How far will they range?

[derby]

Since our henhouse still isn't finished, my chicks (2 months and 3 months) live in cages at night and I've been letting them out in the yard during the day. The first couple of weeks, they stayed in the side yard near their cages. Last week they discovered the backyard - maybe about 1/2 an acre of grass and gardens. Now they're roaming into the woods. The woods - about 10 acres - belong to us and I generally want them to have access to it, but now I'm starting to worry about how far they will go. Will they venture out of sight of the shed where their cages are? Will they get lost?

Derby

 

[Davaroo]

Quote:
Possibly. I've researched this and chickens are known to cover 1-2 kilometers in a day of foraging. Domestic chickens can be iffy depending on the breed - some will roam and others wont go far.
It is highly possible that they will adapt to life away from the cages... it has happened in many places and is one of the risks you take in letting them roam around. In extreme cases, they will roost in trees, feed on whatever and in general become more wild than domestic.
They also become prey to all sorts of things with tooth and claw.

You need to control them, number one, and give them a place to call home, secondly. That whole, "loose and free-spirited" business is fine for the tie-dye crowd, but if you want to get good use from your chicken investment, you gotta exert some control.
That means that in the beginning they need to be taught where home is and not be allowed to wander all over Hade's half acre. Time to get the coop done, the fences up.