Keeping Chickens Free Range

[AllynTal]

so free ranging is only possible if you have ACRE of land pretty much?

Well, if you mean "free-ranging" according to the definition I gave, I imagine you'd need plenty of land to accommodate the chickens. They'd need room to spread out and find enough food and have places to roost without intruding on your neighbor's property. Mine generally stay within about 100 feet of the coop, more or less.

 

[duluthralphie]

so free ranging is only possible if you have ACRE of land pretty much?

I am not sure of that. I have a few flocks really. They seem to have their own boundaries. Each rooster enforces the boundaries, with some incursions into other ranges to rape and pillage.

Each one has an area between half to an acre, my turkeys range the entire 4-5 acres the chickens use as do the guineas. I know some will not believe it but I can almost pick out what the boundaries are and what is no-chicken's land. However, just because you are in no chickens land does not mean you can 'make time" with another roosters hen. King George tried that "loop hole" last night and was soundly rebuked for it. ( I am sure he was slightly bruised too.)

 

[BruceAZ]

Well, if you mean "free-ranging" according to the definition I gave, I imagine you'd need plenty of land to accommodate the chickens. They'd need room to spread out and find enough food and have places to roost without intruding on your neighbor's property. Mine generally stay within about 100 feet of the coop, more or less.

in one of the videos i posted before they stated that free range is a certain # of chickens per space area

i only have 5 chickens and my house lot is 7000-ish sq ft..

the backyard is around 3000 sq ft of space (estimate)..

so if i leave the run's door open during the day so they can roam around the yard.. then it's free range?

my backyard doesn't have any grass left so if i left them out all day..they probably will eat most of my veggie garden..

 

[duluthralphie]

in one of the videos i posted before they stated that free range is a certain # of chickens per space area

i only have 5 chickens and my house lot is 7000-ish sq ft..

the backyard is around 3000 sq ft of space (estimate)..

so if i leave the run's door open during the day so they can roam around the yard.. then it's free range?

my backyard doesn't have any grass left so if i left them out all day..they probably will eat most of my veggie garden..

I think you are getting to hung up on the term "free range". You need to do whatever you can to do the best for your birds.

I free range the majority of the day, that said, if I have a day that I have a nasty critter in the yard or take one of my birds, I will keep them locked up a few days until the danger has passed My only point in commenting earlier is the producers that try so hard to fit the "official" definition so they can add it to the labeling to fool the unsuspecting public that believe what is written, without knowing the nuances of the word.

 

[Tikkijane]

This is my situation, too. No run, they're just out on the property all day and they put themselves to bed in the coop at night and we secure the doors.  I have seen this called "partial free-ranging." "Free-ranging" is no coop at all. The chickens roost at night in trees or wherever. With partial free-ranging, they are housed in a coop at night. I don't know what it would be called if you let them out of the run for a just couple of hours each day. Casual ranging, maybe?



Yes. A balanced commercial feed should be available to them, but they do eat less of it because they get more food on their own. I have feeders available, but honestly, when I open the doors in the morning, they run right by the feeders to get to the good stuff first. Later in the day, they'll wander over and peck at the feeder, but they do seem to prefer foraging. Keep in mind also that the breed of chickens I have, one of the breed traits are that they are hardy foragers so the experience you have with yours may vary.

I disagree. If they are sleeping, they are not 'ranging.' Not cooping them when they are sleeping is deadly.

 

[BruceAZ]

I think you are getting to hung up on the term "free range". You need to do whatever you can to do the best for your birds.

I free range the majority of the day, that said, if I have a day that I have a nasty critter in the yard or take one of my birds, I will keep them locked up a few days until the danger has passed My only point in commenting earlier is the producers that try so hard to fit the "official" definition so they can add it to the labeling to fool the unsuspecting public that believe what is written, without knowing the nuances of the word.

true.. since even now i have no clear definition of "free range"

since USDA's definition is too broad.. "access to the outside"

what about in the run? # of hours? no feed provided? etc..


oh.. speaking of which.. there's some app they have in Australia that you can check when buying free range eggs ?

 

[Tikkijane]

true.. since even now i have no clear definition of "free range" since USDA's definition is too broad.. "access to the outside" what about in the run? # of hours? no feed provided? etc.. oh.. speaking of which.. there's some app they have in Australia that you can check when buying free range eggs ?

Dictionary.com = "(of livestock and domestic poultry) permitted to graze or forage for grain, etc., rather than being confined to a feedlot or a small enclosure: a free-range pig."

 

[Tikkijane]

I do not know, but I wouldn't be too surprised if they were.

Ya. Me neither.

 

[Tikkijane]

chickens can eat most insects right?

i saw them eat caterpillar and roaches before..i'm in arizona so i heard of it..  but no scorpion yet..

how's the egg quality by the way ? if your chickens had insects around with their main feed ?

My chickens in NM had no problem eating scorpions or black widows, fwiw.

 

[Tikkijane]

Well, if you mean "free-ranging" according to the definition I gave, I imagine you'd need plenty of land to accommodate the chickens. They'd need room to spread out and find enough food and have places to roost without intruding on your neighbor's property. Mine generally stay within about 100 feet of the coop, more or less.

Not mine. Mine go all over. I think a lot depends on how many you have and where you live. Mine are all over in the woods by the cows and horses; in the fields. They haven't followed the guineas across the road yet, but they go quite a ways out away from the coops.