Free ranging pros and cons?

[Micky B]

Like a lot of things, I think free ranging is a personal choice, albeit one you should make after careful consideration of the pros and cons. When I got my first flock just over a year ago, there was no other choice than free range as I am an animal loving vegetarian that can't stand the thought of animals in cages and pens. The starting chooks were all POL and bought from a place where they were kept in large rooms. When they hit the farm they were very scared at first, but soon realized the fun they could have. They started foraiging in their 10 x 20m camp for bugs, scratching and running. It warmed my heart. Wonderful as it might be, there are also drawbacks to free-ranging your flock. They will be more prone to attack by predators (especially the arial kind by day) and airborne diseases as well, especially if you live in a windy and / or open area frequented by other wild birds. They could also become flea-infested more easily. Egg thiefs might also find their way into the coop. But the look of sheer wonder on their faces when I open them up every mornings is just priceless. And to have them come running when I have treats can't be replaced.

 

[pound4pound]

Free ranging enables your flock to get nutrients from soil, enable to grow to their fullest physicality and fertilize it with their manure. The birds act natural as they can be, regulate their temp by dustbaths or sunbath for vitamin D. Run and fly and roost at night. Applicable to those who have controlled/enclosed areas for ranging against predators aerial, four footed or 2 footed (human thieves).

If you don't have enough space design a tractor that can allow your birds to naturally forage while inside a cage.

 

[notachickennut]

Mine free range for 3 hours everyday no problem even though they have access to layer feed crumbles all day. My hens just prefer fresh foods to dried ones. I never even attempt to buy the whole corn anymore (unless its fresh corn on the cob which they love!) They don't really like it and I hardly ever buy scratch because its just not something they prefer. Which isn't a problem for me.Its less monetary output for me and less that I have to store.

Have you tried fermenting scratch? Mine free range all day, they have a "yard" but, the fence enclosure is really more to keep stray dogs & day predators out. They roost in their coop at night. When I show up with a bowl of fermented scratch & crumbles they all come running and will follow me till I put the bowl down. No waste, every single bit eaten. But, they are not starving I promise. They are out eating clover, grass, dandelions and chasing anything crawling or flying. Nothing is funnier than watching one of the banties racing around chasing a mosquito or fly. I also collect June bugs in a 5 gallon bucket under a light behind my husband's shop. At first they weren't sure what to do with them but, now they come running for those "treats" too.

 

[ChickInDelight]

Now, let me play the devil's advocate here... First, let it be said that i think chickens benefit greatly from being able to free range... and access to all the white clover and any other plant they will eat... except for my garden... is a wonderful thing for them, for my yard, and for my wallet. Now, here comes the devil's advocate part: IF a lot of plants are high in calcium, and it is better absorbed than the minerals in the layer ration... and if chicks obviously crave those high calcium plants, why are we so greatly concerned about not letting them have layer ration? Could it be that calcium is not really the chick enemy that we're told that it is, merely the delivery via solid mineral form, or perhaps it's not a problem at all. Follow up question: If our yards have such an abundance of free readily absorbed calcium, why are we (those of us who have free range available) spending money on chicken feed that has a pile of granite dust in it (or what ever the calcium supplement is)???

Last fall, after seeing the mineral sludge in every bucket of FF, i decided that i would no longer buy layer feed. My girls get supplemental oyster shells, as well as all egg shells fed back to them. I noticed that as soon as they had green forage available, they stopped consuming the oyster shells. A further little bunny trail for the brain to work on: If vegetative calcium is better absorbed than the mineral additive, why not supplement with sprouts or dried plant material in the winter?

Ok, back to our regularly scheduled programming.

My norm is free-range plus Purina Flockraiser for all chickens and ducks from a young age. (Also a few table scraps.) I always have hard shells (3 years) and good health.

 

[watsonsj2004]

My hens enjoy free-ranging and I have been lucky avoiding predators. My birds walk onto the patio, jump into deck chairs which is amusing, but the poop gets annoying. My hens usually return to their nesting boxes to lay. They may eat anything they can reach: flowers, tomatoes, ivy, etc.

 

[acates]

I live way back in the woods and about 100 ft from my house is a powerline that goes through the property. When I woke up I saw men spraying around the area. I tried to ask them what they were spraying and they didn't speak English. I told them to stop because I have chickens that free range close to that area. Do you think this will harm them?

 

[SeanaL]

My chickens love going in to the alder bushes that circle most of my property which are in front of a small swamp area. I'm a little paranoid about it because they have only been free ranging for a week and i know they are just testing the boundaries but I'm still nervous. I have found that spraying the garden hose when they go into the veggie garden keeps them away. I also have found that making a kind of hissing sound and telling this to get back down to the house works too. Luckily i Haven;t had any predators around besides a pesky Pheasant who i think is looking for a mate lol.

Anything i can do to put me at ease about the alder bushes or do you think they are fine and probably just in them for shade?

 

[acates]

My chickens love going in to the alder bushes that circle most of my property which are in front of a small swamp area.  I'm a little paranoid about it because they have only been free ranging for a week and i know they are just testing the boundaries but I'm still nervous.  I have found that spraying the garden hose when they go into the veggie garden keeps them away.  I also have found that making a kind of hissing sound and telling this to get back down to the house works too.  Luckily i Haven;t had any predators around besides a pesky Pheasant who i think is looking for a mate lol.

Anything i can do to put me at ease about the alder bushes or do you think they are fine and probably just in them for shade?

My chickens are always in the woods and bushes. Very rarely do they go out to the open areas. I think they do this for shade as well as protection. Hawks and other preditors have a harder time seeing them when they are in brush. I would just check on them often and if there is any areas you don't want them in you will have to block it off.

 

[SeanaL]

Yeah they seem to live it in there. I check regularly.

 

[sled483]

I have 8 ten week old bantams. They have and 8x8 coop and a 10x10 run attached to it. They have been in the run for 3 weeks and have killed all the vegetation. I have been giving them lawn clippings a few times a day which they love. I am tempted to let the out into my fenced in back yard to forage. I am petrified of the predators. I live in Massachusetts and we have everything. I was planning on being with them the whole time. Hearing peoples stories of predator attacks while they are right there has me concerned. I'm ok if my chickens died from an illness or old age. But I can't handle the thought of a predator making off with one of my babies.

Am I doing them a disservice keeping them in the run? Would my presence be enough of a predator deterrent? I don't know which way to go on this.