Free Ranging or No?

[cow whisperer]

I free range my birds during the day and at night they go inside their coop. Yes, I have to keep an eye out for flying predators but haven't lost any since late last year.
I give them 2 scoops of chicken feed in the morning and 1 scoop at night.
I currently have two mommy hens each has one surviving baby and a third hen sitting on a nest. Yup, because they free range they found hiding spots to sit on eggs which is okay with me so that way it's less money that has to be spent on new chickens in a couple of years. I'm also hoping to construct a maternity room (coop) for the broody hens next year. It will be right next to the bigger coop but the mommy's will be fenced in with their babies until the babies get to be 2 months old.

 

[Mrs. K]

Predators are not nice, and they will be the ones that determine this outcome. I am going to propose a erratic schedule. I have been hit by many predators and if you free range it is not if you get hit, it is when.
These are tricks that have helped me keep it down:

• Do not let them out on a routine basis, sometimes let them out at 10:00, sometimes at 7:00am, sometimes late afternoon, sometimes not at all. Coyotes will learn your patterns if you always let them out at 6:30 am and you are gone by 7:00am, they will be eating at 7:10.
• Let them out every day, skip a day, let them out, don't let them out for 3 days. Anything to keep the predator from waiting around for dinner.
• If it is either very windy or very cloudy do not let them out, gives advantage to the predators.
• If you get hit, then go into lock down for several days, so that the predator moves on to easier pickings.
• I have dramatically reduced daytime predation by an adult, year old rooster. A rooster at a younger age is really only interested is sex. When you go down to the coop/run, the rooster should be the first bird to see you. If he is not, he is not worth much.

Your coop/run set up really needs to be big enough that you can go into lock down without overcrowding your birds.

Mrs K

 

[teriz1091]

I'm not a veteran chicken owner by any means. We recently moved from the city to the country with our trio of hens. The girls went from living in a 10' x 20' run in our small city backyard to being on acres of land.

We initially kept the girls penned up for the first couple weeks so they could get accustomed to their new home. Then we started turning them loose in the evening to let them free range for a few hours before they put themselves to bed. This worked out well, as they laid their eggs during the day in the coop. Easy for me, & they still got some outside time.

Now, however, we've gotten in the habit of letting them out each morning. They spend the day loose. I know there is more of a predator risk this way, but they prefer to stay in the cover of trees, close to the house & coop, so potentially less risk from hawks. We also have dogs outside, so less chance of coyotes or foxes. Also a downside is that now only one hen lays in the coop. I have no idea where the others lay, so I'm only getting one egg/day as opposed to 2-3. But the chickens eagerly wait at the gate to be let out each morning, & I can't ignore their happy squawks. Also, they go through very little feed when they free range all day.

There is no perfect right or wrong way. Whatever works for you & your chickens is what you should do.

 

[Beer can]

Free ranging is the best, if you can...
All depends.... I've had great luck, and bad.
And that 'rat dog' you have, better than none. Best LGD, livestock guardian dog I've ever had was a.... beagle...
If you free range, then don't, be prepared for chickens that act like caged wolves, they'll pace and try any opening for a way to get out. Might be better to not even give them the freedom if your not willing to on a regular basis.
I do both, and cull down to just breeders and I can't loose any when I cut #s short.
Great article on free ranging;
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/bees-key-points-to-successful-and-safe-free-ranging.65895/