Free range chickens.

[Brady bunch]

 

[DobieLover]

I used to but they got into too much trouble.
They are now confined to an electronetted pen about 1/4 to 1/3 acre. This is now their area.
The yellow line is the netting that defines the pen, the red are the gates, the white is their coop and the blue is their run.

 

[Brady bunch]

That looks like a very nice area for them. Our chickens haven’t gotten into to much trouble......yet.

 

[DobieLover]

That looks like a very nice area for them. Our chickens haven’t gotten into to much trouble......yet.

How long have they been ranging?

 

[Brahmachicken240]

I let them free range quite a lot during the summer months and keep them penned up most of the time during winter months.

 

[Mrs. K]

I fluctuate depending on the weather and predators. High wind days, deep cloudy days gives too much advantage to the predator.

I keep a flock, and I certainly have fed the wildlife, but I don't like it, so I fluctuate.

MRs K

 

[Brady bunch]

I have had my chickens free ranging for a month or so now.

 

[FowlWitch]

I only freerange when I have time to supervise. I don't know if I can call it true freeranging, though, because I did have to fence off an area to keep my birds out of the street so I guess semi-freerange? either way, they do get to come out of their run a few times a week.

 

[aart]

Never, too many preds.
Except when I want them to clean the adjacent garden area I'll throw up some 6' fencing and let them in there for a few hours a day...tho that's not really 'ranging' it does expand their horizons a bit.

 

[centrarchid]

I have a free-range option around the house where the birds are released from pens when I get home from work or at dawn on weekends when I am around most of the time. At dusk they are all returned to their respective pens. Some days they get no free-range time. Young chickens in barn more that 4 weeks old free-range all day long. There forage base is going to crap making so they a ranging farther, potentially farther than I like. The adults in barn are treated like those around house. I went to some length to provide resources in addition to feed and water stations that keep birds concentrated where I want them.