I'm curious - How far do free range chickens venture from the coop?

[Warthog]

I have 41 productions reds who free range all day, they usually cover about 2 acres out of the 28 available.

What I have got most of them trained to do is, at about 5pm I bang the food bucket and most of them come back to the pen, one or two of the younger ones need more training yet, but I have found by the time they get to laying age, they are more managable/trainable anyway.

Just make sure you keep them in the pen/coop long enough to know where home is.

 

[fatmanlol]

hi,im thinking about buying a smallhold/homestead and was thinking of keeping lots of chickens, free range that is.i have one problem. i will obviously be surrounded by neighbours and im a bit worried that they will stray.what is the maximum radius from the coop you think they will stray.im a muslim so im not sure if it is considered stealing or not but im not prepared to risk it

 

[Den in Penn]

How far they will go is often the product of how much of interest they have close to the coop. A lush green space with lots to eat and they will not go far. Dry and brown and they will go farther. They can easy claim 600 feet away as part of their territory. Consider fencing a large area for them.