How far will chickens venture from their coop?

[Blondi27]

Hello, new chicken owner here. We have 4 acres of property that I would like my chickens to be able to free range on. My concern is the property isn't fenced at all. We built them a large fenced run and put their coop in there just in case it doesn’t work out. How far will the normally venture away from their coop when free ranging?

 

[MisaF]

The go fairly far to be honest. We have 19 acres and apparently that isn't enough because our hens wander over to the neighbor's yard and roost on their swing set.

We no longer let our hens free range without us outside to watch them. We have had too many close calls with hawks and foxes. We are over protective of our girls.

 

[Blondi27]

The go fairly far to be honest. We have 19 acres and apparently that isn't enough because our hens wander over to the neighbor's yard and roost on their swing set.

We no longer let our hens free range without us outside to watch them. We have had too many close calls with hawks and foxes. We are over protective of our girls.

That was another concern of mine was predators. I was also considering only letting them out when we’re outside as well, just to keep an eye on them. Do you have a roofed run? We did not put a roof over ours. If hawks and owls become an issue, i will consider bird netting.

 

[ketojenn]

Mine don't go far, but I only let them out in the evenings. If allowed out all day, they want to wander and I live in town, so I'd rather they didn't annoy my neighbors. Usually they stick pretty close to the house though.

When we had a farm, they were free range all the time and would wander the groomed areas of the property, but avoided the hay fields and taller stuff, so mostly stuck to the mown yards, driveways, and gardens.

 

[MilesFluffybutt]

I have an acre and a half, and they generally stay on the property, moving between their favorite spots during the day. I've only had to fetch them once from a neighbor's house, which is maybe a quarter of a mile away.

I don't have a predator problem - hawks, fox, coyote, etc - but I do have problematic neighbors that don't feel they need to contain their massive and aggressive hunting dogs. They moved in over the fall so I will have to fence my birds in and free range on supervised days.

Be careful with bird netting. My aunt has lost chickens to it - they'd jump and get tangled in it. Obviously she didn't put it up high enough so just keep that in mind.

 

[ketojenn]

I should add, I'm in a very, very small, rural town and have a large property. So they have a rather large yard to explore.

 

[MisaF]

We have our coop in a 10 x 10 dog run with a roof that is surrounded by a 25 x 25 chicken yard which we just finished putting up a PVC frame work and adding bird netting to. Our chicken yard is surrounded by 48" electric net fencing to keep the darn fox away so we don't have to keep the hens locked in the 10 x 10 run as it's too small for them to not bicker, even with all the food in the world, they get on each other's nerves after a day of being locked in!

 

[Blondi27]

Our property is a mix of brushy and open yard. I thought they might like the brushy kind of stuff because they would feel more safe while foraging. We have a large maintained yard with lots of fruit trees. We’re are pretty close to the road though where there is a large pond right across from it. I figured they might venture over there because of all the bugs that are near the water.

 

[ketojenn]

Our property is a mix of brushy and open yard. I thought they might like the brushy kind of stuff because they would feel more safe while foraging. We have a large maintained yard with lots of fruit trees. We’re are pretty close to the road though where there is a large pond right across from it. I figured they might venture over there because of all the bugs that are near the water.

Possibly, though mine never crossed the road. We lived on a busy highway on the farm and they would forage right next to the road, but never went into it. My kids on the other hand....

 

[Blondi27]

Possibly, though mine never crossed the road. We lived on a busy highway on the farm and they would forage right next to the road, but never went into it. My kids on the other hand....

I know the feeling. Lol it wouldn’t be a big deal if they did go over there, the property is for sale, but it’s an undeveloped lot. A lot of people walk and bike around here, but everyone that has a dog usually has them on a leash. Im not sure if they like the brush more or open yards when foraging.