free ranging in back yard Q?

[humphrey farms]

That depends on the size of your flock and the size of your yard. Big flock~small yard= eventual smells, especially in the summer time.

If your yard is reasonably big and your flock small or average, you shouldn't have any smells to contend with. Their droppings won't kill the grass unless the above conditions are present, then their mere presence of trampling, scratching and pooping will kill off vegetation.

I have an acre on which mine free range and I have two dogs who guard them.....the dogs clean up the chicken poop and the chickens clean up or disperse the dog poop, so I don't usually have any kind of odor or feces problems with my setup.

Sounds like my place. Two labradors and 14 chickens that Free Range in a "dog acre" off our mudroom. The dogs have a doggie door and spend quite a bit of time outside lying around with chickens scooting around or snuggled close. Our dog acre has no dog poop anymore and the dogs do eat chicken poop! I worm the dogs monthly with Ivermectin as a precaution as we show/hunt our labs.

 

[gg706]

Very good suggestions! We have considered putting in a chain link fence to keep them in the backyard. I may try a netting first and see if that works.

 

[hopp2it]

I'm doing an experiment on the chickens today. 3 of the hens keep jumping the fence at only one section, the part where we walk in and out. I extended the posts on either side of this "gate" area and added another wobbly piece of plastic chicken wire. I'm thinking they are not smart enough to realize they can jump the fence elsewhere and this might keep them contained for a little while.

 

[karlamaria]

we have a 5 foot fence, never have they gone over, and we have a small yard, all my girls ( 8 now but had 10 ) poop, we pick it up, its that simple. no smell if there is no poop. no flys nothing. I section off my porch and side walk ( as you can see from pictures above. really if your clean and they are cleaned up then no smell ever. that easy.

 

[karlamaria]

Very good suggestions! We have considered putting in a chain link fence to keep them in the backyard. I may try a netting first and see if that works.

clip one wing short. leave the other long.

 

[Beekissed]

Doesn't work to keep chickens in a fence.

 

[karlamaria]

Doesn't work to keep chickens in a fence.

 

what does not work? Mine are in my yard now, have been since very early today, there there every day behind the fence, going on a year and a half now, no Losses ,works well for us. I'm not quit sure what you mean by ' it does not work to keep chickens behind a fence ?

 

[Beekissed]

Plenty of others have reported that cutting one set of primaries off doesn't prevent the bird from flight to a fence top or roost...I'm one of them. Been doing this for 36 years and will tell you that it doesn't always work. Some birds perfect the short flight/hop to the top of a 5~6 ft. fence/gate/roost even with the cut wing. Mine did and so I found that extending the fence or placing wire to prevent these persistent, one winged birds was the only way to keep those birds in.

I've even cut both wings, primaries and secondary feathers, and they still managed to mount the fence and hop down the other side. One side, two sides~it doesn't matter for some birds. Yours may just be the exception.

 

[karlamaria]

Plenty of others have reported that cutting one set of primaries off doesn't prevent the bird from flight to a fence top or roost...I'm one of them.  Been doing this for 36 years and will tell you that it doesn't always work.  Some birds perfect the short flight/hop to the top of a 5~6 ft. fence/gate/roost even with the cut wing.  Mine did and so I found that extending the fence or placing wire to prevent these persistent, one winged birds was the only way to keep those birds in. 

I've even cut both wings, primaries and secondary feathers, and they still managed to mount the fence and hop down the other side.  One side, two sides~it doesn't matter for some birds.  Yours may just be the exception. 

 

you know your right! Mine have never gone over the wall, but they have gotten on my deck railing and that's much higher, I just remembered that. Since they have never jumped the fence I thought I safe, yikes I now realize they can jump that high and go over. Mine never have, crosses fingers !! ! We always watch the girls, heck off and on all day and evening I make sure to check on them. We have hedge on 2 sides, a very large hedge, maybe that's why they do not attemp to go over the be remaining side? The other side is blockd off to save my tomatoes.by again by a white fence I put there which can be removed at any time.

 

[Beekissed]

Yeah..I don't bother to cut wing feathers anymore. The birds made a fool of me years ago with that little bit of work. Then I set out to find ways to keep them contained to the back portion of the property and the only thing I found was the floppy rule...they don't like floppy, unstable surfaces from whence to land and launch..though I've had a few that would even do that...just a few. Then I just sic the cat on them and he rounds them up and back over the fence.