Penning in formerly free-range chickens?

Deebot

Songster
Aug 10, 2019
63
154
136
Vancouver, WA
I always planned on free range chickens, since we've got an entire fenced-in acre. We've been here a few years now and they've been enjoying the yard! However we have 3 dogs and it's gotten to the point where the dogs just eat and roll in the chicken droppings as soon as we let them out. Not to mention the chickens pooping on the decks and stoops (and getting into the garden in summer! lol)

I want to fence off a portion of the yard they seem to enjoy already, that I can see from my office window. But I feel... guilty? Like I wanted more land to free range animals. So I hate to cage them after they've lived their life free for years! We plan to move to an even bigger property with many acres (but who knows when that will be), and then the chickens will get their own acre :lol:

Am I being foolish? Will they adapt no problem to being confined? Anyone else switch from free-range to a fenced area?
 
They will adapt just fine. You are more hung up about it then the chickens will ever be. My dog eats chicken poop too so I very rarely let my girls out of their run. Confine them to their smaller space and enjoy dogs that don't smell like chicken poop😊
 
I agree, they'll be fine. My 9 birds went from a 1200sf run to 90 because of HPAI in the area, I expected a lot of complaining but they haven't. I added a couple more feed/water stations & a couple roosts & logs & try to keep them entertained with piles of straw, leaves or some leftover veggies. They're totally fine.
 

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