Free range in winter?

[PerryChick67]

Hi. First time having chickens in several years and this time we have an Eglu Go Up coop with run. Do you free range in winter? Before we had a bigger homemade coop and run. This one seems so small in comparison— unsure what to do re: winter. Advise? Personal experiences? Thanks!

 

[nuthatched]

It depends on your predator load.
I would definitely extend the run, or consider getting a different coop if possible, eglus are designed for moderate climates, not for heat or cold.

 

[Loving my girls]

Hi. First time having chickens in several years and this time we have an Eglu Go Up coop with run. Do you free range in winter? Before we had a bigger homemade coop and run. This one seems so small in comparison— unsure what to do re: winter. Advise? Personal experiences? Thanks!

It really depends where you are, if you live somewhere really cold where the girlz would sink into three foot of snow then I would say no, personally here in France they have plenty of places to shelter from the rain and wind so they seem happier wearing their little winter duvets than in the summer

 

[HollowOfWisps]

As long as it’s not the month where it gets -20F with -50F wind chills here I let them free range.

 

[Perris]

They free range here all year round. There is less for them to find and eat when foraging in winter, but they still like to get out and rummage around in the undergrowth. Foraging is a natural behaviour that they like to engage in even when food is freely available elsewhere.

 

[saysfaa]

No advise; just a tiny bit of experience that I'm sure is not very relevant for everyone. Just seeing the difference between how the leghorns and the Australorps use the space is very different.

I designed the chicken's space to be all the time. It was for over two years. Then things changed and I started letting them out.

In the summer and fall, they were happy in the garden, compost pile, dirt pile with weeds, and bit of woods we have. They looked like they found good foraging.

They didn't go into the tall grass at edge of our lot. They barely tried going toward the front yard and were easy to shoo back.

In the winter, they went to those places first but never stayed. They ranged ever further - including into the road. Until they found the dirt along the wall of the house and under the deck. That has been their go-to place ever since.

Through the summer, they have spent about 80% of their time there. The other 20% is split between the compost pile and the bit of woods.

I don't like them up by the house.

 

[Mrs. K]

A lot depends on your winter. I do have wind and weather shelters in my run. I live in SD and we get storms and tend to melt off, we have had overnight temperatures of -35F. My pop door is open all the time, except at night in a big blizzard. My birds spend most of the daylight out doors. They are terrified of snow at first, and then mostly ignore it.

I have had 2-3 feet of snow in the run, and I have had a hen land on it, disappear and blow out like a bomb! I usually throw hay on top of it to encourage them to come out. Fresh air is good for chickens.

As for free ranging - one must remember that winter is hard on predators too. And free ranging would be an easy meal.

Mrs K

 

[Sinadrea]

A lot depends on your winter. I do have wind and weather shelters in my run. I live in SD and we get storms and tend to melt off, we have had overnight temperatures of -35F. My pop door is open all the time, except at night in a big blizzard. My birds spend most of the daylight out doors. They are terrified of snow at first, and then mostly ignore it.

I have had 2-3 feet of snow in the run, and I have had a hen land on it, disappear and blow out like a bomb! I usually throw hay on top of it to encourage them to come out. Fresh air is good for chickens.

As for free ranging - one must remember that winter is hard on predators too. And free ranging would be an easy meal.

Mrs K

I was going to ask the same question and I live in SD too. Thanks!

 

[No Coop No Problem]

My chickens are completely free all year round, but I'm in a subtropical area

 

[Loving my girls]

Mme would go nuts if they didn’t free range, they always have … on the other hand we rarely get less than -2c and that’s at night,