Free range or not?

[David251]

Hi all .brand new at this so sorry for all the questions but here I go .I have about 1/4 acre back yard with 6 foot privacy fence. The coop I'm making is going to be about 12 x 6 chain link fence under A lean to in the back yard. I was thinking about letting the chicken out all day then shut the gate at night .Is this a good or bad ideal or not? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks again for having me here David

 

[Arya28]

Hi there, and !

I actually started a thread about this in the summer, along with a poll, and got some really great answers if you want to check it out! Most people voted yes, but the second most-voted answer is "it depends".

My set up with chickens is a lot different from yours- we now have about 70 chickens and 4 guinea hens. We live in the "country", we have 18 1/2 acres and are along a dirt road. We don't have a large fence to keep them in.

What we have found so far works for us, is we let them free range sometimes when we are able to watch them. There are LOTS of predators where we live, hawks, opossums, foxes, bears, owls, you name it. We do not want them to get grabbed or go into the road when we are not watching, so we are pretty careful about it.

We are outside a LOT throughout the spring, summer and autumn so we can watch them a lot. We start out letting them out about an hour before dark to train them to come in at the right time. Then we slowly increase that time to let them free-range for longer.

Even though you do have a fence, just keep in mind chickens can be VERY good flyers depending on breed. So if you don't have a top on it the chance is there that they fly to the top of the fence OR, depending on where you live that a predator could swoop down in the fence.

So I guess the short answer is, it depends on your environment and what you are comfortable with. I probably would if it was in a small backyard where it's easy to keep tabs on them all day.

I hope this helps

 

[Rick&chickTampa]

I have a small backyard with a six foot fence. I let my chickens out during the day when I am at home. I live in an urban setting so not too many predators here except I do see an occasional hawk flying over. They love to dig up the yard so if you don't mind not having a lawn or a few ( ok a bunch ) of holes and you not concerned with predators set the free.

 

[TomZilla43]

Like Arya28 said this is definitely conditional, with your lot size I would assume you're urban/suburban. I live in the suburbs and let my chooks free range without much supervision. But what works for me may not be feasible for someone else. If the main concern is their being able to fly over the fence you can clip their flight wings. And more importantly . Glad you could join us

 

[jreardon1918]

We are on 1/2 acre. We let them out most days late. Fence in the back. No fence to either side. We let them out today at 4pm. They are now heading to the coop. Behind our house is woods/ wetland. Many predators. Fox,coyote,weasels,fisher cats, hawks and neighborhood dogs. The chickens love being out. We think the risk is worth it. They put themselves in at 5:32pm.

 

[Amer]

I made an article. https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/free-ranging-your-flock-by-one-who-free-ranges.73488/

 

[sweetater22]

I do hope free range works for you. But in my case it is not possible with the predator problems Hawks, Coyotes, Coons, etc. my experience has been if you have such predators you will have loses even with supervision.

 

[theoldchick]

You can always do supervised free range. Let them out when you are there to make sure they keep out of trouble. Just remember free range birds are easy pray for hawks, weasels and angry neighbors.

 

[jthornton]

It' helps to put your location in your profile.

A 1/4 acre back yard is hardly free ranging in my mind. If the fence is dog proof then the only threat is from above during the daytime... of course there are always exceptions. Sounds like your planning on putting a dog kennel under a lean to? Possums, weasels etc can fit through a chain link fence so that's not very secure for the night time.

JT

 

[Howard E]

A 1/4 acre back yard is hardly free ranging in my mind. If the fence is dog proof then the only threat is from above during the daytime... of course there are always exceptions. Sounds like your planning on putting a dog kennel under a lean to? Possums, weasels etc can fit through a chain link fence so that's not very secure for the night time.

JT

I agree with this. The more correct term for this is "yarding". Birds confined within an enclosure by some type of fence. Hopefully one that will keep them in. Will that also be good enough to keep out any stray dogs, foxes, coyotes, etc. Those do exist even in some heavily populated areas. And these can be daytime predators. Coons, possums, etc generally not a threat during the daytime.

Our neighbors have a large chain link run, covered by chicken wire. It has stopped most predators to date, except the chicken wire has taken a beating along the bottom in various places as coons, etc. have ripped it apart trying to get in. So far, it has repelled all boarders. For them, the purpose of the chicken wire is to keep starlings out. Sometimes it works. I know when starlings do get in, they have a hard time getting out....at least on their own. Once shot, they are easier to catch.