I let mine out the first time about 30 min before they usually go to sleep. They stayed pretty close to the coop. All I had to do was call them and they followed me in. They have always just went right in about the same time. They learn pretty fast!
Free ranging pros and cons?
- Thread starter Joybelles
- Start date
I let mine out the first time about 30 min before they usually go to sleep. They stayed pretty close to the coop. All I had to do was call them and they followed me in. They have always just went right in about the same time. They learn pretty fast!
In addition to predators, my main problem is I live on a back road where the speed limit is 25 mph. Someone forgot to tell all my neighbors that and they drive on the road like it is a freeway. I've seen them bounce their cars in the air hitting the bumps in the road. Couldn't do that driving the speed limit... I'd lose all my flock to being road kill if I let them free range even though we have 35+ acres. So we're building a run that will be about 50' x 30' for 25 hens. No roo....yet. I don't know if hubs could handle the crowing (or the neighbors for that matter).
Massive amount of variables on this one, some have to high a predator risk to do so, some live near busy roads and/or lack land & space.
We do both here.... some free range some do not. The main concern with free ranging is the predators they are loose birds with closer contact to dangers that said pens create sitting ducks so to speak so security has to be high there too.
For my larger birds i wouldn't have it any other way other than to free range, a pen would be cost prohibitive, besides the ducks are here for pest control don't do much good for that in a pen lol. The chickens range for ease of care and pest control, the larger chickens would require a big pen to remain content. I do have hens ranging with no rooster they are fine and return to their coop to lay and dusk for night time shut in.
Some birds however are simply to vulnerable to free range which is why is said we do both, i have some banties that i choose to pen, but pens need good entertainment and cleanliness is of utmost importance.
It's all about finding the right balance for your birds and set-up some restrictions make the choice clear others have more options, no right or wrong IMO this is a flock keepers prerogative.
We do both here.... some free range some do not. The main concern with free ranging is the predators they are loose birds with closer contact to dangers that said pens create sitting ducks so to speak so security has to be high there too.
For my larger birds i wouldn't have it any other way other than to free range, a pen would be cost prohibitive, besides the ducks are here for pest control don't do much good for that in a pen lol. The chickens range for ease of care and pest control, the larger chickens would require a big pen to remain content. I do have hens ranging with no rooster they are fine and return to their coop to lay and dusk for night time shut in.
Some birds however are simply to vulnerable to free range which is why is said we do both, i have some banties that i choose to pen, but pens need good entertainment and cleanliness is of utmost importance.
It's all about finding the right balance for your birds and set-up some restrictions make the choice clear others have more options, no right or wrong IMO this is a flock keepers prerogative.
We live in North East Texas in a quiet place with very little traffic and lots of predators. My pups are growing up with the chickens and we watch for signs of aggressive behavior. So far the hound had to be corrected a few times, but no serious issues. We let the birds out after they lay and lock them up at night. The 5 acres is fenced in... well most of it anyway. I think that is why we have not had any predator kills. We lost one to illness of poisoning.. not sure which. Whether they are actually "happy" I don't know. But they prefer the ability to hunt and run out side of the coop, that is a fact.
PROS: Better tasting eggs, healthier birds, insect control (the birds are good predators too), less cleaning of the coop, and the enjoyment of having them around.
CONS: You will lose some of them to what ever... it sucks, but it is a fact of life with critters that are so low on the food chain.
Good luck!
P.S. I think the key is looking at your environment and your reason for having them.
PROS: Better tasting eggs, healthier birds, insect control (the birds are good predators too), less cleaning of the coop, and the enjoyment of having them around.
CONS: You will lose some of them to what ever... it sucks, but it is a fact of life with critters that are so low on the food chain.
Good luck!
P.S. I think the key is looking at your environment and your reason for having them.
Keep them in a coop for a week without free range or only let them out in the evening. That will lock the coop in as their "home". Keep it a safe place to be and they will come back. I have found that snakes hide VERY well and the birds will abandon an area that has threats. Rat/chicken snakes will eat chicks and eggs and leave the hens.
In my newbie opinion (means take with some salt, lol) a perfect compromise between true free ranging and coop keeping is the chicken tractor. Look up Joel Salatin's method of housing his meat birds and egg birds. My hubby just built our cornishes a tractor ( a scaled down version, we have twenty five birds in it) and we move them to their fresh salad patch every day, which they eagerly gobble up. Right now we have them where the garden is going in so they can fertilize my garden patch with their nitrogen rich chicken bombs. We are using the fenced in area of our back yard which is huge enough that we could move the chicken tractor at least thirty times or more before revisiting an area; since we only have 25 birds we wouldn't be overdoing the nitrogen amount on the land.
Another method we might try is placing the coop in the middle of a huge area and then sectioning off the area around the coop with several runs; what we would do is rotate the flock through the cycle of runs so that each run doesn't get eaten down to bare earth and has a chance to grow back again before the next hen visit. This could work if you have enough space but also would depend on the size of your flock. The larger number of birds, the larger the sections you'd need, or you would need to divide your flock into two or three smaller coops with their own rotatable areas.
One more idea: You can obtain electrified poultry netting now which allows you to have a fairly large sized area for your girls to free range within its confines and definitely discourages predators. You'd have to work something out re overhead protection but if you have a huge back yard or acreage area you could at least move them around so they always have free eats.
Another method we might try is placing the coop in the middle of a huge area and then sectioning off the area around the coop with several runs; what we would do is rotate the flock through the cycle of runs so that each run doesn't get eaten down to bare earth and has a chance to grow back again before the next hen visit. This could work if you have enough space but also would depend on the size of your flock. The larger number of birds, the larger the sections you'd need, or you would need to divide your flock into two or three smaller coops with their own rotatable areas.
One more idea: You can obtain electrified poultry netting now which allows you to have a fairly large sized area for your girls to free range within its confines and definitely discourages predators. You'd have to work something out re overhead protection but if you have a huge back yard or acreage area you could at least move them around so they always have free eats.
Pretty much the same as everyone else had put, predators is the big one. It's pretty heart breaking when something else makes off with your chook for its dinner. I know it's nature, but it's still sad.
It's worth making sure your fences are secure. Our neighbour tried to replace his fence whilst ours were free ranging, the workmen had to keep putting them back in the garden. Similarly, be mindful about whether or not you want them wandering into the house. We had a baby gate on our back door after they casually wandered on in chasing the cat!
We also found we had more instances of broody chooks as they would find nooks and crannies to hide and lay in before they started sitting on them. On one occasion we coaxed poor old Doris out from under the hedge to discover 20 odd eggs under there with her.
However I used to love that after a rubbish day at work I could sit in the garden and the girls would come and sit with me. Likewise we used to have one that would run and greet you like a dog!
It's worth making sure your fences are secure. Our neighbour tried to replace his fence whilst ours were free ranging, the workmen had to keep putting them back in the garden. Similarly, be mindful about whether or not you want them wandering into the house. We had a baby gate on our back door after they casually wandered on in chasing the cat!
We also found we had more instances of broody chooks as they would find nooks and crannies to hide and lay in before they started sitting on them. On one occasion we coaxed poor old Doris out from under the hedge to discover 20 odd eggs under there with her.
However I used to love that after a rubbish day at work I could sit in the garden and the girls would come and sit with me. Likewise we used to have one that would run and greet you like a dog!
My mobile 9x10 A-frame coop is on pneumatic caster wheels and is fairly easy to move. I use electric poultry netting and move it and the coop to new pasture weekly. The net is 4ft high and makes about a 50ft circle (164ft long with builtin post every 10ft) in which I try to include some bush for cover, but even on open turf the coop is about 8" off the ground and if their hawk alarm sounds (2 roos keeping an eye on 23 hens, buff orpington) they can disappear under it right quick. The fence keeps terrestrial predators at bay and even if there's a serious hawk attack they can definitely escape over the fence for nearby bush. The worst time for raptor kill is when the pullets are small enough for them to carry them off.
For the winter I put the coop in a 22x18 space in our 22x42 hoop shelter (has a translucent roof), and put down a thick layer of bedding. The coop is secure and they always get locked in at night and let out to feed, water and scratch around inside the shelter space. Very bright in daytime and warms considerably inside all winter, probably 8-10C warmer on sunny day.
I think it can depend on where you live, your means of protecting them from predators and your tolerance for poop and eaten flowers, etc.
I live on the prairies and we have our share of predators, but I have a rooster who's not afraid to take on threats (my small dog avoids the barn now because of a couple of incidents). I also have two big dogs that help keep wild animals away. There was some teaching involved because each one killed a chicken last year, although they didn't maul them... I think ran them to death to be honest. But they're good now. The chickens make their way into the barn at night and I shut them up. I'm sure a predator could get in if they were determined but the dogs probably prevent that. Personally, I love having them loose. I've had them for over a year and other than the dogs, no losses. But I accept that it could happen.
The Pros: watching them happily pecking and clucking and crowing, richer more delicious eggs, less food to buy, living as nature intended.
The Cons: eggs aren't consistently laid in the same spot, if they get too friendly they will start congregating around your house which means poop where you don't want it and flower beds scratched and eaten, you might lose some to other animals.
I live on the prairies and we have our share of predators, but I have a rooster who's not afraid to take on threats (my small dog avoids the barn now because of a couple of incidents). I also have two big dogs that help keep wild animals away. There was some teaching involved because each one killed a chicken last year, although they didn't maul them... I think ran them to death to be honest. But they're good now. The chickens make their way into the barn at night and I shut them up. I'm sure a predator could get in if they were determined but the dogs probably prevent that. Personally, I love having them loose. I've had them for over a year and other than the dogs, no losses. But I accept that it could happen.
The Pros: watching them happily pecking and clucking and crowing, richer more delicious eggs, less food to buy, living as nature intended.
The Cons: eggs aren't consistently laid in the same spot, if they get too friendly they will start congregating around your house which means poop where you don't want it and flower beds scratched and eaten, you might lose some to other animals.
It can also have a lot to do with where you live and the other animals you have around you. I live in Richmond,Ca and i let my flock of 8 hens and 1 rooster run freely in my backyard. The biggest cons i deal with are that theyve wiped out all the edible vegetation so i like to buy them greens so they still get that nutrients.they poop EVERYWHERE lol. and my rooster is great with my flock but doesnt get along with my disabled mom and her small dog so when my mom goes out in the yard to let her dog use the bathroom she has to shoo the rooster away with her walking cane. I havent had a problem with predators, just a couple curious raccoons but out here in the city the raccoons and possums would rather scavenge for garbage or left out cat food for outside cats than go through the trouble of killing and eating a chicken (so far with my experience anyways).i dont even lock my flock up at nite, their coop and pen stay open most of the time unless i need them to be locked up. They LOVE LOVE LOVE being free though,it only in their nature after all.
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