Free range

[Gary palmer]

Is it a bad idea for me to let my chickens out in the yard during the day? Ive been just letting them out into the chicken run till now. I get different opinions on this subject. Thanks

 

[Abriana]

You have predators to think about

 

[keesmom]

You'll have to weigh the chance of losing a bird to predators against the benefits of having them range. If you free range you will lose one at some point. However there are benefits to letting chickens out of a dirt run onto pasture, including happy chickens.

They do like to dig though, and can be destructive in their landscaping. Do you have a large enough lot to be sure that they will stay in your yard and not go visiting the neighbors? If you are one that likes a neat tidy yard, or if there is any chance they could leave your property, then it's better if you leave them in a run.

Only you can decide what is best for you (what predators do you have, how you would feel about losing a chicken, etc).

 

[Ridgerunner]

Some of the advantages of letting them roam your yard:

With all that room you practically never get behavior problems when they are out there. Some of this benefit depends on how tight your coop and run are.

Your feed bill goes down. They forage for a lot of their food instead of you buying all of it. Some people like the eggs better when they eat all this varied stuff.

They are on bug patrol. The numbers of some annoying insects will drop, ticks for example.

If they can catch them they will eat small snakes, frogs, mice, and other small creepy crawlies you might not want around.

Some people get a lot of pleasure watching them roam in that setting.

Some disadvantages:

They poop everywhere they go. You may fine poop on your back porch, yard furniture, or just where you or the kids want to step.

If you have landscaped areas or a veggie garden they can eat the veggies and scratch the landscaped areas really badly, especially if any of them are mulched.

They may or may not hide a nest on you. You may not get all the eggs.

They will probably dig holes for dust bathing.

Depending n the size of the yard, your fencing, and such they may visit the neighbors. The neighbors may not be happy.

They are more vulnerable to predators. Some people free range for years and never lose a chicken to a predator while others can be wiped out as soon as they try. The increased risk from predators is pretty high but you just don't know what, if anything, will happen or when it will happen.

It sounds like you are in suburbia. You may need to build some fences to keep them out of certain areas of your yard.

That's all I can think of this morning. Some people do supervised free ranging, just let them out when they can be out there with them. That way they can help minimize the damage and provide some protection against predators.

 

[Gary palmer]

Im on 4 1-2 acres so space isnt an issue. I was worried about predators mostly. My cat keeps the racoons and possoms away so maybe im good here. Thanks so much everyone for the info. This venue is great.

 

[TeeMom]

I live on 7 acres and don't even have a run. As @Ridgerunner listed, there are advantages and disadvantages, so you just have to weigh it all. My set up is ideal and there is a lot of cover for them and I have 2 farm dogs that range with them and are great flock protectors, so my losses are low. That doesn't mean I have never lost a bird to predators, but for me, the pros outweigh the cons. My chickens and ducks are healthy and happy and considering that, my losses are small.