Do chickens like to free range? That seems like such a simple question to me. In my experience as a backyard chicken keeper as well as growing up in a rural area, chickens like to free range. Have you ever seen a bird sunning themselves and thought they weren’t enjoying that moment? Dust bath anyone? What’s a yard without a couple chickens pecking and scratching about? At least, to my backyard chicken keeping mind, chickens like to be outdoors.
What brought this question on? Well, I was perusing twitter a little over a week ago and found a new hashtag. #ChickenSummit. Yay! In my mind, there should always be chicken summits. In fact, I attend our local Fowl Fest in Frankenmuth, MI every year. I grabbed a cup of coffee and settled in to see what this was all about. As I was going through some of the tweets and realized this was not at all what I was expecting. One tweet in particular stood out to me. It said “Guess what? Chickens like clean water and food in the henhouse. Free range scares them, too many foxes and diseases.” Well… this is news to me.
Chickens, of course, require clean water and food. How many of us chicken keepers have just gotten over the season of Frozen Waterers? We know that chickens not only like clean food and water, but that it is an essential part of raising chickens. However, when I open my coop door, my birds jump right out into their run or free range the backyard. There is no keeping them in. They may wander back inside now and then, but I am more likely to see them drinking from a water puddle and chasing each other for a tasty worm. I have yet to have my hens, just choose to stay in the coop, unless they were broody or it was snowing up a storm. Outside, scratching in the dirt, always wins.
So, the question I was asking myself, is do chickens like to free range? Short and sweet, my answer is yes. They are not so tormented by foxes and diseases that they choose to stay in their hen house. In fact, in my experience, they only settle back inside when the sun is beginning to set. Now, I am not an industrial farmer, nor am I feeding the world, but I am a backyard chicken keeper who is feeding my family and taking great care of my birds in the process. In my opinion, keeping chickens locked up inside their coop with no access to fresh air or dirt to scratch in, is not the choice a chicken would naturally choose to make.
What are your thoughts? Do Chickens like to free range? Is access to the outdoors, whether a covered run or your entire property, the way a chicken would choose to live?
134 Comments
My neighbors have kept their 4 chickens in the chicken house/enclosure for a couple weeks and they have no windows or fresh air. I can hear them squawking and it makes me sick. They need freed of all the poop that builds up and other nasty stuff. They need fresh air and running space during the day. What can I do, they know I’ve asked about it?
Janet,
This is tricky. You need to check with your local regulations on chicken keeping. Are there specifications on how many birds an urban chicken keeper can have? Are there specifications on the conditions in which they need to be kept? If so, and your neighbor is violating local ordinance, then you can probably call animal control.
They used to but someone’s pit bull killed all of they but one. The only reason it survived was the cat decided that the dog had to go.
We purchased young chickens who were free ranging and we have to have them in a coop with enclosed yard with a high caged roof. So they have a lot of yard area and a large coop area. Well my question is how do they act when they go from free range to cooped up how will they act, and for how long? And our other old hens are being mean to them. I need advice cause this is making me sick worrying about this all. Your help will be much appreciated!!
Oh, yeah do they love to range, even in the rain and snow. We have six acres, but they stay pretty much on just one, occasionally dropping in to visit the neighbors. I have yet to see one try to cross the road–guess they haven’t heard that one yet.
We have a totally enclosed run in 2 sections about 8×8 each, a roofless run about 20×12, but they will always opt for the wide open spaces. We have lost four to somebody’s pit bull and one in the open pen to a huge gray eagle. Driving up, we were only about a minute too late to stop the killing. Eagles may be beautiful, but watching that one creep and crawl up in the branches gave me chills. When I see hawks in the area, I leave my “girls”, as my neighbor calls them, shut up in the barn all day, letting them out for only a couple hours in the evening. Normally they go out after noon, when they’ve pretty much laid their eggs. Otherwise it would be Easter every day
My girls nearly stampede out of the door, anxious to get out into the pasture to chase bugs and eat fresh morsels of greens. Do they like to free range? No, they LOVE to free range!
If I keep my chickens in during the winter when it is extremely cold they tend to peck at each other more since they get bored. They love running outside especially if I let them out of the chicken yard into my yard.
My chickens love to free range! When I open up the coop in the mornings they can’t wait to get outside and often times they run right by the feeder and start eating grass.
Hi,
I agree with the comment that not all chickens want to go outside. I have 600+ chickens of different breeds that are kept in a fenced, roofed area, out of the wind and rain but they can take dirt baths, and lay in the sunshine.
There are times when I want everyone outside in the open grassy yard so I can do some spring cleaning and they simply refuse to leave. I literally have to fight with them to go run around outside. Some of them literally go through great lengths and leaves me wondering how did she do that? I close the gate, move everyone, only to find her back in her nesting box instead of running around in the open.
No matter how I try, even those who live outside permanently, through all manner of cunning and trickery, wait for me to turn my head and zoom, back in the barn house.
I suspect what you are seeing is “nurture over nature”. The chicks that learn industrial living are less prone to adapt to a natural environment. If you have a 600 bird flock, and have chase them out for cleaning, I would guess you are using batch chickens — bred and produced to do well in industrial settings, with manufactured feed. Chicks introduced early to grazing and bug harvesting on their own, in the dirt and grass, won’t have those inbred instincts for “modern conveniences”.
On the other hand, a hen that wants to nest will be attached to her nesting box, regardless of ranging or confined lifestyle.
If you have a flock of heritage breed birds, introduced early to free ranging in a controlled (monitored for predators) environment, then you are likely correct, that some birds have different values. Recall I contend that many chickens aren’t smart. I personally think free ranging opens the environment, and stimulates the thinking of the bird into considering more choices, making different evaluations, than the bird that accepts a confined-flock existence. I remember my father’s flock one year, the social pressures in the chicken house got so brutal he had them de-beaked (remove part of the top beak so they cannot pluck feathers, but still eat and drink effectively . . from the chicken waterers and ground feed).
Keep the door open always, food and water indoor and outdoor, science says they’ll stay indoors is what the research is saying. I mean you can pull your car over anytime and go scratch for food if you want.
My own post reply: I too let my hens out but only at dusk. I’ve lost at least 20 of atleast 24 the last almost/going on 2 years to preds. I feel sorry for them, think they should get out some but inevitably this kills them! They have no idea of danger. The winter 2013/14, killer freezing in Minnesota w/o a loss, I had 6 by spring and 1 left by time brooding another another doz. May/June? Lost none to freeze then excited to let em out to scratch and quickly lost most. the one australoro left drove the next 6 new hens through the 2×4 mesh out to predators. You could see where they stretched the fence to get out but pretty sure it wasn’t by choice.
I suppose in research the outside of the gate floor looks just like the inside of the gate floor so no overwhelming desire to leave the shelter. However if a treat is offered outside so will the hens go to their demise unless your willing to watch and dispatch true wildlife that will come. I told a good friend of mine about beginning to raise chickens and he asked if I had other wildlife . I said no I don’t have any. He said you will!
My last , current 4 hens rarely get out of their tractor now w/ the mn. Bird flu.
Our 2 hens absolutely love to be out. They dust bathe, tear up the ground looking for bugs and or worms. I can’t keep them in their coop most of the time, they love to get out. Our 2 hens are getting older and we just bought 3 more
During inclement weather (freezing, snowing or sleet) my chickens are in their mini barn. They always have fresh water and plenty of feed, I also give them forage suet, rolls or bread and fruit (they love whole apples). This keeps them from boredom and keeps them happy. If it is still a little cold and the wind is mild I open the barn door and let them into the pen to get some fresh air and stretch their legs and wings. Spring, summer and early fall I let them roam, only when I can watch them, we have problems with hawks, dogs and other predators.
Last year I lost 4 of my dear girls to a coyote. I saw him, her in the act, very quick! I would love to let them free range, but.
my chickens wouldnt have it any other way
In my experience most animals, including poultry, enjoy a richer existence when allowed to explore in the natural environment with fresh air, sunshine (or even in rain and snow), and untethered by the confines and boredom which can prevail in a caged environment. No different than humans. And all of the examples of chicken behavior in this post serve to support that opinion. Let them live life with abandon as we all wish we could. GW
My chickens love to free range. Why would any chicken choose to stay in the coop? It sounds like the person who said that owns a factory farm.
I’m sure chickens love to free range, if it is safe and allowed! Many parents, or owners, may keep their children, or chickens safe at hope and don’t allow free ranging because of present dangers. Of course, if the parents never experience the outdoors themselves, they aren’t going to see the need to share it with their children!
My flock can’t wait to get in the yard! We breed so we alternate days the flocks get to free range. All of our birds have been exposed to other people’s dogs coming into our yard attacking the flock and they still need to get out of the coop. They love it and I believe it’s much healthier for them to get that exercise. Of course, the next best thing is the huge run they can sit out in when it’s their day off. No, the coop is not their preferred place unless it is too snowy out, otherwise they want out :).
Mine WANT to free range. Whenever I open their door to refresh their water or refill their food they are trying to get around me and get out the door. No question in my mind that they want out.
My little hens and sweet “Roo-Who” LOVE to free range. We do lock the pen door at night to keep unsavory critters OUT of their “safety zone”, but they are all but BEGGING to get right back out the next morning bright and early. The first thing they do is make a bee-line to the back porch where they are always greeted with a special treat of oats or black oil sunflower seeds. 😉 Although we’ve never lost a chicken to a fox, raccoon, possum, owl, we do have a guard dog which makes our property a bit safer and my anxiety level somewhat lower. I love looking out my kitchen window and seeing my little hens and my handsome rooster foraging, dusting, sunning, and chasing flying bugs at will. It may just be me, but they certainly seem happy and content~~
My chickens love to free range. They used to be free to roam all over our fort\y acres of nursery as well as our yard around the house. The problem with them being in the yard was that all my plants began to die for lack of dirt and mulch around them from the chickens scratching. I then fenced an area outside, but attached to, their coop for them to “free range” in. The chickens have totally removed all weeds, grass and anything green that they could reach and the area is now dirt with a few plants that are taller than they can reach. I am now preparing to open up another area attached to the present area that has trees and brush/weeds, etc. so that they have more “Green” to each. I will not let them into my yard again as I treasure my roses and other plants. Hopefully this new area does not become dirt as well.
Another reason why I decided to add an additional fenced in area off the coop is because we did have foxes that were eliminating our chickens every day. We actually saw a fox chase down one of our chickens in the nursery and the chicken ran back to the coop for protection, but the fox got her there. That’s where we found her feathers. I cried.
Every morning my girls and roo run out of their coop. I have a large barnyard about 100 feet x 50 feet and when I open the gate they all want to go into our main yard We have 5 acres and sometimes let them range for awhile In fact I have two that I can’t keep in the barnyard. Do they like to free range. YES!
During inclement weather (freezing, snowing or sleet) my chickens are in their mini barn. They always have fresh water and plenty of feed, I also give them forage suet, rolls or bread and whole apples. This keeps them from boredom and keeps them happy. When it is still a little cold and windy I open the barn door and let them into the pen to get some fresh air and stretch their legs and wings. Spring, summer and early fall I let them roam, only whenI can watch them we have problems with
our chickens are truly free range…their door is always open enough for them to come and go, and they are up and out, by choice, whenever the weather isn’t yucky. they have a 15×30 quonset hut greenhouse they live in (we have 12 birds), with perches and nest boxes, food, water, scratch grains and oystershell all ad lib. in the summer they are out all the time, preferring to forage than to eat their food, and heading back to bed in the early evening. They do have ample shade for hot days, access to clean water and muddy puddles (they prefer puddles), and lots of bugs most of the summer. We also have the orangest yolks of any free range bird’s eggs I’ve ever tried. Free range all the way!!!
I have one who refuses to go in the coop. He sleeps in the tree in the back yard.
Oh yeah….my hens wander all around the farm. They gather up at the gate to their run and beg to be let out so they can forage. They dust bath under the porch of the shed and help me keep the grounds neat and tidy with their scratching (sometimes a little too much!!) And then – when they are tuckered out – they go to roost – back in their coop and I lock them in.
They love to free range….don’t you?
YES! Our chickens LOVE to free range. They are always very eager to come out in the morning. We’ve had a fox problem this spring, but it doesn’t seem to faze them. In a few hours they are back where they were. In the woods, pastures and front lawn! The thing is, I don’t like them free ranging. LOL They get into EVERYTHING. I can’t plant anything without fencing, or they will either dig up the seeds and eat them or just destroy newly planted transplants. Wherever I am working outside, I always have one (‘Brownie’) that will find me. And when she does, more are sure to follow. I do love chickens, though. Hearing them talk to each other is the best!
Everyone has said it already, but my vote is definitely for free range as well. We live in an area with many predators, and we have lost several chickens over the past 4 years that we have had them. But the worst predator by far has been the adorable little Jack Russell terrier from across the road who knows how to escape the barn when his owner is busy with the horses or other people. Despite his owner’s best intentions, he still gets loose sometimes. Of the 6 chickens we have lost to predators, I am pretty sure he was responsible for 4 of them. The other 2 simply disappeared without a trace, and I am thinking that the hawk or eagle that probably carried them off during the day probably deserved the meal. I was still heartbroken, but I accept it as part of the risk.
Wow, does this open a can of worms?? Obviously, anyone who thinks any animal “WANTS” to be caged does not know animals. Someone needs to do their research!
I’m a farm girl living in a rural area and have all my life. Animals have like tendencies but they also have individual personalities, just like people. Who wants to be cooped up all the time? Chickens are very curious creatures and love nothing more than being outside scratching in the dirt and walking about looking for a juicy worm or the next tasty morsel. When chickens are allowed to roam outside where there is green plant life, insects, weed seeds, etc., for them to eat, the eggs are more nutritious and the chickens are healthier. Tests show pastured eggs have more vitamin A and E, less cholesterol and more omega-3 fatty acids. Natural food sources are definitely better for them.
I do offer commercial organic feed to my chickens but their preference is outside. In winter months when grasses, bugs, etc. are unavailable, they will consume more feed/grains than they do during the spring and summer months. In the fall, my chickens are allowed access to the “remains” of our garden to finish off what is left.
As soon as the coop door is opened each morning, they race to get outside. They will return after about an hour or so to lay an egg and grab a quick snack from the feeder, then back outside they go. My chickens are my friends and I want them to be happy and healthy.
My back yard chickens love to free range. I live on a 4.3 acre lot of mostly woods and they are just happy as little pea pickers. They go about scratching and running with each other. I do keep an eye out for preditors. Then I look up about dusk and they are all back in the coop settling on the roosting poles. My husband made a huge run, but nothing beats the great outdoors.
Just my opinion, but I think that some of this anti-free range sentiment may just be an expression of some folks’ own personal phobias. We maintain a flock of around 30 laying hens of various breeds and they are free to wander at will. There are about 4 acres around the house that are surrounded by a New Zealand electric sheep fence which keeps the coyotes out and the dogs and alpacas in. When the weather is nice, several hens will wander the 100 yds. to the hay barn and lay their eggs in the bales, then go scratch around the corrals looking for bugs. As a result, we seem to have far fewer flies around the livestock these days. Over the past 8 years we have lost a total of 5 hens to predators, one to an owl, two to coyotes (who slipped in while the power was off to the fence) and two to a bobcat. At night, the girls all go to roost in a secure, predator proof henhouse where we lock them in until morning. Overall, the chickens seem to love the freedom to scratch in the compost pile, chase bugs, and just be free. So maybe my assessment of chicken attitude is just an expression of my own feelings on the subject of liberty and such, but it seems to work for us.
My hens are always excited to get outside, pushing their way out of the door as soon as I open it in the morning. Some nights I have to round them up to get them to go in so I can lock them safely in their coop. There is no doubt in my mind that chickens DO like to free range!
Mine will even “squawk” and fuss at me if they see me and I haven’t let them out. They don’t need anything in the coop–believe me, they are pampered birds. They want out!! And, they do run out the minute that coop door is opened wide enough that they know they’re allowed out.
I used to have a large flock of Banty hens and a few roosters. They had a huge roost in the barn with one of my horses. They loved to free range, even though their were skunks, ‘coons and hawks. They had remarkable teamwork for dealing with threats. I once saw a hen cover about 15 chicks while two other hens flew at the hawk, claws outstretched. The hens won. They tended not to range too far from the house. They always stayed within view. One older hen, no longer laying, used to ride around on my son’s head or shoulder when she wasn’t babysitting chicks. I have been unable to have a flock since then, and I found a home for the flock, but I miss them. My horse missed them too.
Now I live in the high desert and the heat is cruel in the summer months…but I have a big yard and would love to have some more Banty hens.
Mine would love to free range, we live in town. But for now they have to settle for hardware cloth run and what we call the habit trail. The habit trail consist of red construction fencing, it gives them access to under the rabbit cages. Bugs love rabbit poo and the chickens love bugs. Hopefully next year we will get some land and move out where the chickens can roam.
My chickens LOVE being out of the coop. They practically storm out when I open their door in the morning. I think it is cruel to keep them in a coop all the time. My rooster protects them to the extreme. He puts them up if a hawk in near.
I agree! My girls can’t wait to get out the door this time of year, and never go in except to lay their eggs. Sometimes they can’t even bear that much inside time and lay outside in one of two places (which I always check when egg collecting!) They also drink out of every puddle and odd water catching areas which seem to taste better than their lovely clean water. Go figure!
Re drinking muddy water: Maybe it’s to get trace minerals and such. Bees often do the same thing, and apparently that’s what bee folk think they’re after.
What is that about mud puddles anyway? I’ll scrub out their waterers, refill them with clean, cool H2O and then, as I’m carrying them back, I might spill some in the dirt. Suddenly, every chicken within a dozen yards will converge on the spot like they’ve been lost in the Sahara for a week.
My girls always ran out the door when I opened the gate to the outside. The young girls still try but the boys won’t let them stay out for more than a 1/2 hour now. Why? Because of a couple of dog attacks, including the killing of one of my little hens this spring by my puppy. And my old ladies, 4-5 yrs old, aren’t even interested in leaving the coop and going out into the run. They just want to sit or perch on the edge of the nesting boxes and gossip.
We are building a new and bigger run for them this month with lots of logs and brambles for them to explore.
I HAVE THREE INDOOR CHICKENS. I AM NOT PERMITTED TO HAVE CHICKENS WHERE I LIVE. EVERY DAY I OPEN THEIR COOP AND LET THEM RUN ABOUT THE HOUSE. HOWEVER THAT IS NOT ENOUGH. I TAKE THEM TO PARKS AND HOUSES OF MY FRIENDS SO THEY CAN FORRAGE AND HAVE FUN. With this being said. I BELIEVE FREE RANGE CHICKENS ARE VERY HAPPY. MY GIRLS LIGHT UP WHEN THEY GET TO HO OUT. I AM AIMING TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT FOR MINE.
My hens LOVE to free range. They let me know when a chicken hawk is around. They run from dogs. They sound a warning for raccoons. I got out for all these predators and shoo them away. The hens actually just run under a bush, a chair or the picnic table and are safe from predators from the sky. But, my presence is enough for the chicken hawk to leave the yard. The hens and the dogs make such a racket that I run as fast as I can and scream and throw things at the dogs that are not supposed to run free in our town. For the raccoons out and about, I just get my hens in their pen. Then, I set a trap. Chickens have no knowledge of diseases, so I am puzzled what this expert knows.
R U kidding…. Chickens love freedom in spite of the risks. At our place, they bust out at first light just a scratchin’ and a squawkin’
Yes, I agree chickens love to free range! if I leave mine locked up for a day due to heavy snow or if I am going to be gone late, they are stacked up at their door the next morning ready to get back out into the real world. Even dodging hawks & keeping a wary eye out for other critters they generally prefer to be out rather than in. The food and water in the coop usually is reserved for evening snacking before they hit the roosts. Plenty of shelter and shade plus open coop door if they feel seriously threatened, so they seem to feel secure outside. They couldn’t care less about diseases (where do those chickens range??) and who wants to spend their life in a cage/coop?
YES! It’s odd I came across someone that disagreed with me also. Mine free range over several acres. They are safe. I don’t have predictor issues. What a joy watching them forage, sunbath and live the good life. In the evening they roost in the oak trees or in the coop. They know where home is. During the day they really do go pretty far. I’m pleased to offer them native forage and a beautiful life..;)
IMHO, that person was just trying to rationalize/justify their unwillingness to give the poor critters room to roam. The only critters I know of that prefer dark, closed-in places are spiders, moles, snakes & bugs. And I’ve been around a while – including a family farm, which I want to get back to – complete with chickens out in the yard, scratching in the dirt.
Seriously? My chickies want nothing more than to be outside to free-range! Even in the middle of winter, on a mild day. My rooster likes to keep tabs on them, but other chickens forage further out, with the oldest hen in charge. They scratch in the dead leaves, find worms, bugs, and even the occasional frog and mouse! ( Couldn’t believe it until I saw it myself!)
I have to admit, three years ago I did have 10 chickens killed, 5 before and 5 after Memorial day, almost without a trace.
So now, I have an 6×12 totally enclosed dog pen attached to the coop, which to their dismay, they have to stay in if I go away for a night or two. But they have a very large fenced in area in which to scratch, and if I’m going to be home until dusk, I let them out to free-range. It’s like recess! Every morning they crowd around the gate and people door wanting to get out! All this makes for happier chickens and AWESOME eggs!
My chickens are pacing by the door, every morning, waiting to get out in the yard. They have several acres to roam and love every minute of it.
Mine love to free-range it, all the time, no matter the season, they don’t need a reason. They scratch and peck all over heck.
Pam
My hens will stand at the doorway to be let out each day. They get so excited some of them will always try to fly out into the back yard. If I go to the back door, they come running to see if I have some kind of treat. When I pull weeds or work in the soil they will always come to see if there are any bugs or worms to help out. I love to listen to them talk & they will carry on a conversation with you the best they can. Until time to lay or night time comes they love to just roam around, dust bathe or hang out on the back porch. If it gets around feeding time they will gather on the back porch trying to see in the glass door what is going on & what is taking me so long to come out there. How I love to see them run towards me & follow along under my feet just like a pet. They are so social & I just love them.
Yes
Chickens love free range
My chickens are let out every day all year long
A free range chicken is a happy chicken.
I have kept hens in protected indoor coops and outdoor runs for years, and in my opinion, they like the choice. I have two attached fenced runs, and I find some girls like to hang out with their pals in the North pen more than the East pen, and since both have direct access to the water and feed inside their indoor house, I see them come and go freely. They like aridity and are curious, but they will always go wherever I am tossing out mealworms or veggie scraps from the garden!
PS their range is quite a large area about 40ft x 150ft – its fenced all around and their coop is in with another similarly sized shed converted into what they use as a “laying room” – its really quite cute – the fence is secure – there are trees in their ranging area but they have a rooster who’s only been heard once in their defence (according to my much beloved) so I’m thinking they feel secure whenever they are out – we open their door in the morning obviously gets earlier each day and then they get themselves back in at night and we shut their door when its going dark
Not only do they like to free range it it’s part of their evolutionary package. Free ranging is their natural state.
We live on a seven acre homestead and have s flock of 25 hens. We have a fair amount of predation from racoons and eagles. That has not stopped our chickens from free ranging. Their are plenty of places to run to and hide. Chickens have built in instinctual behavior that generally keeps them safe I.e. Running for cover when they see a shadow from above.
That just seems crazy to me. I have five chickens in my backyard and they have a huge run for only five chickens and whenever I go to the gate they all line up waiting for me to open it so they can get out in the yard. And the sad part is I have a dog that wants to eat them all and one time she got out of her pin and killed two and the five that are left still would rather be out in the yard with the chance that the dog could get loose. Dont worry the dog pin has been reinforced.
yes, my chickens love to free range, i always let them out in the yard every morning and they would go back in at night always knowing i’d close the door against raccoons. but then i got a new dog that i havent been able to like chickens for anything than a good meal. i lost about 10 before i gave up and built a yard for them. this is the 1st dog i havent been able to train. any ideas i havent tried would be greatly appreciated, i love all the good my chickens do for my gardens.
Since moving out of the city we are now able to free range our chickens and the girls couldn’t be happier. While in the city we had a small run to let them out into, the freedom they now enjoy is definitely a change for the better!
After 24 years of having Fowl, now just chickens in my back yard….I cannot imagine their choosing to sit in coop. I make that choice in weather, giving them their yard only. But imagine putting Hummingbird in cage, or Cardinal. Would a Wild Turkey want to be penned in a cave? No, the air is necessary for them to breathe, the dustbins for bathing, looking for new water source, investigating a pile of leaves….mom coming out…they figure I have some snacks.
I thank my chickens for the work they do in my yard. Aerating soil, changing clay, eating bugs that gets too many thumbs up, picking the elderberry bushes clean and roosting in them. I cannot imagine not hearing them in every window, or having them scratch up the messy seeds birds leave. When I open the gardens, they have a whole new paradise, imagine never letting your chickens in the gardens to fertilize, aerate, and bug out. When I see chickens cooped up, it is reminder of commercialized farms, unhealthy conditions.
Water, Food….My water is outside, this year a new wing with new water with winter in mind. My chickens …everyone loves our eggs, they say no other yolk is as gold, or rich….They are right. I don’t eat eggs. Freedom starts in my yard…. Coyotes, Foxes, Skunks, Snakes, Feral Cats are always on my mind, have had devastation…Hawks too….but they voted…Freedom
YES chickens LOVE the free range. I was raised on a farm that had over 200 laying hens and they were all free range. They ran all over the farm. We all know fresh water and feed is a must, not only for chickens but all animals for good health and to be more disease free. I am 59 now and still raising poultry just like my parents did. Yes a coyote would get a hen now and then but that was just part of raising them. If you watch free range chicken they will tell you a lot about the weather. When clouds get dark they go to the chicken house, you know a storm is coming. They love to play in the dirt, fly around, eat green grass and bugs. And finally the best part is when a hen shows up with a brood of chicks. Got one setting now.
Our chickens love love love to free range – I’ve not long lived in central Canada and never had chickens ever before and I was so surprised when they go out in the cold – there is no keeping them in unless its feet deep in snow (or stormy weather comes in quick and I mean quick like a matter of less than a minute then you should see them shift back in!!) – weve had our chickens for about 18 months now and we just two weeks ago we got some “rescue birds” – we asked for 50 to 60 but got around 100 or so – they were “spent” battery chickens from a local Hutterite colony and a more sorry looking set of birds you have yet to see – so they’ve been with us two weeks now and I’d say around half are brave enough to free range with ours – the rest are content to stay in the “sunroom” – basically their coop is a big shed converted into a chicken coop – it has a large double glazed window facing south and ours love it – they have just started learning to be chickens like their first couple of days they just stood around and didn’t know how to preen scratch take a dust bath or anything but they’re trying now and its great to see – but yeah if the half or so that don’t go out now didn’t ever go out at least they have the choice and are happy birds
Our chickens cannot wait to leave the yard and go foraging about the woods, pasture and our landscaping. They return home to lay, eat, drink occasionally during the day, but there is water elsewhere for them. Mud puddles and catch pools are not shunned. On the unfortunate occasion that a hawk or fox chases one down they scatter to the woods, not the chicken yard. Like as not, a short while later they are grazing as usual, apparently called to order by the rooster. I do not believe they can reflect upon the dangers of foxes before venturing out, or worry about catching the flu. That’s pure foolishness. I doubt they can reflect on anything. They just do what nature has conditioned them to do, wherever it takes them. Sometimes that conflicts with our idea of safety, but that is our idea after all, not theirs.
Of course chickens like to free range! Mine can’t wait in the mornings for me to let them out! They are all crowding at the door and shoot out like cannon balls. No keeping them in unless the weather is awful, and even then they go out to scratch and peck. I can’t have a rooster, but I have a huge run for them, as well as chicken tunnels. Wish I could just let them loose, but I have a large hawk just waiting for me to do that. Their large yard is covered with plastic mesh. It is 75 feet by 25 feet. I close off part of it to allow the grasses and weeds to grow and then open it up to them. They cackle and murmur and come to me when I call. I can’t believe they would be happier locked up. That’s plum loco.
My chickens love to free range in my backyard. They have their coop and a small run with a solar dawn to dusk door. Our yard is fenced and they have cover from overhead predators. I think they feel safe, they are always out as soon as the door opens at dawn, in and out of the coop during the day and they always are in by dusk before the door closes. The door also gives me the freedom to be out after dark or on vacation without worry. We’re all happy !
My chickens love to free range. Every morning when I go to let them out, they are gathered up against the door, each trying to get out first. We have had chickens all my life and they always free ranged – happily.
i agree with you. My chickens just about bowl me over to get outside the coop! I love seeing them run around the yard and I’m pretty sure they love it too!
Of course chickens prefer to be outside and they much prefer to free range than to be caged up in a run without lots of green stuff to eat and bugs to devour. Mine only free range when I’m around to watch for those fox and hawks. It’s a silly question. I think if someone has chickens that prefer the coop to the outdoors, then those chickens are either ill, or have had some kind of traumatic experience that has made them forever fearful of leaving their shelter, or something along those lines.
they have been trying to humanize chickens (animals in general for decades now. Chikens have a natural bread fear of predators especially those of the feathered variaty. If you’ve ever watched a chicken react when a owl or hawk flies over you know what I mean even if they have never seen one. Same exact reaction with the first snake they see, it’s in printed in thier evolutionary make up so they know to run.
as far as disease those that are keep in and not allowed to range are show in studies to have more sickness and more likely to have ecolli present in higher levels in the eggs than those that free range.
one more thing those that range will gather small amounts of pollens and allergens which people already allergic to and when you eat those eggs you will get small doses of those pollens and over time can help build defenses against allergies I’ve seen it work in my own grand children so with me there no choice it’s FREE RANGE or no chickens at all.
Mine will go back inside the coop from time to time during the day. To sit near the fan, to drink, to hang out if they think they have found all of the interesting forage, etc.
Yes, mine do as well to lay. Being totally free range they come and go as they please. It has taken years to get the balance right, but it works. They usually lay by 4 pm every day.
With 50+- chickens including 4 roosters, I get between 3 & 4 dozen eggs daily,
winter/summer or rain/or shine.
It has taken years to find chickens that are that efficient, but I finally have a good group of consistent layers of large brown eggs.
Mine are waiting at the door in the morning waiting to be set free. They wander and go back in when the time is right for them, then the door gets shut for the evening.
I keep in mind that chickens really are the stupid ones of the livestock realm, behind the goldfish in the horse tank (and, no, I don’t worry that aquarium fish would rather offer themselves as provender in the wild, or wait for the goldfish bowl to be cleaned or overfed). That is, like most livestock, they take lots of repetitions to learn.
And chickens don’t learn about disease. As for most of humankind’s history, for them disease happens; sometimes, not often, they sense to avoid the sickie. But that is it. They have no concept of avoiding potentials for disease.
For the survivors, foxes are a rare occurence. Not good for the victims, and not especially helpful for the flock survivors, as they aren’t good at evading, having been raised by parents that didn’t learn to avoid predators from their parents; they don’t have the habits needed. And, like all livestock and most people, they do *not* learn when excited, scared, or otherwise highly emotional. Learning takes place when calm — and strange two and four legs, or two or four legs acting differently than expected, get chickens excited — they eventually get used to new routines and new visitors. Even foxes.
Visiting the Damerows some years back — you might recall Gail Damerow’s name from Storey’s Guide to Chickens — I accomanied one night to check chickens — and found an opposum eating a hen at night. In the nest, With a live chicken perched on top of the oppossum.
So, no, I do not see chickens being afraid of predators or diseases.
Dogs, now that is another story, since most domestic dogs would rather play with the chicken, get excited, and actually be surprised when the bird dies — so to continue the fun they chase another. And another. That chasing and that repetition will unsettle a flock.
My girls and Mr. Freckles seem to enjoy free range. They go back to the house and on the roost by dark. They visit us when we set in the yard and follow us around hoping for a sunflower seed. I would never think of leaving them in the house all the time.
I never thought I would Have Chickens. It was my childs science project. To watch eggs hatch and grow my daughter was the one that took care of them. At the end of the project we got Turkeys and chickens. I live in the Oklahoma City ( town). At night we put them up. In the day we let them
roam. I can’t believe how many animals that are in the city. coons. possiums, and just not one time they are living among us. in hiding in the city! coons are playing in a baby swimming pool late night. Cleaning the bread that I put out. amazing! I do keep wings clipped. They love to visit the neighbors. They seem to be happy.
In my experience when you see chickens cross a field shoulder to shoulder (or wing to wing) as-it-were, you KNOW that they love to free range and eat what mother nature intended for them to eat.
And just for those of you who may not know, my neighbors yard is infested with ticks and chiggers, my yard and field are NOT. Any guesses why that is? CHICKENS love those pests.
My chickens make racket in the morning until I do let them out to free range. Around 2 hours before dark, no matter when the sun the goes down, they find me outside and let me know it’s time for supper and to get closed up in the pen. They swarm like bees at my feet as I walk to the pen with layer pellets in hand. I wouldn’t change our routine and I don’t think my chickens would either.
Why is it we always give the one lone dissident so much air time, or even a second thought? The one, like a squeaky wheel that doesn’t go along with the status quo or the rest of the flock, so to speak. I would not have even dignified that tweet with devoting a blurb, blog or clucking column to it.
Do chickens like to free-range? Is the Pope Catholic? Does a bear…. well you get my drift.
How would a chicken know about diseases, to be afraid of them? How would chickens “know” about predators, unless they’ve been outside and seen a predator in action? No, “ChickenSummit” is projecting his/her own concepts onto the chickens, or making excuses for not free ranging. Chickens who’ve never been outside are wary at first, because it’s new, but as soon as that wears off they want to be OUT.
My chickens must be related to yours. They love being out of the coop in the yard. They do go back in to drink water but come right back out, unless someone has to lay an egg.
All of our chickens are kept in a roomy indoor coop. They scratch in the bedding, enjoy food scraps, and have a busy and thriving poultry society within the safe confines. We have rampant hunting hawks, coons, coyotes, even bears and bald eagles – and our area is ‘suburban’ so we can’t do anything to prevent them from helping themselves to a chicken dinner. Fences and flashing lights aren’t going to faze these bad guys.
Our hens are here to give us eggs. They can’t do that if they’re dead. Or traumatized to the point that they don’t lay through predation. We protect them for their sake as well as ours.
Would a chicken rather run free? Well, think about it! So would your Yorkshire Terrier who only weighs 5 lbs. Do you let her run around the neighborhood, then? So would your pet parrot, or your hamster – but we wouldn’t turn them loose, either. Let’s be practical and apply the same common sense to our livestock as we do to our pets. None of us are concerned about hurting the inner dog of our little toy poodles who would ‘rather be free’!
I’ve only been a backyard chicken gal for a year, but I have to say they love to be outside. We have a coop, 6 foot by 12 foot run and a fenced in area about 30 feet by 42 feet. Yes I know they are spoiled, after all all that space for 3 hens. They love it!!! Yes we do have racoons, skunks, and cats as well as hawks and eagles. As long as they’re locked up at night, they’re happy.
Unquestionably there is no animal on earth that prefers to be in a cage all the time, no matter how large and comfortable it may be. For anyone to suggest otherwise is hopefully just a lack of knowledge.
My chickens LOVE to free range! As soon as that coop door is open, out they run, to all parts of the yard, jumping up to grab some tender leaves, scratching in the dust, pecking at who knows what in the dirt! They show no fear of predators at all. I wouldn’t dream of keeping them “cooped” up!!
I just went out and asked my birds. They said, “DUH, NO BRAINER! Why do you think we are waiting at the gate every morning? We LOVE free ranging!”
I believe a chicken’s nature is to free range. Our chickens run as fast as they can out of their run every morning because they want freedom. The only time during the day they return to the coop is to lay eggs or eat a little grain.
They make the rounds all day until they go in the coop to roost at night. Dust baths, grasshopper hunting, scratching, dusting, sunning, cooling in the shade of the lilacs, visiting the porch, along with wandering through the yard, pasture, woods, and barn are part of their daily routine.
Generally, if a chicken has plenty of food and water, that is a happy chicken no matter where it is. To ascribe relative degrees of happiness to a chicken is a very great stretch and cannot in any way be proven. I am a chicken lover and raiser.
My girls almost knock me down to get into the garden. They will pass the feeder and water to get to something green to eat and a interesting place to scratch.
The argument for chickens feeling scared when outdoors due to possible predators made me smile…maybe a chicken who witnessed a predator in action could have PTSD, but in my experience, chickens don’t “worry” much. Haven’t witnessed any panic attacks. I think some predator awareness is what makes them roost or go into their house at night, but boy do they have fun outdoors.
Free range of course! Mine have a predator-proof henhouse for sleeping and a free access to the nest during the day. Other than that, they LOVE being in the huge yard – fresh grass, worms, insects, bugs, dustbath, dead tree limbs for roosting,… I have never had a single chicken that prefered to stay close to the coop, unless she needs to lay an egg.
Mine said they would rather take their chances with the predators then to be locked up.
Free range!! Protection at night. And we have lots of predators. I don’t want to spend my life in a cage, why would my chickens. Life has risks. Bet the person who wrote the article is a helicopter parent too!!
My chickens have a safe coop that has an attached outdoor run. it is not foxes that are a danger, it’s the darn neighbors who allow their dogs free range. I have hanging planters with greens, I throw scratch out for them to hunt and peck. I do wish they could free range, but I have some rare breeds and can’t risk Losing one to a dog.
Karen, I had the same problem with neighbor dogs until 5 of them killed all my rabbits thru their cages which were hung in a rabbit hutch. I thinned out the dog population & have not had any more problems. Now that I have chickens, I adopted a Border Collie & taught him to herd my chickens & keep them safe. He has been doing that for 3 years now. He watches them while I get my work done & my chickens are free to roam.
My chickens know two words: “Breakfast” and “Out?” They come to the fence whenever I approach, but when I call “Out?” they charge the gate. When I open it, they organize themselves and march out in a flying wedge. Re hawk problems: I lost one to a hawk, when she was inside the supposedly protected pen area. Since then I make sure when they are free they have access to my raspberry and blackberry patches – apparently hawks don’t like to dive-bomb into the thorny canes. Hilarious to watch a fat little chicken leaping straight up to strip off the early green leaves from the berry bushes.
After moving to town 20 years ago, I decided this year to raise butcher chickens once again myself. The reason being, I just purchased some chickens from the Hutterite Colony thinking they would surely be a healthy option-open ranged and organic. After checking and investigating further, they too had many large poultry sheds due to the season and location, so these chickens did not even see the light of day. That was so disappointing that my only option seemed to be-raise my own, so I know exactly what they’re eating. I would really like to have layers also, but no where to keep them for an extended period of time. I do have an abandoned farm site where my feeders will be open ranged. I’ll have to experiment with a truly open range as I’m planning to fence a pretty large area and once I see how they adapt, I may open the gate to let them have free range of the entire yard. Being alive and spending your life indoors cannot be healthy for anything!!!! Freedom to move about just has to be healthier for them then to stay in an enclosed structure.
Absolutely chickens need to free range. Mine do & they let me know about it when I don’t let them out of their run if the weather is bad! The only time they spend in their coop is for laying eggs or bad weather. The rest of the time they do what chickens are intended to do, eat bugs, scratch the dirt for worms, eat an occasional mouse if they catch it, & take their dirt baths. Those are happy healthy chickens!
Boy, do they! We have 6 acres in the city limits, about 1 1/2 acres of which are cleared. They stay shut up in one of the barns all night, and in the morning they are massed at the door to be let out. In 5 years we have lost 5 birds to predators: one to a huge eagle, and 4 to somebody’s pit bull.
The “girls””, as my neighbor calls them, love to dust bathe under his Leyden spruce trees. All times of the year, even in the snow and rain, out they run. On occasion they’ll wander a bit too far and I have to lure them back with slices of bread, but mostly they stay in bounds. And when it starts to get dark—back into the barn they go. My wife tells me they lay better when they’re allowed to roam.
When our neighbors complain about ticks and such, we only get a few, I pick ticks off myself — if I get them quick enough — and toss them to the chickens who run right over and gobble them up. I also saw two chickens playing tug-of-war with a small snake. They snapped it in two and each got half.
My 14 chickens are free range and they love it. I have a small run attached to the coop where they are confined when there is snow on the ground but, otherwise, they roam over an area of approximately three acres. I have been fortunate so far with regard to predators. When the flock was young, I had a couple of red tail hawks hanging around. My two roosters would alert the hens and they would all take cover under my deck or in the shrubbery. Now that the flock is mature, the hawks still fly over but don’t pay much attention anymore. I know we have foxes and coyotes because we can sometimes hear them at night up in the woods. We also have a lot of raccoons but they keep their distance. I suspect my dogs are also a deterring factor. I do have to fence off my garden because they love to scratch in any fresh dirt. If I don’t put up the fence, I can expect everything I just planted to be dug up and/or eaten within an hour. However, it’s worth the extra effort. I love watching them roam around. Free range makes for happy birds. I believe free range is the only way to go.
FREEDOM for my girls (and boys)! I do however have a couple that go out and come right back in. I have to wander around and find some at the verge of darkness since they love the outdoors so much, so I am thinking the ones that don’t go out are just lazy and like to get the first feed and clean water given to them.
My opinion…Yes, my chickens love to be out unless the snow is too deep for them. We did lose most of our hens last fall, I think to coyotes, so I have kept them in all winter…the only two left. Now we have some new chicks and we are debating how to keep them safe. Our dog has kept them pretty safe, until the coyotes moved in on them. He even leaves the wild turkeys alone. He must think they are just poultry. But the coyotes and other predators are a problem.
I have no doubt they love the free range. Feels like the idea came out from a human that fears going out , just because there are accidents, murders, abuses, diseases from the other people out there. Yes, possible. But would you stop? I do not think chickens have that fear. Having said that, clean water, safe environment needs to be provided as much as possible. Shrubs to hide. Quick run to the coop to safety. A rooster, donkey, male turkey, lama to protect if possible.
My chicken enjoy very much free roaming at the back yard with the possibility of fresh water, back to safety options all around and even my vegetable garden.
Yes, chickens (and my turkeys) much prefer free-ranging. Not only do they prefer, it makes for a much healthier and happier hen. My girls (and boys) free-range my 1+ acre fenced backyard, but that isn’t enough. When they hear the garage door open when I get home from work, they are all at the gate wanting to be out free-ranging the rest of my 3 acre property. I have about 100 in my flock, so really they need access to all kinds of vegetation and protein, so the gates open wide when I get home. I have seen foxes in the backyard, but have never lost a hen to one. My guess is the large size of my flock(and maybe the turkeys help).
Oh my girls, 10 of them, just LOVE to be outdoors! I have 2 fenced off areas for them in my backyard so I can keep them out of my garden. I let them in the garden in the winter and they get excited when I go in there and dig! They have an area under the cherry tree, they also have a run that is covered so they are protected. And the covered run was mainly so that they would be protected when they were just chicks and now I put a shade cloth over it and they like that in the summer. It is raining right now and hopefully there were smart enough to go back inside the coop to get out of the rain. Sometimes I’m not sure because when I go out and check on them they are all wet and muddy! But they have that option if they want to!
I know my guineas like to free range. I can’t imagine it being different for a chicken. Last summer the flock got decimated by hawks and raccoon. they were frequently locked in the coop. I finally built them a play yard so they could be outside but that space compared to 40 acres… I just had them in for a week because we need to replenish the flock. guineas do not lay their eggs neatly in the coop and they are bad mamas most of the time. So, We have collected and started incubating about 20 eggs and have our fingers crossed for lots of hens,
I don’t know why any one would think that chickens do not love to free range. Mine LOVE it! I have a very large fenced area that they have access to 24/7 that is 100% predator proof but they still beg to be let out to forage and play in the grass in the rest of the 2 acres we have. I was letting them out in the morning to free range all day but my husband and I both work and are not home to supervise them and that was going well for several weeks until one day we came home to find our OEG Bantam rooster, Spike, missing and one of our BR hens with fang injuries around her tail and a huge bald patch. It would seem we had been the victims of a roaming dog attack. After that, my husband and I decided that we would only let the birds out to free range when we were home to keep an eye on them which means late afternoons during the work week and all day on weekends if we plan to be around the house. I can tell you that my birds do NOT like this new arrangement and will sit as a group inside the fenced in area, on the steps just inside the door, and call to me to come and let them out. If I had the funds to do it, I would fence my entire 2 acres so they could free range every single day with no worries about random dog attacks.
Absolutely free-range! My chickens run out into my big backyard whenever they can, even in steady rain (maybe they wouldn’t, if they knew how funny they look soaking wet!) They love being out, especially the part where they decide to all come over to the back door off of the kitchen, and have one representative fly up and peck repeatedly at my kitchen window to tell me they want their daily treat!
The chickens I have now have a large enclosed pen adjacent to their chicken house, as when I let the previous chickens I owned free range, all of them were killed – not all at once, but eventually they were all gone due to predators. When chickens do “escape” periodically from the pen. if we don’t catch them and get them back into “jail”, they don’t survive. I know they would all love to free range, totally, but it seems a waste to get chickens for the predators to eat!
I have to agree with you about chickens liking free range! I have about 100 laying hens! two separate coops with individual runs for each coop! one on the north end of my yard and one on the south! about 200 x 200 yard outside the coop lots of trees for shade and leaves to scratch around in! if I even leave the run gate unlatched my hens will push the gate open and there is no getting them back in till almost dark when I feed scratch grain in the run to entice them! even with some fresh lettuce I have a hard time getting them to come in before late (one hour before dusk) afternoon! after that the scramble for the scratch then head for roost!
they will sneak in to drink or lay one or two at a time all day! if I leave the yard gate open they are out in the front yard in less than 10 min, and if I accidently leave the garden area open they make a bee line for it! so yes they like free range! PS they seem to lay better (average 2 to 3 more eggs a day) when they free range I feed my layers, 16% layer pellets in the morning and scratch at night!
Absolutely, my chickens LOVE to free-range. We have dedicated half of our back yard to them, and call it “the chicken yard”. But lately, we have even begun letting them out into the rest of our back yard, so they could help us “prepare” a grassed area for removal, so that we could install a cement-block patio. Every day, after that, they will walk back and forth by the gate from the “chicken yard” to the rest of the yard, and come running across the chicken yard to the gate, anytime we enter the yard, eager to get out into a broader “range area”. They have their dirt bath areas, and their “hide-from-predators” areas under bushes and trees, as well as a small, shallow pond that they love to drink out of, in their chicken yard, so they don’t lack for anything other than fresh green grass beyond what is available in their yard. We have recently moved most of our compost to the raised beds, so they look for additional bugs and worms in the “people yard”, and can’t wait to get out and explore every day. Anyone who thinks that chickens are too afraid to love free-ranging, clearly must have dogs, cats or other predators that have attacked them when they are free-ranging, and may need to evaluate the safety of their range area. Because chickens LOVE to free range!
Chickens afraid of disease? I think it’s the owner that is afraid of disease. If anything, I think a sick chicken might choose to stay indoors where it’s warmer. Cooped-up chickens are more likely to spread disease since they are defacating in a confined area and breathing the ammonia. Fresh air and sunshine are necessary for good health.
i am on my second batch of hens….the first( Wyandottes) they roamed free and i lost quite a few to predators…..i even lost my favorite rooster……now i have a 100 lb German Shepard….she is the ruler of these 21 acres….i now have Araucanas they are very heavy egg layers…tried to pen them….they will not allow it…..good flyers great birds…happy too!….they don’t go to far as they are too busy egg laying!!!
I am with you my chickens love to be outside of the hen house except when the weather is bad. I have a coop that is open all the time and they are outside most of the day have fun in the sun and eating whatever they can find and of course dust bathing.
Yes! My chickens love to be outdoors, they especially love being outside their yard and in our backyard to gather all the “special bugs” and grass seeds that’s not in their run. They love the sun and dirt bathing is crucial part of their livelihood. I love watching them enjoy their simple little lives and feel bad for the ones pinned up in horrible conditions. I love my “feather babies”!!!
I have backyard chickens. They would love to “free range” in my back yard. I provide them with a fairly large enclosed run with wire across the top for their protection. The only ones I ever lost was to a pecking incident and when a neighbor’s dogs broke into their pen. They have dirt to dig in, and I throw cracked corn for them so they can scratch. While I know they would delight in getting out, they don’t make a mad dash for freedom when I open the gate. They seem happy and content and lay profusely. They sing to me when I sit in the pen with them and they swarm around my feet. They will sit beside me and will occasionally allow me to pet them. But I keep them secure for their own safety…my primary objective other than getting eggs.
My hens love to free range, same as the writer, they jump out as soon as I open co-op… I do lock away every night once they have gone in of their own free will to stop any foxes and make sure that they have clean water and feed accessible…
I have 12 hens and one rooster. They beg to be let out in the morning. We have a Pyrenees who keeps other critters from wandering through. My flock is happy and contented. They put themselves up at night and we lock them up after counting to be sure all made it in safe and sound.
I absolutely believe that my chickens enjoy being let out to forage in my yard as pasture raised chickens; they are able to move around at will doing what their instincts are telling them to do. Mine, like yours are chomping at the bit for me to open the door of the pen to rush out and run to one of their favorite areas to start pecking away at the dirt and grass. My dog is usually nearby, so I think that helps to keep the fox away, at least during the day. The hawks are another story and that’s my job! We probably all have predators prowling around, but I know that pasture raising my chicks produces healthier eggs and probably “happier” chickens (yes, I had to anthropomorphize just once!). I have 4 laying hens right now, but 5 weeks ago hatched out 24 more chicks who are already pasturing and returning to their own coop each night. They are already rushing to the pen door when they see me coming!
Chickens are sentient beings.To long now we have been torturing the food we eat.i free range between 30 – 40 chickens now and have been for years.they have a language, they have relationships.They work all day and deserve respect like all animals do.Give them the best life you can.We run a small rescue farm and we free range all our animals they lead as natural a life as we can provide.Yes some are lost to predation
but very few to disease.Our commercial food system is archaic at best.stay local and support your community farmers and ranchers.Yes
chickens love to run free.
I hope when our girls get old we can find a place for them. Don’t think I could butcher them when they stop laying. They have become more like a pet than a farm animal.
We have a retirement plan for our laying hens. In return for room & board once they stop laying, they are expected to keep the compost turned and the flies and bugs in check.
Glenn, Thanks for your comments about farmers. We are farmers and serve our neighborhood
with vegetables, fruit and eggs and our neighbors and others love it. Our chickens are free range and are very healthy. Their eggs are wonderful and we cannot keep enough eggs for the demand. I love it. Thanks again.
My chickens will always take the outdoors over the coop, even in winter. ANd if given the choice they will race me to the run gate for the yard rather then stay in the run. But they always goo back inside close to dark, and if it one does not make it to the coop before dark, they will perch in the house windows (making sure to be in the window of the room I am currently in) till I go put them in. I feel the person tweeting that had very unhappy or sick chickens if they chose to not leave the coop. But it is just a guess since I do not know their story. As for preditor scares at our farm…..They are few. Considering the barn cats sleep in the coop with my chickens in the winter like one big girls sleep over. And when out in the open property the cats often follow the chickens around and attach any critters that could potentially harm there feathery friends. The only problem I have ever had with these odd pairs is when we throw boiled corn cobs out for the hens, The cats love them too and if I don’t plit them evenly between everyone a fight breaks out.
Mine LOVE free ranging. They cant wait to be let out of the smaller yard into the big field. They will try to fly over the fence of the smaller yard on days they cant be in field. They are hilarious.
My chickens absolutely love to free range. They have a large run where they stay when I’m not around. However, there is no grass left in there. When they see me coming out they run to the door. When I open it they trip over each other getting out. No one, not even a chicken, likes to be locked up.
Chickens love free range. To keep them locked up is cruel. When I opened my coop door each morning they ran out, stretch their wings and enjoyed their freedom. Keeping them safe is part of your job.
My chickens love to range, but not too far. They definitely have a very specific area that is “home.” To be fair though, their “border” may have more to do with my herding dog’s idea of “home” than with their own personal choice…
They WILL run for the pen (and the protection of the other animals) if something startles then, but they very rarely head for the barn even when startled. They stay there only if a) they are roosting b) they are laying or c) it’s pouring buckets.
I’m very confused by anyone who thinks they don’t like to free range. Maybe they meant chickens with no shelter at all?
Great article!
I suspect that the person who insists that chickens do not like to freerange is simply projecting their own fears onto their chickens. Chickens do not wake up and worry about being attacked.
My chickens come running to be let out every time they see me. Keeping them cooped up would be such a disservice to them and their natural instincts.
i agreed with you. My chickens LOVE being free and roam all over my yard. I did tried to put large fence with access to large outside with grasses but they prefer come out of door that enter to fence-less. So i gave up and take the fence out and let them enjoy all freedom they like. I love seeing them to roaming free. I have no fence at my home. My chickens re not stupid and refuse walk to the road. I believe that happy hens lay happy eggs and that made me happier lady! 🙂
If I try to keep my girls locked up in the coop, they stop laying. I have had to limit their free ranging (my choice not theirs) due to Hawks and neighbors Barn cats, they do have a large fenced pen that has a huge tree with brush under it, a nice sunny grassy area and their favorite dirt area. They have access to the coop all day and only venture inside to lay (even in the pouring rain). I do agree Free Range would be their choice if I gave it to them.
I just came in from checking on my small flock when I saw this article. I let them out every afternoon until sunset. When I first started raising chickens, I was over protective, only letting them free range when I could be outside. But they have taught me that a life with freedom is worth the risk of danger. Sure, something could happen, but they are so much happier being allowed to be chickens. I never thought I would be taught a life lesson by three hens and a rooster.
When I watch baby chicks doing all the innate chicken behaviors without ever being taught…I have to think that chickens prefer to be outside scratching around on the ground. Yes, the world is not safe…for any species….but I am not willing to stay home in the off chance I MIGHT get hit by a bus….I expect the chickens go about their business in the same manner. We currently have a “house chicken” who developed a physical deformity that prevents her from being able to eat anything bigger than about 2mm. We have a real challenge letting her safely experience her “essential chicken-ness” in a meaningful way. As we re-configure the outside coop and run area to accommodate her special needs, she let’s us know when we have not done a good job keeping her from being bored inside. She has a dust bath box that we hide worms in and present her crumble in a treat ball so she has something to do…meanwhile, we hustle to get her back out doors where she clearly longs to be.
Lovely for you to do. Had a Turkey with deformity, Igor. Raised animals and always have taken care of them as best as we can. Too many animals, wild and domestic do not get those extra touches, thanks for taking those extra moments.