i was wondering if anyone could give me some info on free ranging chickens. i have always heard stories about flocks being attacked by various predators (im sure at night more than day). i live in SW Michigan in a very agricultural area. there is a farm that i drive by every so often and they always free range their chickens. im in the process of finishing a coop for our 8 chicks, but i wasnt gonna build a run for a couple months. now im wondering if i'll even need a run. there are quite a few stray cats around from a barn next door. the first time i took a couple chicks outside of the brooder to pick around at the ground, a cat attacked one. are cats considered predators for chickens? i would think that once they are fully grown they will be able to hold their own.
i guess that ended up being a couple of questions... but any advice would be great!
I would still build a run if I were you or your going to be cleaning up more poo that you probably want to from your coop. Plus if they free range all the time they will start laying in places that you probably don't want them to. Yes, cats can be predators to chickens.
Hello from mid-michigan! Free-ranging a small flock can be great! We currently have (not including our 87chicks in the brooder) 5 standard sized hens and 1 roo that are free-range on our property also located in the middle of farm country. It works wonderfully for us and I think our chickens are much happier and healtier that way! Let me start out by saying that our chickens are safely secured in a coop at night, but sun up till sun down (sometimes later) they are outside! They must enjoy it because even with nasty harsh winds, mild rain, and snow three feet deep (or more) they venture outdoors whenever possible!
Also, cats are considered predators to chickens although they generally will not bother adult chickens (too much fight at the end of those claws and beaks).
Personally, unless you have huge acreage, I would only suggest free-ranging a small flock though as our 6 chickens make use of every last inch of our 2 1/4 acre property and occasionally cross the property line to dig for bugs in the soy bean fields surrounding us! I think with a large flock they would feel even more secure and confident and we may have chickens halfway across the field
I would also strongly recommend a roo if you choose to free-range also..... not absolutely necessary but they add protection, order and possibilities for your flock (i.e. hatching) Our girls seem to be happier and way more organized/routined after we got our roo. He makes sure everyone is in the coop and I don't have to go searching for anybody, if I look out the window and he is still standing outside the door someone is lagging behind. Once he goes through the door I know I can lock up the coop! And there have been countless times when I have come back to the house from doing chores with the other animals to find the girls huddled up against the house or under a bush, etc... and he is standing head cocked with an eye to the sky staring at some potential threat I wasn't yet aware of!
If you decide to free range I would make afew suggestions on how to get started, since your flock is made of chicks I would keep them in the coop with an attached/detachable run of some sort until they are full grow or darn near it. This will give them time to associate the coop as home base, not the barn, the garage, etc.... and I would suggest keeping them there for the first few weeks they are laying so they come to know where they are expected to lay (i.e. your nest boxes). Once they have been "cooped up" long enough to know where home is as long as you keep food and water near the coop they should stay close to it, over time the will gain more ocnfidence and wandr a bit farther or for a bit longer but they will return and coop themselves at night!
As for laying eggs all over the place, mine lay in two places in the coop in one of two nest boxes or on top of one hay bale that we have in our barn next to our goat pen (apparently they like to chat with the goats while they wait for their egg to drop in the morning
) Other than that I haven't found them anywhere else!
We personally do not even have run for our chickens-but we got ours as adults already or I would have kept them behind bars until grown just because of predators. I will say that I do someday expect to have a loss here and there because my chickens are able to roam, however, for me this is an acceptable loss because they seem to be happier, healthier and I get to enjoy them more!
My girls and guy follow us around everywhere infact they have been checking out our powertools while we've been coop building for the newbies and they come running to the front door everytime we open it expecting treats and attention. Ultimately you have to make a decision you are comfortable with- Good Luck!
@ladyfeathers - thanks soooo much for the response. that definitely helps put things in perspective. i think now i am leaning towards putting a smaller and maybe temporary run on the coop. we have almost 5 acres. do you have any neighbors (other than fields)? we have one neighbor that i could see the chickens possibly roaming into their lawn. i guess i'll just make sure that the first few times we let them free range im working in the yard for the day so i can watch them. thanks again for the advice!
It is nice to have a run to keep them locked up if your not going to be around. If your home you can atleast keep an eye on what going on.
If you free range you will have have to deal with a predator one day or another. Daytime you will have to worry about foxes, dogs, hawks, dogs,vcats, dogs and dogs. Nighttime is usually owls, raccoons, snunks, opposums, raccoons, coyotes and raccoons.
I have a coop and a secure run and would only let them free range if I was around. Then I built fenced in pastures because the chickens would not stay in the yard and kept destoying the flower beds.
