Free-ranging on yucky days?

[Jkioneil]

oh thank goodness. I live i oregon and it rains a lot. i was worrried they would have to be inside for 3/4 of the year. everytime it rains i run out and put them inside. it gets so muddy out there. but if they dont care then i will leave them out! i was really worried about htem inside all the time in the rain and snow

 

[MareeZoCool]

Mine free=range everyday. I open their doors at 7AM, lock up is 7PM ~ earlier lock ups in winter, since it gets dark sooner!

 

[Jkioneil]

so do mine now!

 

[EggSpudition]

Yuppers-- I open the pen every morning and they run out- rain or shine. I think it also might keep them a little more stable to have the room to roam.

 

[TurkeyMountainChickens]

The thing about free range is that it's FREE range. I open the door, but they have the freedom to choose whether to go out or not, and when to come back in.

They seem not to care about a bit of a sprinkle, but they do head for the covered run when there's a downpour. And they looked at me like I was completely insane the first time I suggested that they go out in the SNOW. Of course, once they'd been running around in their run for a couple of days, they were much braver!

 

[pongoid]

Hello everyone,

I am new to the site and to chicken raising. I have a small chicken tractor because I am in town but moving out to the middle of nowhere soon. We have a lot of coyotes and cougars around....so they will have to be penned up at nite...but how do you free range them?

They don't wander off and never come back? Can you catch them to tend to their medical needs or when you want to butcher? Where do they lay their eggs?

I would like to have them be free if I can trust they will come back before the coyotes come.

 

[Bettacreek]

Personally, I just started out by putting them in the pen first (they were indoors). After a few days, I opened the door and let them roam around a bit while I sat there. I would leave them out for longer and longer and they slowly broadened their range. I try to keep them in my yard, NOT in the neighbor's yard, but it doesn't always work that way. When I catch them over there, I spray them with the hose. It's bad enough that the BF's dog poops in his yard, I don't want my birds over there pooping yet too. Anyways, I check on them throughout the day, and put them to bed when the sun starts to go down. Get them into the habit and it shouldn't be too big of a deal to get them back into the pen. Someone posted a picture of something like 100 birds trying to get back into their barn. They were all just crowded around the door, waiting to be let in, lol.

ETA: Mine don't lay eggs yet. That's an adventure that I've yet to tackle.

 

[rmc85]

Mine love the rain. They will run around the yard all day long even when its pouring. They might come on to the porch once a day to get dry when it rains all day.

 

[For-The-Love-Of-Chickens]

We let ours decide if they want to come out. We have three out of our flock of 8 that don't mind the rain. We have one hen who is very particular about her appearance and at the first sign rain she hightails it back to the coop. We also have one that loves to be out in the rain, get good and soaked, and then she goes and takes a dust bath. She's a mudball for a solid week after that!