Husband says no to free ranging

[Sublight]

That's a lot of hens for 1 rooster.

 

[GC-Raptor]

I let my hens out to free range 1 hour before sunset daily, weather permitting. Plenty of time to eat bugs and greens. They go back to the coop about 20 minutes after sunset. I take a headcount, check feeder and waterer, check for eggs, turnoff nightlight, empty under coop waterer and lockup the coop and pen. .GC

 

[lazy gardener]

That's a lot of hens for 1 rooster.

That makes for a happy rooster! My avatar roo, Jack, easily covered 24 hens with good fertility.

OP, I understand your dilemma. My hubby is not a farmer, and he takes pride in his lawn. He hates even seeing chicken poop on his lawn, let alone tripping into a dust bowl crater created by my flock. So, I do my best to keep the birds from trashing the lawn too bad, and I use the hose to squirt down any chicken bombs that are likely to be on or near the "foot paths". You and your hubby will have to come to an agreement that is satisfactory to the both of you. It's certainly not worth causing marital discord. Do they have a big enough chicken run? If not, perhaps that's something the two of you can work on together. Or, he might be willing to let you free range them for a few hours on the weekend, or prior to roost time, or even mid day. A couple of hours will fertilize the lawn, but won't tear it up. And if you keep a can of scratch handy, they will come running when you call them, so you can train them away from the gardens.