Free range in portable run???

[DebB11]

If I put my chickens in a portable run during the day is that considered free ranging at all?

I do plan on having them out and about some but with no fence on our acre, dogs that are always through our yard going to the neighborhood behind us, and our local hawk I can't really leave them out unattended. I will have them in the portable run most of the day though and at night they will go back to their larger coop/run.

 

[TouchO'Lass]

Hey Deb, I was just looking this up a few days ago and I found many differing views. I'm in a similar situation; 5 acres surrounded by orchards and coyotes, I don't know how my own dogs are going to react to the newcomers and I always have orchard worker's dogs coming over to "play". From what I've read, ANY chicken that's allowed out of it's coop every day to scratch and wander on regular grass or field is considered free range, but there are those that consider fencing some kind of adulturation of the free range "spirit". Since the eggs of birds allowed to wander and scrounge for their own food are lower in cholesterol and higher in protein, etc. regardless of the acreace, I don't think anyone is willing to put a label on the precise definition of "free range". I plan to have a tractor so I can move their range around the property and each bird will have at LEAST 4-6 square feet of room, but I just can't see letting them be coyoty bait! And I plan to call them free range! Just a'cuz!

Don't know if this helps, but there just doesn't seem to be a standard other than that set by the birds owners, and I have pretty high standards, lol!