Author Topic: Going free range?? (Read 5265 times)

BAKEWELL11 · « **on:** September 18, 2010, 12:08:12 pm »

Hi
New to site and chickens, we bought a grooup of 7 middle aged girls various breeds about 2 months ago. They have a really spacious house with roosts boxes etc, and a fenced in run about 20 x 10 with shelters, dust baths etc. All very settled and laying is going up.
We have 15 acres of field and yard, lots of overgrown bits still to be cleared... my question is, should we let the girls out? If so, how does one go about making sure they won't wander off never to be seen again? foxes worry me? We do not have a cockeral at present to look after them. Are they better left in run or can we give them more freedom?
thanks for any thoughts/comments.

tazbabe · « **Reply #1 on:** September 18, 2010, 12:29:59 pm »

they will come home to roost at dusk, clever girls chooks!

i recently got 4 new ones, added them to my flock in the dark, kept them in for one day then let them out to free range, home at night no problem!

sheila · « **Reply #2 on:** September 18, 2010, 01:46:39 pm »

my girls go through a "secret" door my husband made, into a 5 acre field. They actually queue at the door to get out and make a heck of a noise until I let them out. They wander far and wide but keep coming back ever so often, To check, I think,and they always come back at meal times. at noght they make their way home about an hour before going to bed. they are very clever despite being pea brained with some things.

Buffy the eggs layer · « **Reply #3 on:** September 18, 2010, 03:11:05 pm »

Hi,

my girls free range but never too far from the coop. We have 7 acres but they probably never go more than half an acre from the coop. I dont have a cock but my girls are pretty smart and will let me know If anything is out of the ordanary. They could walk under the fence in places an on to the road but they dont. They always come when called and like to "help" us when we are gardening or relaxing in the garden.

I think the reason that they dont venture too far is that they sence that there is a greater risk of danger if they are not within bolting distance of the coop. Also they have pleanty of things to eat and inversigate closer to home. I usually keep new birds in for about 36 hours. Just long enough for them to get the hang of where the food and nest box is. l have bantams and they are very canny so they soon pick things up. I also have a very sparky little top hen who is very bright and bold so not much gets past her!

Let your girls out for an hour or so before bed for the first time. they wont venture far and will go back in the coop as the light fades. You can build up from there until you get confident about letting them out. Teaching them to come when called is also handy when you need to put them back in the run.

Buffy

BAKEWELL11 · « **Reply #4 on:** September 18, 2010, 05:04:27 pm »

Thank you all for advice... seems pretty unanimous then. The girls will soon be truly free range!!! I'll go and give it a go tonight!

They do seem to know our voices and follow us in or out, and definately know the sound of corn in the jug. Will they lay eggs all over the place or carry on in the nesting boxes? Guess we'll find out the answer to that.
lol, I'll be running around like a mother hen trying to keep watch on them all!! or the proverbial headless chicken!

thx again.

tazbabe · « **Reply #5 on:** September 19, 2010, 10:32:19 am »

they might lay here and there to start with, but if they are used to using the nest boxes in the coup its likely they will lay there. you can start by letting them out later in the day so they have laid first.

Sudanpan · « **Reply #6 on:** September 19, 2010, 01:51:01 pm »

Our 7 ex-bats all go free range - I have the in the run overnight, give them a feed in the am then let them out about 10am. At around 5 I call them back to the run with a second feed then shut them in for the evening/night.

We've only had a couple of issues with hens refusing to come back - out of the blue one just got more and more huffy and refused to go back in with all the other girls until much later- unfortunately she got taken by a fox in the time between the rest of the hens going in the run and her deigning to go back

I love having the hens free range - the only down side it the amount of poo they produce!!!

Tish

BAKEWELL11 · « **Reply #7 on:** September 19, 2010, 02:05:32 pm »

opened gate to run last night... they all totally ignored it!! Scratched about in run as normal and pretended not to notice.. reckon they are bit long in the beak and agrophobic? I know they lived in pen all their lives prior to coming to us. we'll keep giving em the option and have established feed times so hoping they'll all come back. The legbar acts differently to everyone else, if they're all in she'll go out and vice versa, we let the kids choose names... big mistake! No way am I going down the field shouting for Michael jackson, Dizzee rascal, and fiddy cent!

northfifeduckling · « **Reply #8 on:** September 19, 2010, 09:47:49 pm »

I would open the run in the morning or after the first feed. I kept mine in the run for a few weeks and after that they have been sharing what used to be the lawn with the ducks. Only once the cockerel was found outside the fence, I think something must have startled him. They always go back to roost before dark.

Rosemary · « **Reply #9 on:** September 20, 2010, 11:13:19 am »

We used to let ours free range and never had a problem with them coming home, although we found POL pullets (like teenagers) stayed up late.

Here, we have a large run because they destroyed the garden at our last house so beware the destructo-hen.

Cinderhills · « **Reply #10 on:** September 20, 2010, 05:02:49 pm »

Like Buffy, my free range chooks love to "help" in the garden.

I make a sort of clicking sound when I give them corn in the afternoon and they come half running half flying from wherever they are. It's the funniest sight. But it is good that they come to that noise whatever time of day so I can round them up if I want too.