Keeping Chickens Free Range

[duluthralphie]

I do not lock my chickens up this time of year. They roost high, I have guineas that live with the chickens in the coop. Guineas keep most predators away. I have never lost a bird when the guineas are with them, it as always been when I have the guineas separated for breeding and egg collection the deaths occur. NOT that they could not occur but a swarm of guineas will scare lots of animals...

I live on our family farmstead, my mother lives in a house next door, she has a cat. Her cat will not even leave the deck because of the guineas. if you want to free range and you have the room and no neighbors to witch about the noise, I suggest you try some guineas, predators will avoid the area and ticks will lesson.

 

[blumenmadchen]

Thanks. I have a large uncovered run (about 10 x 30) that I had originally planned to leave my chickens (2 buff orpingtons and 2 Easter eggers) in most of the day. But I tend to only leave them out when I am home. And their coop is not very big. It makes me nervous, but like someone said, I'm not really watching them when I am home, so...

 

[Debby27]

I've been trying to find out if people free range your chickens when you are not home (like when you are at work). Or do you only let them out when you are there?

I let them out around 9am...BF lets them out if I have to leave early.....otherwise we run errands maybe gone for a couple hours....the new girls I adopted are very skittish and very good about running either into the run, the shed or under the deck when the crows start cawing.....Marie is always on alert....not that will keep a fox from snatching one of them..but I feel they need that time out to be as healthy as they can.....If it's raining I won't let them out if I'm running out of the house.

 

[allyclair]

I've been trying to find out if people free range your chickens when you are not home (like when you are at work). Or do you only let them out when you are there?

I let mine loose first thing in the morning and they free range all day until dusk when they go roost in their coop. I go out sometime between dusk and dark to shut the coop doors.

But, this works for me for a few reasons that definitely won't apply to everyone. The main predators we have during the day are osprey (hawk) and stray dogs (which are very rare in our area). My chickens are dark brahmas (including a rooster) which are large birds and the hawks have not attempted to take one yet.

Also, I just like them to be able to enjoy free ranging and have decided the benefits are worth the risk (for us in our situation).

Oh, and I work from home but as far as I'm concerned it makes no difference since I'm not usually watching them from the house. And even if I was watching, I'm not as quick as any predator would be.

If you are just considering letting your chickens be in your enclosure while you're at work, maybe closing in the top would give you more peace of mind?

 

[Attila the Hen]

Mine are out from sun up to sun set. They have lots of protection from trees as we are in a forest. There are hawks that have flown over but haven't lost an adult to a hawk.....so far. My property is also fenced in to keep out coyotes, dogs etc.

 

[goingducks]

Kinda new to chickens but my chickens went Broody! One was fine she kept sitting on eggs for about a week then gave up (we were taking eggs from her there is no rooster) So that's fine she's back to normal. But a different hen went missing so we thought something must of got her she was gone three days then we seen her yesterday she went Broody and has a nest in the tall reeds by our creek and she came out cause a snake was in her nest!! The snake has moved and we plan on getting rid of the eggs but my question is how to stop our chickens from laying outside of their house (she won't even come in the house at night and something will eventually get her) just got a rooster yesterday hoping he will keep the girls in line

 

[Attila the Hen]

I'm not sure why your hen won't go in at night. Mine all do automatically except the turkey hen when she has chicks. I collect them and put them in the coop and she follows. Maybe there's something in the coop scaring her or there is a space issue. Or, someone picking on her. Everyone goes in the coop--not an option to stay out. I would pick her up and put her in there if possible.
I have a hen that believes she has successfully hidden a clutch of eggs from me. I'll pretend I don't see them and she will likely go broody. She hasn't had much luck in the past though it wasn't for lack of trying.

 

[goingducks]

I think she wont go in at night cause she doesn't want to leave her eggs. That's why I want her to lay in the house (guess that is something you deal with with having free range chickens though) But we only have 3 hens and 1 Rooster and the house is pretty big with 4 nesting boxes so I don't think it's a space problem. And they all seem to get a long just fine.

 

[bobbi-j]

I think she wont go in at night cause she doesn't want to leave her eggs. That's why I want her to lay in the house (guess that is something you deal with with having free range chickens though) But we only have 3 hens and 1 Rooster and the house is pretty big with 4 nesting boxes so I don't think it's a space problem. And they all seem to get a long just fine.

How big is your coop? As in, dimensions, not "pretty big". Does it have an attached run? You may need to retrain them to laying in the coop. How I do that is to lock them in their coop/run (I have attached runs for both my coops) for several days - even up to a week - so they get used to laying in the nest boxes. (This is why I asked about the size of the coop) If the nest she's sitting on right now isn't viable anyway, I'd get rid of the eggs and try to break her of her broodiness.

 

[goingducks]

The coop is a 8foot by 8foot and about 8 foot tall we do not have an attached run. They are free range we let them out in the morning and go up about 7 and close them up. They have always been really good about going in the house at night. They also have a perch that they roost on. How do you break them of being broody