I want to free range (sort of) but have concerns.

They might after a while...They will stick pretty close to the coop for a while..Then as time goes on and they feel more comfortable and safe within their surroundings-they get braver. My girls have jump 4-6 ft fences-no often at all but they have done it They always came back though. Your best bet is to let them free range after 4-5pm..That way they dont have time to wander far-they'll forage in close areas and not have time to make it to the fence before roosting time Always works for me now. I have a small clan of bandits who always tried to cross our tiny country road. So I keep them in coop/run area until I get home at 5pm-then they go out-they have yet to cross that road or even get close again-always back on roosts at 8pm

 

let them roam if you can, my 40 chickens hang around my5 acres and usually stay by the house or the coop.. they always head to the coop by 7 or so.. i have a 100 acre farm that is next to my land, and they have never jumped the fince or gone where i cannot fnd them.

 

They most likely will. I do like sonew123 does. I keep them in the run till I get home, let them out about 4-5, they free range till about 8:30 and then head back for the coop. On the weekends when I know I'll be home and not going anywhere I let them out even earlier.

 

I have a 100 acres & free range everyday they stay close to their coop.

 

I let my chickens out every morning around 8AM and then put them back up in the evening at about 7-8PM. We live on about 100 acres and so far they haven't felt the need to wander out of our yard. We have a lot of cover as well and they love to play in the leaves and such. Just keep in mind that where there are woods, there are predators too I love that you want to let them out daily even if it is after 5. Whatever they get used to will become what they expect....kinda like kids in that sense..........

 

We have dogs that get loose in the neighborhood occasionally, so we are nervous about free-ranging. We got a 4 foot tall nylon fence (160 feet long), which we set up attached to the secure run. It can be moved enough that there are always green areas. While I am sure all of the chickens are capable of flying over the fence, only one does. Luckily, it is our cross-beak, so she is not really do damage to our garden.
That was our way of sort of free-ranging.