Thinking about free ranging

[greggooo]

Yes, they will poop everywhere they go. I'm guessing there is not a lot of interesting stuff on the porch for a chicken, so it won't be much. Move the cat food.

I let mine roam in the evenings before bedtime. Works well. Delays supper, but the kids are grown. Make it a family activity? The kids may love chicken TV. With dark coming earlier, try it. Could also lock the kids in a closet, but I don't recommend that.

Chicken TV is the best.

 

[sunflour]

If you decide to free range you need to be willing to lose birds,

That's why I don't, but it's still not a guarantee.

That's my philosophy as well. Better they run free. Most chickens are miserable penned up, especially if they have free ranged at some point in their lives. I'd rather I lose a few over the season than see them pecking each other, and generally looking bored, and unhappy.

I picked breeds that would be happy in confinement to avoid the predator free range issues.

But - for what it is worth, you cannot raise them in a bubble. There are non-predator issues that can cause the premature loss of your flock. I lost several of my original flock to ovarian cancer and one to an impacted crop. So, now I give them a semi-protected outdoors experience.

 

[WILIFORD]

I have 14 hens that free range 24/7. Unfortunately I suffered a few losses early on. About 6 losses to be exact. One of my dogs was killing them for sport. I finally got the dog broke of this by using a shock collar and also giving her an occasional egg. Now the dogs actually scare the other predators away. I hated losing my girls like that, but they have been free range for 8 months now without a loss. My hens are happier and healthier, my 3, 4, & 6 year old grandkids feed them treats in the yard and the hens follow them around like puppies, it pretty entertaining. We have a few predators in the area, but the chickens sound an alarm and head for cover when one appears. Where I am going with this, is yes there maybe a price to be paid for free range, but I will not have it any other way now. If you don't want them on your porch, you can buy a motion sensor plastic owl with mechanical wings and it will scare the chickens away from that area. I have used them to protect building from wood peckers and pigeons. Sorry for rambling.

 

[Henrik Petersson]

With that pen (and coop) size, I would honestly recommend culling about 3/4 of the flock. I think 1 square foot per chicken in the coop and 36 square feet per chicken in the pen is the bare minimum.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

That's why I don't, but it's still not a guarantee.



I picked breeds that would be happy in confinement to avoid the predator free range issues.

But - for what it is worth, you cannot raise them in a bubble. There are non-predator issues that can cause the premature loss of your flock. I lost several of my original flock to ovarian cancer and one to an impacted crop. So, now I give them a semi-protected outdoors experience.

It can help to pick the correct breeds. You are correct in that some don't mind confinement. My little flock of bantams hardy ever leave their run, and some of my larger breeds never leave the shed.

There's never one correct way to keep chickens, that's part of their appeal.

 

[Toothpick]

Mine free range on their own. The full grown chickens jump out of the run at will. They always jump back in at night.

As hard as I've tried to keep my young'uns inside the run they find a way out. I haven't seen them fly out or crawl out yet. But it's gotta be one or the other, or both. The problem is they can't get back in. So I have to round them up at night and herd them back in. I'm considering just opening the gate and letting them come and go. I'm sure at night they will go back in.

 

[Clucksworth12]

With years of having chickens, I have tried free range, but for me it did not work. I was a nervous wreck the whole time and when dark started to creep up, I ended up having to coral my 8 ducks and thirty something chickens. The ducks were not that hard as most of them are flightless large pekins, and the others sinply followed them. Now, the chickens, were another story. My rooster, Maple, (we have a love hate relationship lol) obliged me in taking about five or six of the hens inside with him. The hardest were my other two roosters. They are constantly picked on by other chickens, there names are Clucksworth (hint: my name on BYC), and Mr. Ugly (we had a Mrs. Ugly but she unfortunately passed away this past winter.). Needless to say, I will never again allow my chickens to free range.

But moving on to your questions, (sorry if I got a little sidetracked on my disaster.). They will poop in the uard just as they would in the run. I have had family members who have had troubles with their chickens flying in their cars, and my uncle had a hen who flew in an open window and made a nest in his backseat! And I agree with previous posts about them high tailing it to the porch! They should be fine otherwise.

 

[Ashley McDaniel]

Just as everyone else has said, letting them out is the best option. I have 20 who I let out every morning around 8, unsupervised until around 11 when my 10 month old takes a nap. Then my 2 1/2 year old son go out and enjoy the laughs and entertainment they give us like your 2 children, my boys love them! And the rambunctious 2 year old has mastered catching them gently, and helping me round up our only stubborn one, Miss Cleo, our head hen, who is always the last one in lol We have about 2 acres of land that they're able to free range on, with plenty of tree coverage. They have not yet pooped on our vehicles, and they sometimes get on the porch but have yet to poop on it either. Now the yard though, that's a different story!!! Lol my husband is just like yours, not at all happy about this. But I hate keeping my chickens "Cooped up" so he's already started building a run, and mama (me) gave him the measurements and he's not happy with the size of it either lol lol and as far as predators go, we have everything you listed, as well as coyote, stray dogs from time to time, and my neighbor, the cat hoarder, has about 20 cats that like to roam over here from time to time. After numerous visits, talks, and pleas for her to keep her cats away, she still has done nothing! I don't know what else to do. They're tearing my yard and house up! And they scare my chickens to death!!! Fortunately, my chickens have all manages to stsy safe from predators and so far there hasn't been 1 incident. BUT anyways, enough about me. Good luck with the free ranging! It will be good for everyone (except maybe not the hubby ) lol

 

[BuffOrps416]

Going back to early posts, I understand what people say about letting them out near bedtime, since it will be the easiest because they will go back to the coop on their own, but there are some risks. Nighttime predators like foxes, wolves, coyotes, raccoons, owls, mountain lions, (all depending on the fauna of your area of course) will be lurking about and those can cause a lot of damage by attacking multiple birds. Also, as with most predators, once they find the flock they'll want to keep going back for more. The choice is completely up to you in the end, but just make sure you take this into account.

 

[shawthorne44]

Fifty chickens free ranging at the same time? You must post a video!!

It sounds like a fantastical zoo!!!

If there's any doubt about the run size, this is probably the best option for you until spring, but it's my guess loss will be inevitable. Some folks see loss as unfortunate but worth the risk. Chickens love roaming and digging, and I feel they're healthier for it.

So let them birdies out! But fifty frequent poopings a happy husband does not make. Mine can barely handle six.

We have a dog. A big dog with big poops. And 19 hens. The hens take care of the dog's poop by breaking it up, then it disappears. We have enough land that we don't notice the hens poop outside of the coop. So, for us, free-ranging means less poop.