To free range or to not free range? That is the question

[Birdinhand]

I would love to free range if I could, but even in the burbs here north of seattle we have bald eagles, hawks, possum, coons, coyotes and the ever present neighborhood dogs. any time I feel guilty about it I remind myself that I am trading them safety for eggs and that in reality, they would not last a night without the protection I offer. whenever I have really felt guilty, I put more efforts into expanding their covered run. I make sure they have lots of space, two places to sun and dust and plenty of twists and turns to make it interesting.

 

[CorvusFarm]

I'm in California on an 8-acre property, and I have all the predators you listed. Here, the biggest are avian (hawks and an occasional eagle) and coyotes. We have an enormous pack of coyotes, and they do come on the property, including at daytime. I constructed a large run (2400 square feet) that gives my chickens and ducks plenty of room to roam. But I prefer to open the gate and let them out to take advantage of the full property. However, here are the considerations:

For avian threats, chickens are at the greatest risk as pullets. I have never had an issue with hawks attacking full-grown hens that are too heavy to carry off. That said, I have my coop and run located in a Guava orchard, which means lots of low cover that they can duck under every 8 feet, so plenty of hiding places if necessary.

For coyotes, it varies by season and time of day. Right now, coyotes are giving birth and trying to feed their young. I'm seeing a lot more activity, including daytime activity on the property, and unsettlingly close to the run. I also have cover crops on much of the property, which means thick vegetation that is 4'-6' high. There's just way too many potential problems to let them all free range. On the days when I am out there for the duration, I've let the ladies out with me where I can keep an eye on them.

As it turns to Spring and Summer, I'll be out on the farm all day, and free-ranging is easier.

I should also say that I spent a lot of time socializing my birds, and they do come when called. I will often let mine out in the pastures while I work nearby, then I call them in and lock them in their run while I go eat lunch and take care of other chores. It absolutely can be done. It just takes more work and vigilance on your part.

 

[igorsMistress]

We've had a hawk on the fence in our yard, there's at least one owl that lives across the street in a big old tree, we have buzzards and there are neighborhood cats. I know raccoons live here but we haven't seen any, nor evidence than any are living in our area.
My girls free range all day every day. We offer lots of cover with 360 degree escape options. It's certainly possible a predator will attack, but chickens have good eyes and great instincts that have been keeping them alive for a long time.

 

[m1chelle1]

Read most of the posts here, figured id give my 2c for ya.
So it seems that the key thing here is this- what 'defines' free range? I am sure that there is an actual definition, thank you. Im not really interested in that right now, as it does appear that everyone has their own definition, with is fine. But I see people defining free range anywhere from- I let my girls out of their pen for a few minutes (or hours a day), to they run around all day on their own, unsupervised with just a fence and dog for protection. The thing to consider, which has prob already been well discussed, is the specific area factors. We all live in very different areas of the country which all have their various environmental and predator issues. I did vote free range as well because I truly feel that is healthiest for the chickens, and they love being as free as they can be, within limits. You've just got to determine if you have the time and $ for full on free ranging, and if you can also provide enough of a safe environment for your girls. This can present itself in many different ways, like I said, depending on the predators around, time, money, level of effort, etc. Ive seen keepers who swear by some good fencing and a LPD (livestock protection dog). And maybe, in some areas, that's all that is needed. There are many solutions for free ranging, and even in you cant determine just yet what you want to do you could try letting them out for supervised intervals and seeing how well they do, and if this is something that you would be interested in perusing. I personally consider this helicopter ranging as a version of "free" ranging, minus the ability for the chickens to be out on their own without supervision. But honestly, if that's all you can provide due to $ and predatorily constraints, that's just fine. So there are many solutions here, just need to look into those that can fit your lifestyle and situation best. Hope that helps, good luck!!

~M

 

[SugarGroveFarm]

Anyone know what breed of chickens those are in the picture for this thread on the home page? They're gorgeous

 

[Birdinhand]

reading through this thread so far, there seems to be quite a difference between the comments and the vote. my impression from reading the comments is that very few people actually free range, while from looking at the votes, most people are in favor of it. perhaps that is the difference, most of us would love to be able to but few of us truly free range because of potential predator problems. I will let my hens out a handful of times a year, maybe once a month and I love the idea but I don't consider this free ranging. both major attempts at having a flock when I was a child ended with every chicken eventually getting eaten while free ranging. the main reason my parents did it was to cut down on feed costs because they could not rationalize paying more for home grown eggs than store bought, but in reality there was no feasible way to produce eggs as cheap as they could be bought in the store. this was before the organic movement. now we have organic prices to compare with and it makes more sense, and of course there is the quality of home grown, which can't be beat.

 

[GardenTillers44]

I guess my definition of free range is free and clear access to unfenced land with a coop to provide safe haven and roosting. We tried that for a year, even though we live in a wild place surrounded by woods with every natural predator you could expect. It worked well at first, with the girls foraging around the house and outbuildings and the wooded edges, then going to roost in a secure coop with an automatic door. They naturally kept near cover and we didn't lose any until the free ranging neighborhood dogs found them. Everyone in the country around us has dogs running loose and once they found accessible poultry it was all over for the free ranging part of our chicken keeping. We did some soul searching and decided we enjoyed chickens, their fresh eggs and their companionship enough to invest in their well-being. So, we enclosed what chickens we had left with 400 ft of electric poultry mesh which gave them 10,000 sq ft of grass and prairie to forage along with the coop and a 15' x 25' covered, enclosed run. I added some stumps and large tree branches to give them some perches and diversions. The poultry mesh is easy to move around and we give the flock new territory to forage every couple of months to let the old grass and plants recover. We move the fence to include the garden in the fall and let them in to till and forage on the last of the crops. We added a couple of roos to keep watch over the girls, and they do a great job of alerting them to any perceived threat so they can dart into the run. We have not lost one chicken to a predator in the two years since we added the poultry mesh, enclosed run and roos. It wasn't inexpensive, but we felt it necessary to protect the flock and was our responsibility if we were going to keep chickens. It works well, and at first we occasionally heard the neighbor's dog yelp every time he got his nose in the electric fence. The word is out and we haven't seen evidence of four legged predators of any kind around the yard in many months. This is what's working for us where we live and has given us peace of mind that our flock is better protected while still getting access to natural food resources and a bit of freedom to roam. Maybe not free range by my original definition but the chickens seem happy and healthy, give us lots of eggs and we aren't replacing them continuously due to predation.

 

[IamRainey]

Birdinhand asks a very provocative question about the difference between the votes for free ranging and the remarks that are more wishful than actual evidence of permitting it. I am most definitely in the camp of wishing it were reasonable for my chickens but clear that it only ever will be in a limited, watchful way.

So this morning, as I'm gathering slugs from my gerberas and weeds from my flower beds to feed them, I'm asking myself how important it is. Essentially, why people do it. What are the objectives and benefits. Because if a chicken only ever experiences confinement -- let's make it healthy and expansive confinement! -- do they actually feel a need for more? Is it more about their need for unlimited space or experience or a traditional and practical way of feeding them cheaply?

What do they need inside their protected spaces to be healthy and cared for so that we who live with small flocks, or limited spaces, or anxiety about their safety, or concern for close neighbors, or predators can rest assured we're good chickie helicopter parents?

 

[GardenTillers44]

What do they need inside their protected spaces to be healthy and cared for so that we who live with small flocks, or limited spaces, or anxiety about their safety, or concern for close neighbors, or predators can rest assured we're good chickie helicopter parents?

Since our chicken reality ended up a little different than our perception, we adjusted our practice of free range to limited range in order to protect the flock and enjoy our chicken relationship. That entailed a new set of parameters and responsibilities for us to make sure their space, health and nutritional needs were met. We have added beds of herbs and greens covered by mesh domes to allow them access to feed but not dig up the plants. We share the garden produce and leftovers with them and have planted a variety of flowering native plants to provide both insect and plant food opportunities. By moving the poultry mesh fence around to include fresh prairie, they get plenty of new nutritional opportunities as the season progresses. Are the chickens happy and healthy? Well, it seems so to us. All I can say is they are being given the best care we know how based on all the information and experience we have gathered over the years. They will live a full life, be loved and cared for while we enjoy their eggs, garden tilling and companionship. I think with true free ranging practice in an environment with predators, the reality is you will lose chickens from time to time. I know folks in our area that factor that into their situation and hit up Tractor Supply during their chickie sale to rebuild the flock. One neighbor says he can buy a lifetime of chicks for the price of the poultry mesh. I guess that is one way to look at it, but not our way. There are a lot of chickens being raised a lot of different ways successfully. Threads like this are why we appreciate BYC and the great discussions and sharing opportunities on this site.

 

[SW31]

We now know we need to do a combination. Yes, they can free range but after the dog attack it can only be when we have a couple of hours spare and the weathers ok so that we are with them. Never again on their own. But in their run they need human stimulus. Either way we will be spending more time with them but they are also pets so it’s ok!