Free ranging

[Shenrick]

Greetings! I'm new to the chicken game and I'm wondering if anyone can give me an idea of how far chickens will roam away from the coop? I have two acres but I do have neighbors right next to me, one with a boarder collie. I just want them to be safe but I'd like to let them have run of the place!

 

[Ridgerunner]

Hi, welcome to the forum. Glad you joined.

It varies, there is no set distance. Each flock has its own dynamics. I typically replace about 1/3 of my flock each year. Some years they stick fairly close to home, some years they roam
a lot further. I previously lived on two acres in Arkansas. Most years they did not bother the neighbors but one year the flock liked to play on a neighbor's tornado shelter just below his house. Luckily he liked hearing the rooster crow.

Something else that makes a difference is what your land looks like. Sometimes barriers will stop them. Sometimes. If you have a grown-up fence row or maybe an un-mowed pasture or hay field they stop. But sometimes they like to go into that. It doesn't always stop them.

Any time you free range them you are at risk from predators. In Arkansas I was in the middle of the country, I saw bobcat, coyote, fox, raccoons, possum, skunks, hawks, eagles, and owls. Those were not much of a problem, in thee years I lost two chickens to them. I did not like it but I considered that acceptable losses for them to free range. Then somebody abandoned two dogs in the country. I lost 8 chickens and shot two dogs. Next time it was 5 chickens and one dog. That stopped my free ranging, I got electric netting to protect them from ground based predators.

Some people are able to go for years free ranging with practically no losses. Others get wiped out as soon as they try. I grew up on a farm where our chickens free ranged. Until I left for college we only had two predator attacks, a fox and a dog. Both were shot. Are you seeing how common the problem is a dog and not wild animals? But it was years between attacks. You never know.

Most predators will hunt during the day as well as at night, even the ones that aren't suppose to. But they are more dangerous at night, human activity seems to make them more cautious during daytime. I now use a philosophy of keeping them in a predator resistant location during the day and lock them securely in a predator proof coop at night. That works pretty well but they are still at some risk. Some people on here have had a fox or hawk take a chicken that was about 20 feet from them.

 

[Shenrick]

Hi, welcome to the forum. Glad you joined.

It varies, there is no set distance. Each flock has its own dynamics. I typically replace about 1/3 of my flock each year. Some years they stick fairly close to home, some years they roam
a lot further. I previously lived on two acres in Arkansas. Most years they did not bother the neighbors but one year the flock liked to play on a neighbor's tornado shelter just below his house. Luckily he liked hearing the rooster crow.

Something else that makes a difference is what your land looks like. Sometimes barriers will stop them. Sometimes. If you have a grown-up fence row or maybe an un-mowed pasture or hay field they stop. But sometimes they like to go into that. It doesn't always stop them.

Any time you free range them you are at risk from predators. In Arkansas I was in the middle of the country, I saw bobcat, coyote, fox, raccoons, possum, skunks, hawks, eagles, and owls. Those were not much of a problem, in thee years I lost two chickens to them. I did not like it but I considered that acceptable losses for them to free range. Then somebody abandoned two dogs in the country. I lost 8 chickens and shot two dogs. Next time it was 5 chickens and one dog. That stopped my free ranging, I got electric netting to protect them from ground based predators.

Some people are able to go for years free ranging with practically no losses. Others get wiped out as soon as they try. I grew up on a farm where our chickens free ranged. Until I left for college we only had two predator attacks, a fox and a dog. Both were shot. Are you seeing how common the problem is a dog and not wild animals? But it was years between attacks. You never know.

Most predators will hunt during the day as well as at night, even the ones that aren't suppose to. But they are more dangerous at night, human activity seems to make them more cautious during daytime. I now use a philosophy of keeping them in a predator resistant location during the day and lock them securely in a predator proof coop at night. That works pretty well but they are still at some risk. Some people on here have had a fox or hawk take a chicken that was about 20 feet from them.

Thanks for the reply and all the great insight!!