Free range in a (possibly?) dangerous place? What do you think

@Chickity-chick— where are you located?

If you have some visual interruptions in the run, and roosts, you can likely be fine with 9 sqft/bird. But, you still need to watch their behavior. Even with ample space, some birds just don’t get along, even after hashing out the pecking order.

if you are in a snowy/harsher climate then you’ll need to know that you need more coop and covered run space. Since you have a pool, maybe you are in a milder or warmer climate.

2 coops: as a flock, birds will try to cram into one coop at night, they prioritize flock togetherness over comfort and spaceon the roost. Sometimes two coops works out, but many report that all birds cram into one at night. Maybe you can connect them together if that is the case with your birds.

pool: yes, a possible hazard, but less so if there are not things around that will seriously frighten them to jump or run blindly...like a dog chasing them. You might find the worst hazard is to your feet when you step in their poop just as you enter or leave the pool.

hazardous plants. I’d be most concerned about delicious looking poison berries. Many on here report that the chickens just know ( usually) to avoid things that are bad for them. But the allure of a fat red berry is something to consider.

good luck.
Hi! yes I live in Atlanta Georgia so it is both hot and cold but never really goes bellow 25minimum and that is rare to even get that low. My area is very interesting it is divided up as such: a 6X6 walk in run in the center, then shooting off from that a 3X6 low run. Then shooting off in a different place from the walk in is a tunnel roughly 3ft wide and 8feet long (low part of the run) that connects the other coop and smaller run which is a 3X7ft run. So technically my run area will be larger than the 75 mentioned and closer to 90sqrft because of the tunnel that connects to main run to the smaller runs under the coops. So it is a very broken up area with many different rooms and entrances and exits. My birds are still babies- the 4 I have are 3 weeks and still in the brooder, I want to add 3 more in a neighboring brooder so they can see and smell and interact but not touch to get them integrated for roughly a week and then put them in the same brooder together. Since the integration is being done as babies and not adults would it still be a problem with the square footage in my run? This seems to be what everyone is saying- that the integration is what takes a lot more space. I also really only want 5-6 birds max I just would have to buy 3-4 because I don't want only 2 together all alone in a separate brooder- would prefer a few more for warmth reasons.

Also yes I have those poison berry bushes, if there is other stuff around like mulch to dig in and scratch will they ignore the red berries?
 
Knowing where you are can help with a lot of questions, including a few of yours. Obviously climate is important but just knowing which country you are in or which side of the equator can often help. If you modify your profile to show your general location it's always available.

You do not get guarantees with chickens and their behaviors. We can tell you our experiences or what we would expect is most likely to happen, but there are always exceptions.

On the pool. Chickens float. They can even move in the water by paddling their feet. But they cannot launch themselves from water and fly out. They may try to climb out by flapping their wings but since they can't push against anything with their feet I would not expect them to be successful. Their feathers are not waterproof like a duck. They can become waterlogged. They are not going to die immediately if they fly or fall in but they can die from hypothermia even if the water is pretty warm. If you are there and paying attention instead of texting and distracted watching you'll have plenty of time to get them out.

On the poisonous plants. Those plants are just as poisonous to wild birds as they are to chickens. Do you see several dead wild birds around? I agree with previous posters. One bite won't kill them, it takes a certain dosage to be deadly or even just make them sick. Most poisonous plants just don't taste good. If they have alternatives they are unlikely to eat enough to harm themselves. If you keep them in a bare run where there are no alternatives and toss a poisonous plant in there they can eat enough to harm themselves. Some people on this forum say they have had a chicken with choices eat something that killed it. To me it is extremely rare and I don't worry about it. I consider it highly unlikely to happen. But there is a saying "anything can happen".

On adding more chickens. I would not unless you increase your room, coop and run. Integration takes more room than for after when they are integrated. If one group is immature even after they are integrated you need additional room. You might be able to integrate new chickens and get by with the room you have but to me you are right on that edge where it could go either way.

Are you prepared for chicken poop on your pool or patio furniture? On any decks or porches you might have? Where you or your kids walk and play? Maybe even in your pool? Chickens love to scratch in mulch and similar places. They can find all kind of creepy crawlies and bits of vegetation to eat. They are powerful scratchers, can spread that mulch over a large area. Many people do free range their chickens or give them access to their yards. We all have different circumstances and tolerances. As far as this stuff goes my suggestion is to try it and see how you like it. Just have a plan if you don't like it.
Yes, I just modified my profile thank you for that guidance. As for the other questions.

I do not mind having the extra chicken poop, no small children here. And as for the rest I sent a reply to Acer4me that answers the others as well as asks a few more questions- i would again love some advice.

"Hi! I live in Atlanta Georgia so it is both hot and cold but never really goes bellow 25minimum and that is rare to even get that low. My area is very interesting it is divided up as such: a 6X6 walk in run in the center, then shooting off from that a 3X6 low run. Then shooting off in a different place from the walk in is a tunnel roughly 3ft wide and 8feet long (low part of the run) that connects the other coop and smaller run which is a 3X7ft run. So technically my run area will be larger than the 75 mentioned and closer to 90sqrft because of the tunnel that connects to main run to the smaller runs under the coops. So it is a very broken up area with many different rooms and entrances and exits. My birds are still babies- the 4 I have are 3 weeks and still in the brooder, I want to add 3 more in a neighboring brooder so they can see and smell and interact but not touch to get them integrated for roughly a week and then put them in the same brooder together. Since the integration is being done as babies and not adults would it still be a problem with the square footage in my run? This seems to be what everyone is saying- that the integration is what takes a lot more space. I also really only want 5-6 birds max I just would have to buy 3-4 because I don't want only 2 together all alone in a separate brooder- would prefer a few more for warmth reasons.

Also yes I have those poison berry bushes, if there is other stuff around like mulch to dig in and scratch will they ignore the red berries?"
 
My area is very interesting it is divided up as such: a 6X6 walk in run in the center, then shooting off from that a 3X6 low run. Then shooting off from that is a tunnel roughly 3ft wide and 8feet long (low part of the run) that connects the other coop and smaller run which is a 3X7ft run. So technically my run area will be larger than the 75 mentioned and closer to 90sqrft. So it is a very broken up area with many different rooms and entrances and exits. My birds are still babies- the 4 I have are 3 weeks and still in the brooder, I want to add 3 more in a neighboring brooder so they can see and smell and interact but not touch to get them integrated for roughly a week and then put them in the same brooder together. Since the integration is being done as babies and not adults would it still be a problem with the square footage in my run?

So yes, it's still an issue. Even though it's good that you have more space than you originally thought, because many of the spaces are narrow, you're going to find that young birds are going to be "trapped" by the narrowness - they cannot pass by the older birds without getting in their personal space which can trigger the urge to chase and bully. I'd say you'd want at least 5' between birds (think social distancing!) for them to be able to pass one another without offending each other. Also the narrow and small size of most of the spaces will make it more difficult to find/add suitable clutter for line of sight protection, which will further complicate things.
 
I agree the narrowness could create some issues. But it's also a good thing to have separate areas so they can totally avoid each other if they want to. I'd still try it when you can observe but have widely separated feeding and watering stations.

On the berries I don't know. They might ignore them totally but probably not. Depending on how they taste they might eat one or two, shake their heads and say never again. They might taste great and really enjoy them, being a healthy food. I don't recall you saying what kind of berries they are. Just because they are red berries does not mean they are harmful.
 

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