Researching options before raising chickens - coop, run, free range questions

[annhughes]

I have been considering raising chickens but don't really know what all I'll need and I'm not sure what I'd like to do as far as my setup goes. I know I need a coop, and a run. I'm considering letting my chickens go free-range while I'm at home and able to kind of keep an eye on them (maybe for several hours a day during the summer months). We have about 3/4 acres of land that is not fenced in and we don't have the money/plans to fence it in. Even if we do eventually fence it in, I don't foresee putting a fence in with slats small enough to contain chickens. The busiest part of the road is raised above our yard by about 3-5 feet, so I'm not real worried they'll get out on that side. More likely, they'd wander into the property next to ours where there are cows, or across the less busy street to the creek or to the church.

I know the people who owned the house before us had chickens, but the coop is long gone. Looks like they possibly kept them in a raised coop, but I'm not sure. I don't know what their run was like, or if they allowed free range.

My questions are:

- Would any of you strongly recommend against partial free-range knowing our setup?
- Is there a such thing as a "moveable" run, something that I can reposition as needed based on where I want them to "weed"? If so, are these pretty easily manageable or does it take a lot of work to reposition? Does land have to be completely flat, or is some variation in elevation (1-2 feet) ok?
- If I plan on buying grown hens (not raising from chicks), will I need a coop that has any heat lamps, etc? It gets cool at night here even during the hottest part of summer (in the low to mid 50s), and this past winter it got below freezing a few times and even got below zero for a couple of days (not usual for this area, but it can/does happen). It currently is about mid 50s-60s during the day, and reaches about 35 at night. I live in central Oregon, on the outskirts of Springfield.
- The area I'm planning on putting the coop can get wet when it's really rainy. Does standing water in the run bother chickens? I'd make sure their coop was nicely out of the water.

Thanks so much for any advice you can give! It's all greatly appreciated.

 

[Trefoil]

I have been considering raising chickens but don't really know what all I'll need and I'm not sure what I'd like to do as far as my setup goes. I know I need a coop, and a run. I'm considering letting my chickens go free-range while I'm at home and able to kind of keep an eye on them (maybe for several hours a day during the summer months). We have about 3/4 acres of land that is not fenced in and we don't have the money/plans to fence it in. Even if we do eventually fence it in, I don't foresee putting a fence in with slats small enough to contain chickens. The busiest part of the road is raised above our yard by about 3-5 feet, so I'm not real worried they'll get out on that side. More likely, they'd wander into the property next to ours where there are cows, or across the less busy street to the creek or to the church. As long as you have a secure coop & run you can try free ranging and if it works, great and if it doesn't you have the option of keeping them contained.

I know the people who owned the house before us had chickens, but the coop is long gone. Looks like they possibly kept them in a raised coop, but I'm not sure. I don't know what their run was like, or if they allowed free range.

My questions are:

- Would any of you strongly recommend against partial free-range knowing our setup? I don't think I would depend on being able to free range.
- Is there a such thing as a "moveable" run, something that I can reposition as needed based on where I want them to "weed"? Yes, you can easily make a hoop run using hardware cloth and pvc pipe. If so, are these pretty easily manageable or does it take a lot of work to reposition? Does land have to be completely flat, or is some variation in elevation (1-2 feet) ok? They are light and so pretty easily managable, but they won't allow for thatlarge a variation of elevation
- If I plan on buying grown hens (not raising from chicks), will I need a coop that has any heat lamps, etc? It gets cool at night here even during the hottest part of summer (in the low to mid 50s), and this past winter it got below freezing a few times and even got below zero for a couple of days (not usual for this area, but it can/does happen). It currently is about mid 50s-60s during the day, and reaches about 35 at night. I live in central Oregon, on the outskirts of Springfield.You won't need heat lamps as long as your coop is well made, allowing for ventilation as well as a draft free roosting area. Depending on the number of hens you intend to have ( i.e. how large a coop you are talking about) it sounds like a raised coop with access to underneath would work out well for your chickens and you.

- The area I'm planning on putting the coop can get wet when it's really rainy. Does standing water in the run bother chickens? I'd make sure their coop was nicely out of the water. The chickens won't like standing water unless its really hot outside. It also encourages disease and smells bad, it would be better to haul fill in to raise the elevation of your coop & run.

Thanks so much for any advice you can give! It's all greatly appreciated.