Free range?

[JacinLarkwell]

One flock here free ranges 24/7/365, one is only when I'm home and the rest don't free range

 

[cherrynberry]

I free range within a large pen. The chickens never reached the top of the pen, ever, so it is pretty large.

I had one loss, a white leghorn, in addition to a mystery bird going missing. The problem about that one is that the person who closed the birds in forgot to do a head count, so the bird may have been locked out.

Out of a flock of 23 (originally 25), there were 2 losses in 2 years. Keep in mind that we started out with about 11 birds, so it definitely changed over the course of 2 years, but we always free-ranged.

 

[nuthatched]

Only when I'm out there too, they have a sizable run.

 

[SamMiller]

I 100% free range all 30+ of my birds on two acres towards the front of our property. No supervision unless we happen to be outside for some reason (which we often are). Hawks don't bother since the amount of roosters we have would make it a suicide attempt to try and nab any of the birds. Zero day-time fatalities so far, only deaths have come from forgetting to lock up birds and coons/foxes getting in.

Should have blown that damn orange scoundrel away when I had it in my sights! Stayed up for hours waiting for that thing but got cold feet since it was so damn dark out and I didn't want to leave it injured... Nowadays I wouldn't give half a damn if it croaked in a ditch somewhere.

 

[SmColorInDaPan]

COMPLETE Free Range Here. Tried to get last years chicks back into 'new' coop recently but they vacated within hours. Cheap, floor of laying area collapsed inside the coop Months go. I clean up the poop on the back porch, sell, give away in Spring, use for my garden. (Poop Not a big deal..) Been doing so for 12 y? I charge 2.25 a dozen but have regular customers pushing $3. at me B/C the eggs taste SO GOOD. Need to feed more, Not many eggs but S Central Montana Can be COLD. Hope to try growing feed but on a Tight Budget like a church mouse Couldn't guess..