How far will chickens free range away from their coop?

[RenoHuskerDu]

If I open up a second pasture to them via a gate, will they can wander and cluck another 50 yards into it? That would be about 75 yards total away from their coop.

If y'all think that's too far, let me know.

 

[CluckerFamily]

Do they have objects to hide under if there is an aerial attack? Trees, bushes, shrubs, etc.

 

[50-45-1]

Do you have electric fence?
How about a guardian dog?
Shrubbery to hide under from hawks, is also used by Coyote and fox to sneak in and snatch a chicken.
Alot depends on your location and situation and setup.
75 feet is not a problem for me but I have 3 guardian dogs and guinea fowl.

 

[Artichoke Lover]

I can’t say what’s too far for your flock since I don’t know what your area looks like or the types of predators you have. Mine have probably gone over 500 feet from the coop with me out there watching them.

 

[ackie]

Mine have free range as far as they wish to go.

I suspect they've learned that going out into the street is a no-no on their own.

 

[Mrs. K]

The more you let them out, the farther they will go. A good rooster will help with day time predators, but not all roosters are good roosters, and predators win a lot of the time. I love to let mine out, until I loose them.

Mrs K

 

[Ridgerunner]

I've had flocks that would never go more than 150 or so feet from the coop. On the same terrain and with the same coop I've had flocks consisting of different chickens that would sometimes go 500 feet or more from the coop. I had a flock where the rooster and most of the hens would hang pretty close to that coop but three hens would go exploring a long way on their own. I have no idea if yours will go through that gate or not. There is only one way to find out.

One thing I have had happen when I've opened up new territory to them. When it is time for chickens to go to bed they want to go to where they roost. It is an obsession, they have to get there. But if a fence gets in their way they can't get there. But they really want to. They get desperate. But they forget that there is a gate just a few feet away that will let them get back to the coop although they have been using that gate all day. So if you try this be out there at bedtime to see if they need help finding a gate. After helping them a night or two mine did realize that gate was there and used it, but the first time or two they really needed help.

 

[RenoHuskerDu]

Thanks for all the helpful comments. We do have an electric fence and hiding areas. We have hawks, to which we have lost a few birds. We also have 4 Heeler mixes that hate birds, rats, coons, coyotes and pretty much any critter out here.

 

[halefamily_flock]

My flock free ranges, and has access to over 100 acres. However, they have never strayed more than 3 acres and generally stay within about 1-2 acres around the coop. When I first start letting chicks free range, at around 4-8 weeks, depending on time of year & weather conditions, they stay very close to the coop for several weeks and only start venturing further than 50-75 feet from the coop much later (~3-4 months old).

I agree with the need to watch out for fences. I've had chickens "break into" temporary fencing around the brooder coop, temporary fencing put up for breeding purposes, and the chain link fence we have around a cell tower on our property (no idea how that silly rooster got over it to get stuck inside). Fences are very confusing for them, for some reason, so you have to keep an eye out. I even came out one day to find a Welsummer hen upside down, immobile, with her leg caught in a temporary fence (she was on the outside of the fence). The only thing I could figure was that she was fending off an advance from a young cockerel and got tangled? (She ended up with a sprained ankle that healed on its own in a few days, while she kept herself in the coop).