If my chickens are going to be pastured, do they need a run?

[xapikleia]

well, i was planning to come back and say that, for now, we're just going to build a coop, close off the "chicken range", and eventually build a large enclosure as a run. then i went outside and found my japanese hen on top of her current "coop" (a cube of shipping pallets with a tarp thrown over it, and a cage inside that we lock her up in at night), which is only about two feet lower than the fence that separates our yard from our neighbors. so, even if the other points that you guys mentioned weren't valid (and they are), now i realize how easily chickens can escape!

now we just have to find the extra time to do all of this. my husband works three jobs, so his availability to build is very limited. i wish that we could buy something already made, but that's out of the question for us. we are supposed to bring home three more birds by next week, so we need something now! *sigh*

 

[banniste]

So, currently, we allow our girls to free range in our back yard. It is winter, and we have had no problems with predators. Will predator issues be more upfront when the air gets warmer??

Let me know!

Thanks,

Nancy

 

[tebs78]

my first coop is about 400 yards from the house. we live on a ranch so we let ours free-range. I am fixing to build something closer for some more chickens I am getting ;o) Just to keep a closwer eye on them.

 

[ssteiner]

I too live in the suburbs of southern California (in Orange County). I briefly entertained the idea of just building a coop and letting the girls wander the back yard all day. Bad idea. Lost three birds in less than a month to predators. Takes the fun out of owning chickens when I have to constantly worry about their safety all day - makes me feel like a warden. So, I summarily built a small, enclosed run out of wood, covered it with hardware cloth and attached it to the coop door. Now, I rest comfortably during the day as I peek out and see my girls, (safe from hawks, possums, skunks, dogs, and what not) happily scratching around their run looking for juicy bugs.

Good luck, but remember that chickens are at the top of just about everyone's menu, and it's lousy losing one to a predator. Someone on one of the forums said that if you can't be with them when they're freeranging, expect to lose some ... it's just part of owning chickens. I wasn't prepared to accept that so my girls live in a run, but seem quite happy.

-Scott

 

[J.R. Richards]

There are no dumb questions, so when something comes to mind, just ask. I free ranged 125 roosters each year and let them run wherever they like. I have 2.5 acres attached to the family farm and each morning I would open the door on the coop and the chickens would just pile out. They will go a great distance, for example they travel over to my inlaws an 1/8 mile away. They always come back and find there way back to the coop by dark. We have no fences where they range so they end up crapping all over everything, decks, lawn furniture, and I do mean anything. This past year we built tractors like quansit hut thgat are 10' X 5' and put 12 chickens per tractor. We move each tractor once a day until the birds are ready for butchering, these are the meat birds. We now only use the coop for our 72 Hens and they have good runs attached to the coop and are happy campers, no more poo all over everything. Chickens can fly a short distance, I have seen most of mine fly over 75 yards going down hill. So what I am saying is, if you want to keep them on the ground, clip their flight feathers. My chickens have made their way over six foot fences, if they think the grass is greaner on the other side, they will find a way to get there. I have one hen that loves to fly on top of the coop which is 9 foot off the ground and just look at everything, then she comes down when she darn well pleases.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

Even if you free range, there are still times when you get visitors that bring along an unruly dog or small children. Or you decide to have people over for a cook-out, grill-out or BBQ and you don't want chickens pooping all over or jumping at guest's plates. Sometimes you might have work being done on your house or yard. Or large appliances or furniture being delivered. There are just a lot of different things that can come up, where being able to confine the chickens for the day is really handy or safer. It's pretty nice if you ever want to go away, too. It's easier on the pet-sitter.