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

[toby1959]

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.

The hoop houses are nice if you have the room. It is a little more work since you have to keep moving it but the poop goes where you want it. After flower season they can be "housed" there to get rid of the remaining vegetation and fertilize. A small run is necessary for days you just don't want to move the house.​

 

[Heatherberry]

I thought I would give an update regarding keeping the girls cooped.

It has been about one week I guess and I slowly started them on this journey of not being free ranging anymore. Day by day lessing their time out of the coop. My husband added the run for me this past weekend. It is 4 feet high by 8 feet long and 5 feet wide. That is in addition to the main coop which has the hen house, and also a roost food etc.

They love the run. Yesterday they stayed in it all day and I have been putting scratch in the run in the morning, which is their time they are used to coming out, just to divert their attention to our morning activities. Letting the dogs out, feeding the dogs. That was the girls cue we were on the way to let them out. So, I just keep them busy by putting their treats in at that time. After they get done foraging around in the run they take their dust bath and just hang out. Just not in my mulch and not on my patio.

The grass they were killing is starting to sprout now that they have been off of it for a week. Things look good.


So the transition has gone smoothly. They are happier than I expected, my husband is happier and we aren't stepping in poop anymore. For those who are wondering if it can be done after chickens have free ranged all their life, yes they can and they can do so happily.

 

[aggie9296]

I think their memory only goes back a week or so, like goldfish, so they probably don't even remember! Cooped up is better than cooked up!!

 

[Colleen pandachicken]

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!

This sounds nice. Do they squawk and complain the rest o the day because they want to get out though? We had a problem when we went away for the weekend. Our neighbor said that our chickens were really really loud because they wanted to get out of their run, but we weren't there to let them out. Our neighbors didn't like the chickens, so it's not like I could have asked them to let them out and put them away at night.