Free range or enclosed run?

[rocking chickens]

We have chickens that free range but they have a small safe run next to there coop. We have chicken trained dogs that scare of most predidors. In five years we have only lost one chicken to a invisible fox.

 

[oceansunset73]

Mine free range most of the time. If we are gone on a trip or if it's raining though, I will keep them in their enclosed run.

 

[Doc7]

I free range when I am around on weekends if the weather is nice and I can deal with the bother of going out and chasing them from the property line. They are kept on the line on one side as physically far away as you can get from my neighbor, but they know my neighbor has a lawn so they end up 160’ away from the coop on his property after about 45 minutes of free range. At this time I chase them back to the coop side of my yard. After a second time, I lure them back to the run with cracked corn and lock them up for the day.

Said neighbor is extremely kind and friendly and loves eggs. However, he has a private side business of BBQ and is intolerant of animals that tend to poop being near his equipment. I understand and agree with him.

 

[GoldpartridgeHen]

I have an enclosed run, but I also let them out when it is decent weather.
My previous chickens (RIR x Light Sussex) didn't mind being cooped up but they joyfully raced out when i open the pen door!

 

[Better Than Rubies]

I used to free range mine just about every day, though I also have a run. But now since I'm away at work so often, and a neighbor expressed his concern about my birds running around almost ALL day (because they would travel so FAR), then I've been locking them up a lot more. I love free ranging them, though, because it makes them happy, and I heard it supposedly makes the eggs a little healthier to eat. ((I also love watching my birdies forage)).
Because what I used to do was let them out even on almost every day I worked, before I left, since I live with my parents and I knew someone would be home to be able to keep an eye on them periodically, plus by the time my mom would leave to pick me up, it's dark out and the chickens have put themselves to bed, and then she would close their gate.
Then I reverted to at least mostly letting them just free range on my days off after the aforementioned incident.
Nowadays--er, just within a couple of weeks--I hardly let them free range even twice a week, because one of my chickens, and perhaps six of my neighbors chickens have been killed by roaming neighbor dogs. I did let them out yesterday, as that was one of my days off, but it was only for short, supervised periods, and it wasn't very hard to get them back up.

 

[Blooie]

<————- Must be insane. My chickens free range as much as possible but I live in town, on a corner lot, and am often out of town. So for those times when my little granddaughter is in charge, my chickens are in their spacious run and stay there.

Example of our out of town schedule? In September we were home for 4 days. In October, home for 9 days. November got 13 days. When we knew it would be that bad, we rehomed our flock. But the rest of the years we had then, our granddaughter took care of them, and she was only 8 when she started. Our schedule wasn’t as crazy then.

I guess they are so used to our routine that the obnoxious or pathetic behaviors mentioned aren’t too bad. But yes, I can go out there and do chores or putz around in the yard and not let their being locked up bother me. See, I am in charge, not them, and even from tiny chicks on I do not let them dictate my life and/or emotions. I take superb care of my chickens, and will get more chickens in late spring when hubby’s year as Grand Master winds down. But they’ll live here on my terms.

 

[Molpet]

Well I have 4 poultry yards, 4 secure coops... might be free range to some. No tops due to size and trees. The smallest is about 60' x 60'. the largest yard, varies in size depending on where the electric net is..I Have three 100' nets on the east and part of the N and S sides currently, so I can get through with the truck to haul harvested deer. In the summer there are 5 nets. The other parts of the N and S it either 2x4 field fence or chain link.
I have had 3 hawk attacks and no losses..YET... although a 8wk pullets ended up spending the winter in my living room recuperating.
Coyote are seen at the fence looking at my chickens
Weasels and mink can get through the field fence and the raccoons and opossums can climb over the fence and do when the mulberries are ripe. I did have a raccoon with a handful of feathers that I had to hit with a shovel.. it wasn't afraid of me so I am not sure if it was a pet someone let go or if it was sick... It wasn't skinny and it's teeth looked good, but it had to go..Also in the winter I have had some during the day that I tracked back to car tracks in my side yard. It's illegal to release wildlife so I guess they took an uber
I have a dog that keeps the resident wildlife away during the day for the most part and I am retired and home most of the time. I keep the house quite and run out anytime I hear an alert.

 

[No More Empty Nest]

Mine are in their coop/run most of the day. I'm in the city and only have 5 bantams. I let them out when I can watch them. They do run out when I open the door. Then they make a slow foray around the edge of the back yard fence and sometimes go back in and out of the run themselves.
Most animals that humans have are confined in some way at some time. Small caged birds, house cats, dogs in a house that go out to relieve themselves or go out on leashes or even go out to run free. If they live in a house with a closed door, they're confined. Reptiles in glass aquariums and tropical fish in aquariums. Cows or horses in barns.

It's up to you and your circumstances.

 

[Henrik Petersson]

Why do y'all refrain from letting them out in bad weather? Unless it's to keep them from getting frost bite when it's too cold, I don't see any reason to. They aren't harmed by getting soaking wet in rain, for example.

<————- Must be insane. My chickens free range as much as possible but I live in town, on a corner lot, and am often out of town. So for those times when my little granddaughter is in charge, my chickens are in their spacious run and stay there.

Example of our out of town schedule? In September we were home for 4 days. In October, home for 9 days. November got 13 days. When we knew it would be that bad, we rehomed our flock. But the rest of the years we had then, our granddaughter took care of them, and she was only 8 when she started. Our schedule wasn’t as crazy then.

I guess they are so used to our routine that the obnoxious or pathetic behaviors mentioned aren’t too bad. But yes, I can go out there and do chores or putz around in the yard and not let their being locked up bother me. See, I am in charge, not them, and even from tiny chicks on I do not let them dictate my life and/or emotions. I take superb care of my chickens, and will get more chickens in late spring when hubby’s year as Grand Master winds down. But they’ll live here on my terms.

Are you replying to me? It'd help if you used the quote function, otherwise it seems as if you are replying to the person above you, or the original post.

 

[Eilsel]

I didn't vote because I would have chosen "both." If possible, but I agree with the many others here who say it depends on your situation. I would say even if you plan to free range often/most of the time, having a secure run is also important for times when you are out of town and want to simplify chores for whoever is looking after them, the other is any other reason you may not want the chickens wandering around the yard, such as a backyard BBQ, wandering dogs, other predators, etc.

I can free range because we live on almost 10 acres, so it's extremely unlikely they will end up off my property. The girls like to hang out under my back porch, but they also will go into the horse pasture and the woods, especially if I'm doing something out there. This is not without risks, I have lost 3 ducks and 2 chickens to predators this year, so now I keep them in their 10'x20' run while I'm at work at then let them out when I get home until they go to bed at dusk.

If you live near other people, know that chickens don't know your property lines, and may explore neighbors' properties which may make for unhappy neighbors. Also, chickens will probably go exactly where you don't want them to, like mine want to hang out under my front porch for who knows what reason. I would definitely not free range all day every day if I lived in a neighborhood or near a busy road.