Hi - new to group. I’m wondering if anyone else has free range chickens that seem to roaming farther & farther every day? I have 9 beauties.

[Nomadicus]

Hello and Welcome to BYC. Glad to have you in this poultry lovers community. Mine roamed farther and farther as they got older and now that they are fully grown hens they seem to hang closer to the coop and nest boxes.

 

[janiedoe]

Welcome to BYC!

 

[pennyJo1960]

Welcome to Backyard Chickens. Pull up roost stay awhile.

 

[sourland]

Hello, and welcome to BYC.

 

[Kenneth Zweerink]

Welcome to BackYard Chickens. And a Big Hello from Eastern Nebraska !

 

[DobieLover]

Hello and welcome to BYC! Glad you joined.

I used to free range but they kept getting into trouble, and yes, kept going further and further from home. They have since been confined to a 1/3 acre pen surrounded by poultry netting powered with a 10,000 volt charge. They do great in there.

 

[Perris]

my experience is the same as @LTAY1946 's.

You don't say how old your 9 birds are, or how far they go @Julie4980 . Typically they will range further in search of food, so if you offer more food at breakfast they'll stick closer for their morning foraging session to top up with choice morsels from your patch. If they're full and content they'll then spend their time on preening, dustbathing and suchlike, close to home, rather than foraging further afield to satisfy hunger or missing nutrients.

 

[swampfox440]

Welcome to BYC! pleased to meet you and good luck with your flock.

 

[Blue Raptor]

Hi - new to group. I’m wondering if anyone else has free range chickens that seem to roaming farther & farther every day? I have 9 beauties.

Welcome to BYC!!

 

[triciayoung]

Welcome. I don't free range but my chickens have a very large 50x60 foot area that has hardware cloth sides and an apron and netted roof for aerial predators during the day and a very secure coop for night.