Is there a Difference in egg production between a fenced in chicken and a free range chicken?

[Chickengirl1304]

Are They more apt to laying eggs if they are closer to their boxes all the time?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Whether they are fenced or not is going to make absolutely no difference in how many eggs they lay. It’s possible a free ranging hen will hide her nest from you, but most still go back to the coop to lay.

Heredity, whether she is molting or not, heredity, what she eats, heredity, the weather, and heredity will make a difference in how many eggs she lays. Whether she is near her nest or not has absolutely no influence. She will walk back to her nest when the egg is ready to come.

You might think about it this way. If you are pregnant and the baby starts to come, it will come whether you are near a hospital with a maternity ward or not. And living near a hospital with a maternity ward will not cause you to become pregnant more often.

 

[aoxa]

Whether they are fenced or not is going to make absolutely no difference in how many eggs they lay. It’s possible a free ranging hen will hide her nest from you, but most still go back to the coop to lay.

Heredity, whether she is molting or not, heredity, what she eats, heredity, the weather, and heredity will make a difference in how many eggs she lays. Whether she is near her nest or not has absolutely no influence. She will walk back to her nest when the egg is ready to come.

You might think about it this way. If you are pregnant and the baby starts to come, it will come whether you are near a hospital with a maternity ward or not. And living near a hospital with a maternity ward will not cause you to become pregnant more often.

Well said!

 

[sandrameissnest]

hello,
,my chickens run around free - and i get everyday eggs from them i have 5 and i get everyday 5 sometimes in many many days i get 4 ...
but i have to say they love it outside- they always go back to lay the egg inside the cope.
before i had them just in the cope and there was not as many eggs- so i think they lay better when they run aound free/
they love it/

 

[donrae]

I found no difference between free ranging and confining them to a run, except I no longer have to go on egg hunts! I had some persistent hens who would hide their nests in the weirdest spots...........

 

[cmoore333]

I do a combination of the two, I keep them in the coop until two in the afternoon, that way they usually have laid I just started letting them free range in the past week, so I'm not sure if it'll help in the egg department, only a bit of time will tell...

 

[aoxa]

I found no difference between free ranging and confining them to a run, except I no longer have to go on egg hunts! I had some persistent hens who would hide their nests in the weirdest spots...........

Well the eggs are healthier, as well as the birds if free ranged.

 

[donrae]

Well the eggs are healthier, as well as the birds if free ranged.

Depending on the range, that could be true. But I though the OP was asking about production only.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Depending on the range, that could be true. But I though the OP was asking about production only.

And my take on the question was whether being near the nest would cause the hen to lay more.

 

[aoxa]

Depending on the range, that could be true. But I though the OP was asking about production only.

I was just adding to your comment about there being no difference