Keeping chickens without a run... permanent free-ranging?

[gritsar]

My two flocks are free ranged every single day. Each flock has a predator proof coop to go into at night. They lay their eggs in the coops, i.e., I have yet to find an egg anywhere on this farm but in the coops. Lately, a few of the big girls have been visiting the younger birds nestboxes and vice versa. There's just something so special about the other birds coop.

 

[awesomefowl]

I don't have a run, only a coop, and I live in the country. We do have a chain link fence around the backyard, but the chickens get under them and free range too far. I'm going to make a wire run this year for them because I am afraid of them getting lost when we can't watch them.
But yes, I do think this is doable. But it is a trade off: Total free range, you are bound to lose some birds at some point, but the chickens will be happier and easy less feed. Confinement: You can control their feed and are less likely to lose some from predators, but it costs you more to keep.
I haven't noticed very many stray dogs here; worst thing I have had to deal with so far is many, many possums who eat my chicken feed. But if you have stray dogs around I'd confine them.
We are also getting a Lab puppy next month, and I'm going to train it NOT it eat the chickens, or at least not attack them, so even if I have them in a run in the backyard the dog can be in the backyard too to protect them from beasties. I HATE opossums!
It really depends on your setup, where you live, and if you are willing to lose a few. As I said, being a chicken newbie, I raised my first 6 (then 5, because one died) chicks with no run; we just never built one! They ran around the backyard all summer, except sometimes I put them in an old composter while we weren't home. My 5 chicks are now fat sassy hens, but they do free range too far, and get lost sometimes. They also are party hens and you have to make sure they go in at night.

Good luck with whatever you do!

 

[Yazzo]

My chickens simply run where ever they want to during the day, then return to the coop at night, though they usually stay close to the house. They could easily run off if they wanted (We have a VERY large place for them to run off into), but they aren't going to leave their comfortable home. As long as they are used to a certain place, they will stay there. Same thing with my pigeons: I pen them up for a month or so when they're at a new location to get them acclimated, then let them fly free. I've haven't lost one.
Course, predators could be a problem, but our dogs protect the place and we haven't had trouble with predators.

 

[mkearsley]

We have a coop & run, but the door to the outside is always open. I hang a feeder & waterer in the run, but they only use them when its too cold or icky outside. During the summer, I've got water dishes scattered everywhere - the dog's water dish, up by the house, out near the garden, & in the run, so they always have quick access to drinking water. Now, with winter, they've only got the heated dog-water dish & our dripping outside faucet for water. The only time I lock them up is when its really cold & I want to keep the heat in their coop as much as possible, but if I'm not out there before dawn, they start screaming

I have had problems with the neighbor's dog. I live in town, so not too much with the other predators, although we did have a pair of rather large hawks eyeing my birds

Fortunately, the husband scared those guys away & I haven't seen them since.

The other "bad" part of having them loose in the yard is I've got little piles of birdy poop EVERYWHERE! They particularly like to leave it right on the porch next to the door so I step in it as I'm either coming or going.

But if I locked them up, I'd have to clean out a poopy run every few days.... so its kind of a wash.

I also have issues with them laying places other than the nest box, but usually those are obvious nests - in tall grass, in the compost pile, or in a fence corner. It's always a fun "Easter Egg Hunt" every evening

I couldn't keep my birds locked up, I'd feel too bad for them

 

[mkeawsh]

My chickens are let out in the morning and run all day with no confinement. I live in the woods in a hollow surround by acres and acres of trees and farmland and they go a distance into the wood - if they want - or they just hang around the immediate area. They go in the coop to lay eggs or in our garage where they have two designated area that they have scratched and prepared the way they want them to lay. If I was to keep them cooped up all day they are miserable and the hens are usually sounding off loudly and the roosters are crowing every time they see me out. The only time they are not out is when I am going to be gone. Have I lost any chickens to predators - yes. But, they are so happy free-ranging that it is worth it. I have incubated and brooded all of my chickens in my living room and so I love them but know that they are the happiest when they are free-ranging, so I take my chances. Does it hurt when one is gone - heck yes, A LOT but to see how fun they have doing their thing, I could not do it any other way. My Ugly disappeared three years ago this April. He was a Bantam RIR roo and the head of the flock. I know he got take by a hawk doing what he was suppose to be doing - guarding the flock. He was such a good leader. I still miss him.
They go in at dusk on their own - some in the house and some in the tractors, which are currently attached to the house.

 

[NYRIR]

My flock of 34 have a coop for night time but during the day they are let out to range.I have an acre of land with some simple american fencing around the back,if the chickens wanted to get out...they could.Occasionally one or two will and then scramble to come back in.I have had the chickens for a year and have had a total of 3 unsuccessful hawk attacks,each thwarted by myself or the kids.I should mention I live 3/4 of a mile from an eagle breeding center that releases birds he rehabs and hatches.I am also on a mountain surrounded by woods on all sides.The coop is about a foot off the ground and provides a great place for shade,dust bathing and hiding.Really other than that we only have 3 trees INSIDE the fence for them to run under and 2 are young so they aren't really doing much but providing some shade.Really the fence is there to keep the dogs in,my neighbors dogs out and "discourage" some predators or at least buy some time for the chickens to hide.So far we have lost zero....but like I said,3 very close calls with hawks.This area does have a lot of predators including,fox,coyote,martens,coons,skunk,snakes,dogs,cats,eagles,hawks,owls,black bear,etc.These are listing only what I have seen in my immediate area.So,most likely,sooner or later we will lose some but so far we have been fortunate.

 

[mississippifarmboy]

All my breeders have coops and runs. But our common layers, Terra's Favrolles and a few odd balls have an open fronted shed at the rear of the property they sleep in and no fencing at all. They come and go as they please, they can stay around the yard or walk to detroit for all I care. As long as they stay off the deck, the porch and my wife's truck we let them go where they want to. We have several dogs and any time I see a predator, which is very rare with the dogs around, I SSS and go on about my business. We do lose a couple every year, but most are fine.
It's funny though, they seldom ever get more than a few 100 feet from their shed.

 

[Hoosierchickengal]

We used to free range our broilers when we lived up north. We lived on a rather large, very rural acreage and the neighbors were poultry owners also, so we didn't have to worry about complaints from them. We lost a few to mink and eagles, but most were wily enough to stay hidden in the underbrush. The most distressing yet comical event I can remember is when a mink attacked during the day one time. My sister and I were standing at the top of a hill, and watched as one bird after another came popping up squawking out of the underbrush, before they scurried back to the coop. They rarely came back to the coop to roost at night, though. They would check in for their feed each evening and roost in the trees.

We will probably not free range at our new place, as we are right on a highway and all of our neighbor's birds keep getting squashed.

 

[NewToFarming]

I am new to chickens since June of last year and I have a stall in the barn converted to a coop. I have always left them out in the morning and would lock them up at night in the coop. They always come back and put themselves into bed. The younger ones might need some coaxing but they usually don't wander far from the barn at all.
I have had no casualties from predators at all as of yet, but I do realize it can and may happen one day but I have been very fortunate so far. The chickens do have a guard cats though to watch over them. LOL
They have pastures to forage in and really they go no farther than say 100- 200 ft from their barn when they could could a mile.
They are very happy and love to be out free to find all the goodies they want. Definitely their chicken feed consumption goes down in the summer. They tend to stay in the barn by choice when the weather is bad so they learned when to go out and when not too.
I have only had a few eggs in the yard and they were from new layers. Most were in the coop but I do find some in odd places in the barn.

To me they are happy to be free to forage where they want and it is so cool to watch all them start running up to me when they hear the screen door slam because they know I have treats. LOL
I know some areas have more predators than others and if I lived in an area like that, I would probably have a run but so far this has worked great for me.

 

[becky g]

Quote:
You say you live in town, how do you keep your chickens from making the neighbors mad? We are new chicken farmers (all of 5!) and we had asked the neighbors prior to getting them if they would have a problem with the chickens. Our 4 neighbors said that would not be a problem. Well today, they are a problem. The chickens have been eating the rose bushes for 2 days and the neighbor came over a little angry asking us to remove our chickens. We don't want to put up a fence - unsightly and costly - and we are taming our chickens as our "friends". Any suggestions on how to keep the chickens on our acre and not his acre. Rural setting and I own 2 acres total but the chickens dont seem to go back into the land, they want to go across to his yard. HELP!! And Thanks...