Pros and Cons of Free Ranging

[ChickNanny13]

2x Mrs. K ... 2 RIR & 2 EE had the whole back yard (est 4K sq ft) plus covered patio (est 500sq ft). They ate my plants & dug the roots, pinwheels worked as a deterrent IF we had a good breeze. Some holes that were at as deep as a foot as well as smaller ones in my yard

Chicken TV is great but not the way they destroyed the yard. I rehomed them, Hubby built a Chicken House (8x12x7), got 4BO that never "free ranged". They're content & I got my yard back after bags and bags of fill dirt.

 

[Henrik Petersson]

Just a bit off sides, assuming you did choose to free range, how much area per chicken would y'all recommend to keep yard damage down to a manageable level?

I've read the recommendation 100 square feet per bird in the run if you don't want a scratched-up run - the same recommendations ought to be true outside the run.

But that's highly dependent on the bird in question. We've have active birds who "destroyed" the run quickly and mellower birds who always had green grass in the run, even though the flock and run size were about equal.

Incidentally, our backyard is about an acre, and about 1/3 of that is lawn while the rest is woods, and the free-ranging hens (we usually have about 10) have never brought much destruction to it. The lawn has never shown signs of overuse, even though they constantly eat grass, and neither has the forest area. Flowerbeds and newly planted plants are of course destroyed without mercy. Also, there's poop everywhere.

 

[Shadrach]

A lot is going to depend on what the area is like. If you've got a nice bit of grass and pretty flower beds and even worse, a vegetable garden with some three foot high fence, then the chickens are likely to destroy it.
It's also not a great idea to free range chickens in open areas. They need cover and not trees that hawks can just fly under; low cover, bushes shrubs, even man made stuff.
The chickens here have their favorite areas and the best thing to do is let them do their kind of flower arranging in these areas. Okay, they may prefer the flowers the other way up and like playing trench warfare around the shrubs they can't uproot.
There are twelve acres here but the chickens usual raoming is confined to 4 and the damage is concentrated in small areas. This is with 4 flocks, total chicken population between 20 and 30.

 

[Shadrach]

While I'm at it.
This is decent cover for chickens. The open fields in some of the pics isn't.

Weldmesh fencing or Hardware cloth on properly dug in and back rammed posts is what you need to support it.
Bits of chicken wire hanging on a few stakes pushed into the ground is inviting a disaster; a predator can get in but the chickens can't escape.
Chickens come from jungle fowl so think jungle if you want to free range.
If you've got wide open spaces then a run is a better option but make a decent job of it.
Have a look at aart's run and think bigger.

 

[Fishkeeper]

Pros:
No need to provide additional enrichment
More aggressive flock members are easy to avoid
No cleanup of a run needed- the mess is spread out
Chickens find greens, grit, insects, etc on their own

Cons:
Chickens can be destructive
Chickens may range too far
Harder to find eggs
Losses to predators inevitable
Potential exposure to diseases
Bad for local populations of lizards, frogs, etc if large number of chickens

Pros of a run:
Eggs easier to find
Chickens unlikely to escape
Destruction limited to inside the run
Easier to monitor for normal behavior/illness
If built properly, NO losses to predators
Less disease exposure
Easier on local wildlife

Cons of a run:
Chickens will require additional enrichment
Aggressive flock members can be more of an issue
Regular cleanouts needed (unless deep litter)
Greens, grit, protein must be provided
Must be built and maintained

IMO, a safe run is a much better option, given that the chickens are safer.

 

[aart]

Cons:
Chickens can be destructive
Chickens may range too far
Harder to find eggs
Losses to predators inevitable
Potential exposure to diseases
Bad for local populations of lizards, frogs, etc if large number of chickens

adding....Chicken sh!t everywhere.
Was a very close second reason (after predators) why mine are confined.

 

[Brandon J]

Just having chickens on it is going to 'ruin' it.
Even free ranging is going to ruin parts of your land.

Agree with this. Wood chips (carbon) + chicken poop (nitrogen) will turn into rich hummus over time. If you change your mind or move your run just rake up the leftover chips and you'll be left with rich soil to seed some new lawn!

 

[2 many chickens]

Pros- you don't have to feed as much because they get to forage. They get to be a chicken. I don't free range, so my chickens eat so much more feed..

Cons- many. More than pros. Your chickens lives are at risk, many predators that want to eat your delicious chicken.

Also, you get to step in piles of chicken crap every few feet. Who doesn't love nasty slime crappie on your lovely boots you just bought? Even better when your 6 year old kid doesn't take off his shoes at the door and runs around like a psycho rubbing poo all over the house.
Or when the chickens go to your neighbors and she chase's it back to your house kicking at it while almost getting hit by cars and dropping her dog.
Ya know, the little things..

 

[Fishkeeper]

@OP, if you want them to have a dry place to dustbathe, give them one! A little sandbox with a roof will work.
Likewise, if you want them to have places to scratch, give them places. Weeds, some straw to mess around in, mowed grass, a big heap of leaves, anything you can get.
Chickens are pretty easy to entertain. Just throw in opportunities for them to scratch around and hunt for food. Puzzle feeders may be worth a try.

 

[Wolfefarmyard]

The featured image to this post is mine.