Keeping Chickens Free Range

[Tikkijane]

Quote:
When we were free ranging, the hens came back to the coop to lay.
You cant just buy chickens, throw them out in your yard and hope they find their way to the coop. You start them in the coop, when you begin letting them out, they will most likely stay close. Over time they will learn the lay of the land so to speak and how to get back in every night.
Sometimes they or some of them may find a place they think would be better for the night and try to camp out on you. I have found that if you just go get them and put them in the coop a few times they will give up.

As for animals...that's kind of a judgement. In my opinion, people that free range have to accept the fact that more than likely they will lose a bird from time to time, or depending on the predator load, quite frequently. We free ranged for over a year..lost 3 birds in one year with a flock of 30. Then , the reason why we have stopped letting them out, we lost a dozen birds one morning. Almost all of our layers. We went from 4 or 5 dozen eggs a week to barely over 1 dozen.
If you have predators, I personally would say don't "free range"...but then you also have to ask what IS free range? And I'm sure we will get loads of different opinions there. LOL

If you train your birds to the coop, and train them to the nest boxes, those 2 things most likely won't be an issue.

1) I don't know of a single place that doesn't have some kind of predator. There are always snakes, birds of prey, foxes, coons, etc.

2) There's a difference between free range and pastured, even. If free range is too worrisome, think about pasturing on a half acre or so. You'll want have spots they can get to for coverage, and the fencing doesn't have to be all hardware cloth.

And ya, you don't just dump them out there. Chickens sre *easily* coop trained. Once they sre old enough to not require the heat lamp, they can go outside for *supervised* playtime. This may be a good time for a small run. Littles can get snatched easily, so you'll want to wait a few months before letting them out unsupervised. The only exception would be on timing is if they were brooded under mama.

 

[ChickyChickens]

Hanging out under the trampoline

Haha mine do that to! Just without the dog!!!!

 

[HanwellChickens]

I free range my chickens, but they also have feed in their runs at all time. Mine go on the road, but people kind of know to look for them and will slow down..lol. And so far they have always come back to lay their eggs in the coop everyday.

 

[Bobi9459]

Hello read thru and I do free range. Mine range from 1 1/2 years down to 11 weeks old. They fight like kids LOL sometimes. I live on 14 ac. but the only time they travel far is early spring when the weeds aren't quite so tall is go down to the gully of or woods to scratch up bugs. Other wise they pretty much stay around the coop and house and they sneak in the old barn once in awhile, we don't want them in there until we get rid of the old hay that has been in there for at least 40 years. Have one dog when first got them last year he'd chase them. I broke him of that. But now its funny because they chase him. Even the little ones go up to him and peck at him and he just run. We let them out when boyfriend goes to work which is about 7 a.m. and i get home and they come running when they see my car. The neighbors call me the chicken lady because they always follow me in the yard. They pretty much go in by dusk then I do a head count. So far this year we have been pretty lucky. Last year lost one to a fox and a bobcat got in to coop and bit the necks of 2 that I happen to walk in on and didn't realize at first was a bobcat. I thought it was a stray cat. So I trying to shoo it out of the coop. Neighbors got a laugh because I sat outside the coop with a pitch folk daring him to come back and the little bugger wouldn't leave. My young ones where afraid to leave the coop when first let them loose. They venture to the door way for about two weeks then to the out side of door for a week then they finally walk around. I learned in this last year things can go wrong with predators and then don't. I do have and advantage. My boyfriend pisses out side all the time. So I told to make sure he marks his Territory's around the coop to help somewhat with the critters.
But all in all they are just find. Til freezer camp comes for some of the young men.

 

[kaseythomas86]

I just started free ranging my chickens! I was so scared to in the beginning but they love it so much! They all go back to the coop at night and usually they stay together. I just hope they keep to my yard and don't go to the neighbors

. They have not started laying yet should I keep them in the run until they start laying so they will get used to using the nesting boxes or will they just come back to the coop to lay anyway?

 

[angie a]

My chickens free range during the day and go back to their coop at night. They love it and so my kids and I! Only drawback is my husbands dog! All of the sudden hes found a love for my chickens! Any suggestions on training dogs NOT to eat your chickens?

 

[kaseythomas86]

My chickens free range during the day and go back to their coop at night. They love it and so my kids and I! Only drawback is my husbands dog! All of the sudden hes found a love for my chickens! Any suggestions on training dogs NOT to eat your chickens?

My boxer just had to get used to seeing them out everyday. I guess every dog is different though. He also has gotten better with all animals sense he has gotten older.

 

[angie a]

How funny. Our dog is a boxer too! Theyre really good dogs--after the first two years lol. He can get pretty jealous so I think that may be part of it. I dont like penning him up so ill just have to stay vigilant

 

[HanwellChickens]

I just started free ranging my chickens! I was so scared to in the beginning but they love it so much! They all go back to the coop at night and usually they stay together. I just hope they keep to my yard and don't go to the neighbors

. They have not started laying yet should I keep them in the run until they start laying so they will get used to using the nesting boxes or will they just come back to the coop to lay anyway?

Once you notice that they are ready to lay, you could put a fake egg or a golf ball in the nesting boxes to show them where they need to lay. You can always keep them in the run until early afternoon to see if they'll lay in the nesting boxes. Mines always come back to the coop to lay.

 

[JaceAgain]

How funny. Our dog is a boxer too! Theyre really good dogs--after the first two years lol. He can get pretty jealous so I think that may be part of it. I dont like penning him up so ill just have to stay vigilant

Have you taught him "leave it"?