of a urban city. So our backyard is really all we have to run and play in. It is getting out of hand.

I feel better that I am not the only one going through this and that I am not heartless for wanting to keep them locked up most of the time.

i put them away earlier today than normal and they did squawk at me for about 20 minutes but they settled down and started dusting in the coop and preening.

I think its harder for me than for them and I am over-thinking this. Anyway, now to find the time to make the run. But they should be fine in their coop right? This way they will get used to not being let out.

 

[Garden Gal]

I let my birds out for about an hour or 1.5 hours in the afternoon... a few times a week. It gives them the opportunity to forage and do their thing without enough time to be too destructive! I put grass clippings in the run (with grit), straw, piles of leaves, etc... to give them stuff to dig through while in their run. Hope this helps!

 

[emsdial911]

Use electric wire around the areas that you want them to stay out of. Put it around the patio or a small strand across the door, they will soon learn to stay away of those areas.