Free Range on Country Property

[speckledhen]

Well, I have some true explorers in my flock. They've gone more than 250 ft from their coop through the woods, ducked under the fence in a low spot I have yet to find, etc. There are two particular ringleaders and without them, I think there would be fewer expeditions into the wilderness, LOL.

 

[jessied1227]

My girls tend to go about 200-300 feet away from the coop, but we have lots of smaller fruit trees and pappas grass for their shelter if a predator comes flying over.

Speaking of big boar raccoons, last night about 3 in the morning, I could hear the chickens making a huge amount of noise in the coop. I knew something was wrong, because they were actually almost screaming, if that makes any sense. I woke the hubby up and he went running with his 30.06 and I went with the spotlight and there was a HUGE raccoon prying the chicken wire off the corner window of the coop.

All I can tell you is this: that old coon will bother my chickens no more.

We are very rural and I'm very scared again of chicken losses so this morning first thing I went and added ANOTHER layer of wire to the window coverings.

I shudder to think what I would have come out to this morning if I hadn't been sleeping with the window open.

Jess

 

[WoodlandWoman]

Our chickens have gone 700-800 yards, according to my husband. I just know that they've roamed over 5 acres, on a long thin lot. Then the perimeter fence stopped them.

It could be that they were following the sheep up into the woods and felt safer, so went further. Although, they also wandered off on their own. We have old trees and a lot of underbrush, so there is a lot of cover. Well, there was a lot less underbrush, after the sheep got done browsing!

We no longer have sheep and have changed our fencing around, so the chickens can't go that far right now, unless we open the gates.

 

[Omelette]

For those of you raising chickens for the eggs, do the free range chickens tend to lay eggs in hiding spots?

 

[ozark hen]

First off...welcome!

I have four adult hens that free range and make a bee line to the coop so they can lay their eggs in their nests. Now I have twenty pullets who free range but they stick close to the outside of their run. We have two very large bushes (don't know what kind but they are covered with flowers in the spring)that are very dense and have thorns on them. My chicks run from bush to bush at times in the day when they are not in the yard foraging. I have seen them take their naps under the coolness of the thick bushes. The branches go to the ground so I think they are safe. Plus we have a collie that sometimes lies under the bushes with them.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

We've been lucky and ours have come back to the coop to lay.

 

[Omelette]

Thank you for the welcome.

I plan to pick up my girls this week.

Since they will be relocating to a new home, perhaps I should leave in the run for a big before allowing any free-ranging. How long do you think it will take to adjust?

I will post pics after I bring them home.

 

[sillygoose4ever]

I live in Wisconsin. I have had free range poultry for about 10 years now and have only have a problem with a predator (hawk) once. We do have a mink farm up the road and we get minks at our farm every so often and it's always when the birds are in a pen that they get harmed. Free Range has always worked great for me!

 

[sillygoose4ever]

Good Luck!