Question

[chickenwoman1405]

Do the chickens like to stay out in thier run/ free roam all day or will they go and lay down once in a while (my mom was wondering)

 

[CIuck]

Do the chickens like to stay out in thier run/ free roam all day or will they go and lay down once in a while (my mom was wondering)

My chickens LOVE to free range, it gives them a great source of vitamin d, but when they go inside the sleep.

 

[WallyG74]

Every once in a while I see a chicken sitting out in the run. I think that is possibly right before or after a dust bath. Most of the time mine are running around like crazy trying to see what someone else has found. If you see a chicken laying, it’s usually on a nest.

 

[aart]

Most chickens will lay around and lounge for at least parts of the day.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Do the chickens like to stay out in thier run/ free roam all day or will they go and lay down once in a while (my mom was wondering)

Depends some on your set-up and conditions. In the heat of the day they often like to be in the shade. That might be in the coop or it could be outside somewhere. In winter if a cold wind is blowing they are going to get out of the wind. That might be the coop, might be somewhere else. With mine it's hardly ever the coop.

A survival instinct is to fill up the crop with food and then go somewhere safe to digest it. In the wild they are more vulnerable when they are foraging for food. So you will see them out foraging for a while then in a place they consider safe, usually under a tree or at least under something to hide them from hawks. This down time may be a good time to take a dust bath or just relax perching on something.