The End of Free-Range

[cmom]

I grow a lot of vegetables much more than hubby and I can eat. Since the birds like to scratch around and forage, I pull out some of the plants, and give it to the birds. I eat the broccoli but give the birds the plants and they peck at them until only the plant stalk is left, the same with the cauliflower, brussel sprouts and other greens. When my lettuce starts to bolt from the heat it gets bitter but the birds will consume it. During part of the season when the garden isn't going I get nice green alfalfa and the birds will pick off the little green leaves. I can let them out to free range in our pasture but there is more shade in their pens so they may come out for a very short time but go back into their pens which they have destroyed any grass that was in them.

 

[Howard E]

To the OP, good call on the end of free range. A true free ranged flock is living on borrowed time from the moment you let them out. Not if, but when. Unless there is something to keep the predators at arm's length, why not move in for an easy meal? For all they know you put them out for the varmints to eat. Their own personal happy hunting ground. Yum yum and what's for dessert?

So an alternative to keeping them confined in a run is to YARD them inside an area protected by a fence, and THE MOST EFFECTIVE fence is an electrified one designed for poultry. It keeps the birds in and predators out.

You can make it as large as your budget, needs and terrain will allow, but certainly big enough to give them room to roam about, yet protect them from trouble.

 

[Kfults]

My 12 chickens have a 10 x 12 coup made out of old horse stall ( they love lounging in there during heat of day) and a 12x12 covered run for time out of coup. I throw in a 5 gallon bucket of cut grass in to run daily and they love scratching pecking and eating the grass. It helps keep poop smell down and composts into the soil. I throw in different treets in the evening and have items to climb on and sit under. Mine seem happy. I do want to build a “ yard “ that is much bigger that they can roam in during day. Their run is built like Fort Knox, I plan to use half inch broad cloth fencing for their yard and bird netting over top. We have hawks that circle. We can’t free range due to major Hwy that boarders the property.