newbie questions about free range

[libbyhan]

We're thinking about getting 4-6 laying chickens (I hope this is the right section to post in). We live in MA and have an acre. We plan on building a medium coop with a small attached and covered run. We have a fenced in back yard (maybe 1/6 of an acre) that we plan on putting the coop and run inside. We'd like to free range the chickens when we can. First in the fenced back yard and then to the entire acre. We are interested in eggs, chicken "pets" for the kids and tick control. We work full time, so the chickens would be in the run and coop for 75% of their time. We have loads of hawks and other predators, so I don't know if we'd ever feel OK about leaving them out when we are not home. The coop sections of this site have really pumped us up for building a great set up!

I have a few questions...

How the heck do you get your chickens back into the coop? Will my plan of letting them loose only when I am home work? Or will I be spending too much time chasing chickens? Can you have part time free range chickens?

Also, if we go away on vacation (this rarely happens, sadly) will having someone come once a day to care for my chickens work out OK? Our pet sitter comes once a day for the cats (we board the dogs)... my husband will not be impressed if we need to add a second visit per day for the chickens.

Thanks in advance!

Libby

 

[CityChook]

I only feed treats INSIDE the coop. When I call them and shake the treats jar, they *usually* come running. Sometimes I still have to herd them back into the coop. I only let mine free range when I am home to keep an eye on them because I don't want them wandering into the neighbor's yard -- or into my flower gardens, for that matter. But there are plenty of folks who let theirs free range all day... Anyways, if you let them out for an hour or so before dusk, they will put themselves to bed and there likely won't be any chasing involved.

When you're not home, you'll probably need someone to come over twice a day -- once to let them out in the morning/feed/water and once again to lock them back up at night.

 

[Motherof4]

I have 13 chickens and three dogs. I also have about the same set up as you. At first I put the dogs in the house and let the chickens out about 1 to 2 hours before dark. at sun down they all went into the run/coop on their on most of the time. Then I introduced the dogs to them and now the dogs and the chickens share the back yard all day long. dogs help protect the chickens. I also got a plastic owl from Wal-mart. filled it up with dirt and put it on top of my shed. My husband moves it around to a new location about once a week.

 

[libbyhan]

Thanks, City! Should I plan on locking them up in the coop at night, even if the run is 'secure'? I understand that they'd have to be in the closed coop in the winter- I guess that I thought that I could leave the door open in the summer.

Now I have a visual of my chickens coming when they are called. I like this!

 

[teach1rusl]

First, since you know that realistically your chickens will be in the coop/run 75% of the time, try to build the run at least @ 10 sq. ft. per chicken, since that's where they'll be most of the time, and full time when you have someone else caring for them.
Second, your plan sounds perfect for introducing them to free ranging. You don't want them free ranging until they're a little older anyhow, so it'll naturally be a slow process. They'll have to get use to their coop/run first (and that's where they'll be when they're older chicks anyhow). After they've been out there for several weeks, as teens you can introduce them to your fenced yard. Usually, they hang really close to their coop at first anyhow. A month or two later, start opening the gate to the rest of your property (I would actually walk mine around the property at first, because they were a little intimidated). If you've take the process slowly, they will KNOW where home is.
Another good thing to teach them is to come to you. Get a container that will make noise when shaken and keep it half full of scratch. Start your call when they're young..."chicky, chicky" or whatever. It could be "banana splits" for all they care, as long as you shake that container and call it at the same time...and they get a yummy treat when they come (every time...be consistant). They'll quickly learn to come when you call them or when they hear that container being shook.
I would recommend that you actually latch their pop door each evening, even if you have a covered run. You could get by with not closing it if you went on vacation if your run is covered securely (that's the only way you could have a person come by just once a day). I have done that over a weekend, and things were fine. I have an auto. door, but still wanted someone to come check on my girls. It's no more risky than free ranging.
Do know that free ranging always runs risks, as your birds have little protection out on their own. I let mine out of the their run when I'm home too. But just be aware of the risk from predators in doing so. Have fun with your chickens...they are wonderful little additions!

 

[Marie1234]

Once trained, chickens should go back to coop at night on their own. Many people free range from the time they get home from work then lock it up when the sun goes down. Even that two or three hours nightly does wonders for the bug population it the yard. Because they are so food motivated it is a good idea to get them in the habit of having treats only in their run so that it is easy to round them up at any time. If they see you come out the back door carrying a bowl of veggie scraps they will race you to the spot where they think you will finally give it to them. If you make sure it's the coop or run you will have trained them to get back there on command.
Once a day to check feed and water and collect eggs for a pet sitter should be good enough. Just make sure they have multiple water places in case one gets knocked over. Make sure the sitter knows how to lock the coop back up properly. Chickens are easier than dogs.

 

[libbyhan]

Letting them out from when we get home from work (between 3-4) and bedtime is perfect... and totally doable. Our lot is funny- the house is set high up and to the back corner of the lot. We have a small fenced back yard and a huge field in the front. We mow maybe 1/3 of the acre. We have woods on the side and really only landscape near the house.

When the chickens are out, will they be drawn to the open field or the woods? I'd like them to be in the field to eat all the TICKS! and in the garden to eat the slugs.

But, I suspect that they are more prone to hawk attacks in the open field?

I'd love to leave the dogs out with them. But, we'll have to see how it goes as they have no bird experience. Intros will go slowly and with a heavy hand. They are both wonderful with cats (we have between 4-10 cats and kittens at any time- we foster for a local shelter) but will chase a cat outside that runs from them. We plan on getting chicks and getting the dogs used to the idea of who is in charge EARLY on.

Teach- what the heck is an auto door??

 

[WoodlandWoman]

If you get an automatic door, it will open and close automatically. Then the pet sitter only has to check feed, water and collect eggs for you, not open and close the door. So, one visit a day will easily work for you. My door is the model Foy's sells, that runs on a battery, with a remote light sensor. There are other versions that use timers. Some people build their own with timers, too.

The only way I would leave a coop door open to the run at night would be if the entire run, including the top, was covered in 1/2" hardware cloth and there was an apron/flange of sturdy wire at the bottom to prevent animals from digging in.

 

[teach1rusl]

autodoor = what woodlandwoman explained. We have electricity in our coop, so our runs off of that. We built it using a drapery motor, and have ours on a timer. So we have it set to open at 6:30 am and close at 9PM right now. I still check on my girls each night and morning for a head count and coop check, but can do it at my convenience. Like one night when DH and I went out to eat, we got home late, after dark. And the girls were already shut inside their coop thanks to the auto door. Now, our run is covered, so they would have been pretty safe anyhow, but it still made me feel better.

 

[CityChook]

"Banana Splits" - that's funny. But so true!

Quote:
My girls like to dig around under the shrubs as vs. staying out in the open yard. As for going to the woods, I couldn't say as I have no experience here. But I would personally be a little worried about the baddies lurking in the woods? But they're exposed to overhead baddies in the open field. Just remember that there are risks with free ranging and be prepared if something does happen. I'm willing to take the risk as my girls love to be out of the run. BTW, we had next to -0- ticks and mosquitos in our yard last summer thanks to the little dinosaurs. And that's say'n something for Minnesota.

Quote:
I have a lab who is a total ding dong. She, however, is very submissive to me, so training her to be good with the hens was not a problem. She is regularly out with the hens and I trust her completely. She views the chickens as strict competition for treats and that's about it. Not everyone has had the same experience, though. It really depends on you and your dogs. Start on day one when the chickies are little. Be the pack leader, always be consistant and never look away. Even a bird dog can be trained. At least mine could be.