Is it cruel to have chickens if they can't free range?

[Moabite]

I got 6 hens in a run that is 6x9 ft. They all seem to get along fine, no pecking and such. I have sand in the run and it stays remarkably clean and dry. I let them free range when I can. They know when I clap that it's time to go back and get a treat.

 

[stormylady]

6chickens in St. Charles :

I would definitely suggest making sure your run can fit YOU into it. What would be the use of keeping pets which you cannot be with?

Many folks here also install cup holders inside their coop/runs, and hang a clean folding chair in there. I have a little milking 3legged stool to sit with them, and sometimes bring my knitting. Its nice in there. My youngest son can be found sitting with them, reading to them, when we can't find him anywhere else.

Yes, I'd make sure your run is easy for you to walk in, maneuver your poopscooper in, clean in. Even if its a tractor.

In this video, my hen jumped into my lap for a visit. Neither of us are very pretty, but its a good example of what sometimes happens when chicken's personalities come to light:
http://www.youtube.com/user/6chickensinstcharles

I hope your setup affords you space and time to relax and enjoy your birdies.

Here's a picture of my current hoop and coop:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/25976_winter_coop_from_front_porch_view.jpg

After 3 years of trying many different ways, this is how it is today. I'm sure it will continue to morph. I hope yours STARTS better than mine did!

I loved your Video!!! See thats what it is all about right there! She had no intention of going to be with the other girls. LOL she loves her Momma thats for sure. And it looks like she has you trained very well all the patting and petting just the way she likes it. I suffer from Anxiety and sitting and cuddling with mine really helps with the symtoms, heck just watching you and Roaster was very calming. Thankyou.​

 

[Johnboy78]

After seeing my girls wander around the yard all summer, digging and scratching and
doing that chicken thing I can't see keeping them in a run.
I'm not a farmer. There is no purpose to my flock other than fun. That a bag of
feed costs $5 more makes no difference to me.
Happier? I don't know. More hygienic? Yes. Less stress? Yes. Less aggression? Yes.
Less smell? Yes.
More fun? There's nothing more fun than your girls exploding out of a hiding spot
sixty feet away and running, waddling, flying to see you because you came out the back door
and they're hoping for a little scratch.

 

[LindsayB]

I usually let mine out of the coop/run on a daily basis...But...right now I'm attempting to grow cabbage in our garden and thats the first thing they go for when I let them out. I just hang veggies in the run to keep them busy and give them extra treats. It really doesn't seem to phase them. Plus they are all molting right now and don't like to be messed with.

 

[flowergirl60]

I am having a problem b/c mine roamed my yard all summer and now DH wants them back in the run b/c they poop on the deck. How in the world are they and me going to adapt?

 

[CALI CHICK]

My girls have a small coop surrounded by a 6' X 10' enclosed "yard". But like you, I felt sorry for them to not be able to free range (because of predators/hawks). Sooooo, I built them a chicken tractor that I put them in every day. I attached wheels to the bottom so I can push it around to different areas a couple times a day. I know all the guys or professional builders would probably laugh at me, but I used what I had and did the best I could. (Sorry it isn't the best picture.) My chickens really like it and willingly jump right in each morning. And, they love when I push it around looking for new areas to scratch in. I built it big enough to get in and out of and light enough to lift. (I once caught my son doing his Math work in the tractor...to which he responded, "The chickens help me relax!". Chickens are great therapy!

 

[Moabite]

Quote:
Hope your son isn't learning "chicken math"

 

[6chickens in St. Charles]

Quote:
I loved your Video!!! See thats what it is all about right there! She had no intention of going to be with the other girls. LOL she loves her Momma thats for sure. And it looks like she has you trained very well all the patting and petting just the way she likes it. I suffer from Anxiety and sitting and cuddling with mine really helps with the symtoms, heck just watching you and Roaster was very calming. Thankyou.

You're very welcome! DH is a neurologist. He says chickens provide a good "right brain" activity. It sure does help to organize thoughts to be with them. I'm an anxious person, too, but I'm very at ease with my chickens. Saint Francis-itis, I call it.

 

[FuzzyButtsFarm]

No it is not cruel. I used to free range until I had a problem with a bobcat.

Then you have to do what you have to do to keep them safe.

 

[schumanw]

My chickens have never free ranged. I have a coop with a 10 ft run. When I open the gate to the coop, the six chickens gather around the gate to be fed. They have almost no interest in getting out of the coop. This tells me that they are happy where they are, and I know they have come to appreciate the protection that the coop offers them. Our german sheppard has gotten near the coop, and the chickens pay him no never mind. A huge owl perches above the coop and the chickens simply go about their business.