Free-range or run?

[Donna73]

Well, I was planning to pen my hens because of the predators we have here, but after reading about how big of a pen I'd need, I am wondering if free-range would be better. I have 24 right now, but depending on how many end up roos (and therefore in the freezer) my flock may be closer to 18 or 20. I have plenty of acreage, but due to the rocky terrain, digging a fence big enough will do me in.

And I think I would definitely need to bury at least 10 inches to a foot to keep the critters out. So could I free range during the day and just make sure they get in the coop at night?
I'm also adding guineas at the end of June and wanted to free range them, but house them with the others and I can't figure out how to do that, short of building another coop.
As you can see, I am so new at this! I have gleaned so much info already, I am excited to hear your answers to my newest dilemma!

Donna

 

[patandchickens]

For a run, you do NOT have to dig the bottom in -- a wire mesh apron lain atop the ground just outside the base of the fence works fine. So that needn't be a consideration.

If you free range, you WILL lose birds from time to time -- whether this is a few a year or all of them the second week, who can tell, comes down to site and situation and a lot of luck. With a secure run, with some sort of top on it and the birds reliably shut indoors by dusk, you can realistically hope to lose few if any birds to predators (and if you do, it's because they found a weakness you weren't aware of)

Depends what you're more comfortable with.

The biggest two daytime predators are hawks and loose dogs (yours, neighbors, strays). Browse a few days' worth of threads on the "Predators and Pests" section of this forum to get a sense of common scenarios. At some times of year, other things like raccoons and foxes will also hunt during daytime hours, but hawks and dogs are the main issue -- really I'd say DOGS are the main issue period, since a hawk will only take one at a time whereas a dog can quickly kill a whole flock.

Good luck whichever you decide,

Pat

 

[twixerella]

We had 6 chickens and let lem free range, They would range during the day then would be shut in the coop at night. Well they stopped roosting in the coop and started roosting in the barn now we only have 1 chicken left. We'd had them for about a year and they were mutt chickens, and since we live on a large farm we were happy they lived this long. We fre range because I personally think that the chickens get all of the minerals they need and are healthier and hardier. Do expect losses from time to time though. Our culprits were foxes and coyotes

 

[Donna73]

Thanks for the input. I am TERRIFIED of loss, mainly because my children are quite attached to the chickens, and do not do well with loss. I know we will have to deal with it, but I want to do everything I can to prevent that. So, I will have to discuss with dh enlarging our penned area.

Donna

 

[TcherDawn]

I have 5 hens that my boys have very quickly become attached to. All of my neighbors who have tried to do free range chickens have lost all or a significant amount to the vast number and species of predators here in NH. If you really truly don't want to lose any hens, I think you will have to fence them in, or take the risk. I have a small but very secure run for them when I am not home, and a larger less secure run for when I am home. It sound like alot, but besides my boys, I am very attached to them. We even have a hard time keeping outside cats here in NH because of the predators that abound. Whole neighborhoods of cats have been wiped out because of this. When I kept a cat, she was indoors only because of that and other things. Some people have a different philosophy about cats and are willing to take the risk. I just can't. So it does come down to your philosophy and willingness to accept risk as well as your terrain and predator population.

 

[CMV]

You also might consider electric fencing (with a solar charger if you are not near power). I am a huge fan of my electric fences. We decided to get livestock a couple years ago, but the biggest problem was containment. We live in an incredibly rocky and uneven area. We found electric fencing relatively inexpensive, and you don't have to sink large posts. I use the mesh netting with fiberglass rods that can be placed wherever you can find a rock-less piece of ground. They sink in easily. This fencing also allows me to rotate my animals' yards with little effort when they have decimated one area. And predators really respect electric fences.

Food for thought..

 

[ChickieNikki]

Quote:
this was our thought--thanks for adding that. wanted to ask--do you have kids? i have little ones (6 kids, ages 8 down to 1 month) and i worry about them--any thoughts are appreciated.

 

[mrbstephens]

This is my first year with chickens and am also of course concerned about losing them to predators. I live on Long Island New York and our main predator here is raccoons. My husband is building them a hen house where they will be locked in during the night. They will also have a 15' x 10' fenced in area around the hen house for the day time. When we're home, which is often because I'm a stay at home mom, they will free range in my fenced in back yard which is about a 1/4 acre area. We also have neighbors with dogs, but like I said our yard is fenced in so the only way the dogs could get to the chickens would be to tunnel under the fence during the day when I wasn't looking. These dogs are not vicious either so I'm hoping that's in our benefit. Any thoughts on our setup would be great. Thank you!

 

[greenpeeps]

I currently have six 11 week old chicks and love the idea of free range. But the other day I noticed a large Hawk flying very low over head of the chicks so now I am adding a small run. It's turning out to be 8'long x 4'wide x 6'tall. I figure this way, while no one is home, they can be outside and safe. When I come home they can run around the yard with the two dogs. Good Luck

 

[LovinMyHensInNC!]

The set up you are considering, Donna73, sounds like our current set up. We currently have no fencing system and we tuck in our chickens in a safe chicken house at night. We also have three guineas that also roost in the chicken house with the chickens. We got our guineas as "guard birds" and when they are around, they are awesome at alerting the other birds when there is danger, like a hawk flying overhead (we have tons of hawks!). However, lately those darn guineas are off somewhere pecking around! I can't tell you how many times in these last few weeks I have had neighbors come over to tell me my guineas were in their yard. They weren't mad but thought maybe they were lost (these neighbors don't live too close to us!)

We have only lost birds to roaming dogs. Like Pat said, if you are going to free range, expect to loose some here and there. We have two Great Pyrenees on the way so I hope

they will put a stop to dogs going after our flock! Good luck whatever you decide!