Free ranging pros and cons?

[wendallbme]

I can't think of any real pros to free ranging other than the romantic aspect of 'happy' / free animals.....and the pragmatic aspect of lower feed costs.

The cons far outweigh the pros for me, I live on a busy 55mph road and have 15 acres of woods that are home to many predators, so mine are confined to a decent sized coop and run that is hawk proof and pretty good against other predators. I live where we get feet of snow for months, so built coop of a size to accommodate weather related confinement. They are provided with vegetation in grazing frames and kitchen and garden scraps, animal protein with homegrown mealworms and kitchen scraps. Egg sales cover the cost of purchased feeds.

Cons:
Poop everywhere, often where you want to walk near the house.
Dead birds in a busy road and due to predation of numerous kinds....dead birds don't lay eggs.
Destruction of food and/or ornamental gardens, I'd rather fence them in than have to fence them out of where I don't want them destroying things.
Egg hunting, can't sell eggs I can't find, free rangers often choose to lay elsewhere than in the coop.

Just my opinion.

 

[speedbird]

I would also highly suggest having a rooster for their protection. He will do his very best to take care if his girls.

your profile pic...AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW! Nothing is cuter then an evil chick!

 

[Mah1Mah1]

I am fairly new to chickens though I've been lurking here and learning a lot over the past month. I think I'm ready to take the plunge and get some chickens now. I have a fairly large area available and would like to free range my future flock. What are the pros and cons of free ranging? What are your experiences?

I find free ranging more beneficial than not, for example; they can find tasty worms and bugs, it keeps them entertained and adds variety to their diet. Unfortunately some chickens have a tendency to get lost or stuck in a large area, also they are vulnerable to predation. But, as I said before it has more pro's than con's

 

[Chickmama74]

My girls love to free range. So far I have never has any losses due to free ranging during the day. Only thing I have to watch out for is the dog down the road from me. The lady that owns him swears that is never killed a chicken, but I get a different story from her husband. Killed 5 of their own. I do have a rooster too, but his is a bantam roo, and he alerts the girls if he sees anything.

 

[debingoshen]

I've had a flock of free ranging birds for about 5 years. Pros: healthy eggs, happy birds, AND happy me watching them! The availability of plenty of tasty insects, fresh greens, exercize, and just plain fun is evidenced by the delicious eggs produced. Dark orange yolks are produced when the birds eat a variety of green plant material. At least here in the Northeast, you'll notice the difference in the yolks in the winter, much paler. Come spring and summer they become that beautiful hue of orange that is hard to describe. The birds are just happier when they are free. Nothing entertains me more than watching them run and scratch the earth to discover some new bug -- they seem joyful! I love to listen and watch as the rooster takes care of his girls when he finds a tasty morsel...he uses a special little call and seems to point to the item of interest and backs away to let them eat it! I could watch these birds all day. I've also read that eggs from free ranging hens with a variety of natural food are healthier for us to eat. The manure they produce is like gold! It is the best fertilizer for your garden. Don't use it when it is fresh because it is too strong and will burn your plants. Use it well seasoned, after several months. I use last year's manure on this year's garden.

Cons: Predators. It breaks my heart but I've lost quite a few birds to racoons, foxes and even a few hawks during migration in September. My hens have a coop that is like Fort Knox, but they are only locked up tight in there from dusk till dawn. Just this spring in April I had a fox attack, in broad daylight ! There was nothing I could do. The remaining birds would not go back in their pen (there is no way to herd them back in especially after the chaos the fox caused) and the fox just came back several times and took another and another. At days end I lost 3 hens and a rooster. Very sad day. They have been penned up now for about a month. I'm sad, they're sad. I'll let them out again soon. Most likely the fox was desperate to feed young. Raccoons had been a problem only if the birds were not locked up tight overnight. In September I often keep them penned up for a few weeks when hawks are plentiful. Another con: it is difficult to garden unless you use the aptly named "chicken" wire around anything you don't want scratched out of the ground! Another problem, but not really too difficult: sometimes the hens will lay eggs in hidden nests. When you find them you really can't use them because you don't know how long they've been there. Oh....and one more con. Watch where you step! -- LOL!

For me, the pros outweigh the cons. I can't be too mad at the fox--they are just doing what foxes do. I love living in the country with free ranging chickens and will continue to do so for as long as I live!

 

[GratefulHarvest]

I got my first flock of chickens from a neighbor. They were all under 18 months old. She did not free range them. I started them in a run, with the intention of letting them free range once they had gotten used to us and our dogs got used to them. I think they were in the run for about 3 weeks. The run was quite spacious. During those 3 weeks I got a strong impression that animals should not be confined, even to a spacious run. It was a joyous day when they went free range! In the beginning it was for a few hours a day, as I stayed out with them and kept them "herded" to about 1/4 acre. After a few weeks I felt comfortable to let them out on their own for the entire day. Now they roam over about an acre; they choose to stay within that range.

I live in the woods of west central fl. We have a lot of predators, but our dogs have been super awesome. They have not had to confront a predator; their scent around the property and their barking have been enough so far. (except for the bears but that is another story and the bears only wanted the chicken feed, not the chickens)
I have lost chickens. If a chicken decides to sit on her eggs in the woods outside the coop and I can't find her at evening, she doesn't make it more than a few nights. I have lost a banshee and a game hen this way.

Between foraging, our chickens prefer to hang out in close proximity to us, which means our dogs have to share their space with chickens, chicken poop is everywhere, it is common to have hens perching on the steps and roosters on the porch yelling at us for treats.

I think the biggest drawback has been gardening. If the chickens like what is growing, they will find a way to eat it. If you are a gardener and free range your chickens, you will need to provide a secure run for your garden to keep predator chickens out.

 

[armorfirelady]

Mine free range in a giant space all day from when the pop door opens in the am till it closes at night. They are rarely in their coop during the day. I use electrified netting to keep ground predators out. I have several areas in their area to give them shade & hawk protection. I did have a hawk last year to try to get the hens but he ran into the electric netting which is green and blends in well. Now the hawks stay away since I have a pair of crows nesting in my pine trees.

They eat less grains. are healthier and happier out ranging all day. I really have no cons since I determine where they are so walking in poop is not a problem.

 

[4 the Birds]

I am fairly new to chickens though I've been lurking here and learning a lot over the past month. I think I'm ready to take the plunge and get some chickens now. I have a fairly large area available and would like to free range my future flock. What are the pros and cons of free ranging? What are your experiences?

Many more Pros than cons. Be sure to have a good free ranging perimeter fence to set boundaries for your chickens and to have a basic line of defense from stray dogs and other predators.

Been free ranging for many years and never had a loss to predators.

 

[Jess75]

My girls love to free range! I learned from experience to only let them free range late afternoon into evening.....Why? Because they love to dig up my yard. I've found that keeping them in the run for the earlier part of the day (the run is a2000 square foot area) helps to limit the trouble they get into in my flower beds and under my deck. It also cuts down on the amount of chicken poop all over my patio and walkways :

Downsides? Well, I worried about predators but what I have seen is that my girls are pretty feisty. They have stood there ground to large feral cats, fox, and even hawks. We have had them now for two and a half years and knock on wood, no issues with predators yet. At dusk they all make there way back to the coop, so they can be secured for the night.

 

[Joybelles]

Thank you so much for your thoughts and feedback, everyone! I think you have talked me into it. I am going to look for a dog to raise and train with the chickens, to protect them against predators. Thank you for the info on that, centrarchid! I am a little concerned about birds of prey though. I have quite a large area where I'm thinking of keeping the chickens in and letting them roam, but putting up netting for such a large area is going to be very expensive. Is there cheaper alternatives to keep hawks and other birds at bay?

On the fencing, the fence around the area is pretty good, but only about 4 feet tall. Should I clip their wings to stop them flying out and if so, how do I do this? Do I have to cut the primaries, how short, one or both wings? Pics would be very helpful!