Free ranging questions

[Lynn Woehrle]

Does anyone keep their chickens in a yard/run during growing season and then free range during the fall and winter? I wanted to free range, but they are destroying my gardens. Was hoping to rotate them between two pens during the warmer months, and then once the gardens are covered they could free range. Does anyone do this?

We have raised gardens with six foot fences around them. Our chickens would destroy our food and flower gardens. They do come into our back yard and we have fenced in areas they can't get to and we have some gardens with iris, boxwood, columbines, daisies, and a few other flowers that can handle chickens digging and dirt bathing. They are tuff flowers and shrubs that can take chicken doings. These also have fences around them but there are areas they can get under the fences. The turkeys, quail, chipmunks, deer and other birds are kept out of our gardens by fences and netting over the gardens. Chickens love to dig, peck and scratch. The chickens also get insects that can damage the food and flowers.

 

[Mtnboomer]

I free range 15 birds all year. My 3000 sf garden is fenced and safe from them but my flower beds are fair game. Once the growing season has ended (october for us) i open the gates and let the chickens have at it!

 

[bobbi-j]

Why not just put fences around your gardens?

 

[suzannesparks]

I free range 15 birds all year. My 3000 sf garden is fenced and safe from them but my flower beds are fair game. Once the growing season has ended (october for us) i open the gates and let the chickens have at it!

Do you lock them up for the growing season or do you mean the veggie garden gates?

 

[suzannesparks]

Why not just put fences around your gardens?

We have a fence around our veggie garden. But we have many many flower beds around our property.

 

[Mtnboomer]

Do you lock them up for the growing season or do you mean the veggie garden gates?

I keep the garden gates closed until the growing season is over. I only lock the birds up in their coop at night to protect them from predators. But i let them out at dawn every morning.

 

[Silexian]

I let my chickens out to free range every evening all year long. I use electric poultry netting around all of my gardens and flowerbeds. The netting does take away from the beauty of the flowers. It does prevent the chickens from destroying all of my plants and scratching all the mulch out into my yard. It is quickly and easily erected and taken down. It can go around odd shaped beds and a gate can be easily made anywhere you like. It does not have to be hooked up to a charger to keep the chickens out. I only use a charger on the netting around my corn. To keep the raccoons from getting in and helping themselves.

 

[Cooptown Lady]

My four hens are in their run all day until about an hour before their usual bedtime. Then I let them out into their 20 x 80 ft yard that I fenced off with cheap plastic netting, 3 ft. high, and metal posts. I only had to put that fence on one side because the other 3 sides were already fenced with privacy fencing.

I walk around with them or sit in a spot with a clear view for watching for hawks. (I'm retired so can spare the time.) This plan has a benefit I didn't expect..... I spend an hour watching the hens' behavior and checking their overall health, energy level, and appetite.

I was able to spot my Sapphire Gem olive-egger feeling poorly right away. Two days of electrolyte water and she's back to her happy self again.

BTW I got the idea for this big yard and daily schedule from BC!

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Flower beds in the run/range are "enrichment". Solutions are :

net the flower beds (less attractive, more difficult to work them seasonally);
don't place flower beds in the range (my solution) or gardens, either;
try and plant things they won't dig up, or can't dig up, and won't eat, which are none the less attractive and suited to your planting zone (likely a very short list)

To do otherwise is to blame the dog for digging holes in the yard when you keep handing him the bones to bury. A flower bed, to chickens, is an attractive nuisance. Either they want to eat the leaves, the flowers, the bugs among the plants, enjoy the shade, or bathe in the dirt. Gardens are good for all those things - can hardly expect the chicken to not be chickens.

 

[kimylos]

I am planning to get my first chickens and I will keep them in my backyard. Now I collect as much information as I can. The most challenging thing is to keep them in winter I guess. It is 5-8 degrees Celcius in winter here.
P.S. I found this blog about keeping free range chickens in winter it should be useful.