Free ranging tips and tricks!

[SummerTheAnimalGirl]

Hello everyone!

Just as the title says, this is a thread where all us free rangers can share our best tips and tricks. Have fun!

 

[Chicalina]

I don't have acres, just my back garden where mine free range unless we are in flockdown.

In the UK, we don't have as many predators as the US. Where I live, only raptors or foxes are a risk really. Or household dogs and cats much more likely. I have 6ft fences and all the neighbours have dogs, so foxes stay away.

I fill my garden with clutter so a hawk cannot easily have an open enough space to swoop, land and take off again. Even my teeny tiny bantams have been fine out all day for years.

I've only ever lost one chicken in 15 years and I never knew how. She disappeared. Could have flown away by herself!

 

[SummerTheAnimalGirl]

I don't have acres, just my back garden where mine free range unless we are in flockdown.

In the UK, we don't have as many predators as the US. Where I live, only raptors or foxes are a risk really. Or household dogs and cats much more likely. I have 6ft fences and all the neighbours have dogs, so foxes stay away.

I fill my garden with clutter so a hawk cannot easily have an open enough space to swoop, land and take off again. Even my teeny tiny bantams have been fine out all day for years.

I've only ever lost one chicken in 15 years and I never knew how. She disappeared. Could have flown away by herself!

Hello! Thanks for commenting. That is a great idea, and I will definitely do that! We have lots of sky predators, so this will come in handy definitely. Thanks again!

 

[Frstimechick]

I'm excited about this thread! Our girls are almost 7 weeks old and are starting to get curious about what's beyond the door on the run. Luckily yesterday my reflexes were quick and I stopped one by putting my foot in front of her or she would have been experiencing the big world of scary things. Eek! The girls have been in their coop/run for 3 weeks and have been putting themselves to bed for the last week! Woohoo!
We're in Iowa and unfortunately we have all kinds of predators. We have an acre with a creek at the back of the property. My goal is to be able to let the girls out supervised in the early evening...2-3 hours before sunset.
When can we start letting them out? How do I teach them not to go beyond the creek? I'm nervous and have sooooo many questions. What do I do if they don't go back to the coop? How do you catch a fast chicken on the loose? LOL These girls are incredibly friendly but I tend to believe once they get to free range their human family may not be very exciting!

 

[SummerTheAnimalGirl]

I'm excited about this thread! Our girls are almost 7 weeks old and are starting to get curious about what's beyond the door on the run. Luckily yesterday my reflexes were quick and I stopped one by putting my foot in front of her or she would have been experiencing the big world of scary things. Eek! The girls have been in their coop/run for 3 weeks and have been putting themselves to bed for the last week! Woohoo!
We're in Iowa and unfortunately we have all kinds of predators. We have an acre with a creek at the back of the property. My goal is to be able to let the girls out supervised in the early evening...2-3 hours before sunset.
When can we start letting them out? How do I teach them not to go beyond the creek? I'm nervous and have sooooo many questions. What do I do if they don't go back to the coop? How do you catch a fast chicken on the loose? LOL These girls are incredibly friendly but I tend to believe once they get to free range their human family may not be very

I'm excited about this thread! Our girls are almost 7 weeks old and are starting to get curious about what's beyond the door on the run. Luckily yesterday my reflexes were quick and I stopped one by putting my foot in front of her or she would have been experiencing the big world of scary things. Eek! The girls have been in their coop/run for 3 weeks and have been putting themselves to bed for the last week! Woohoo!
We're in Iowa and unfortunately we have all kinds of predators. We have an acre with a creek at the back of the property. My goal is to be able to let the girls out supervised in the early evening...2-3 hours before sunset.
When can we start letting them out? How do I teach them not to go beyond the creek? I'm nervous and have sooooo many questions. What do I do if they don't go back to the coop? How do you catch a fast chicken on the loose? LOL These girls are incredibly friendly but I tend to believe once they get to free range their human family may not be very exciting!

Hello! Thank you so much for joining the tread. I just went through the same things with my flock, and let me tell ya, it is very frighting letting them out into the big wide world! Soo scary the first day. To be honest, they where only around 7 weeks when I let them free range ALL day. Supervised or not. They have been doing amazing! My advise to you is, let em out! I let my chickens supervise free range when they where around 4 weeks. At first they will just barely go out, and go out a little further each day. Once you are satisfied with how they are doing when you watch them, you can let them out whenever. As long as they have been in the coop for 2 weeks, they will return at dusk. The risk is of course predators. The smaller they are, the more dangerous it is. Lots of things eat chicken, but even more eat chicks. It is def a personal decision! I am really sorryfor the late response! I have been pretty busy. I included a link that was really helpful for me. Ask if you have any more questions!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/what-age-can-chickens-free-range.562244/page-4

 

[Accidentalhomesteader]

Hey!! Our girls are a few months old now and I would like to start letting them out of their run in the afternoons. Is that a good time of day to do it?

 

[SandyRiverChick]

Hey!! Our girls are a few months old now and I would like to start letting them out of their run in the afternoons. Is that a good time of day to do it?

I think that's a great way to start....

 

[Accidentalhomesteader]

Thank you so much!!

 

[SandyRiverChick]

Sometimes when I read the worried Mom type questions I wonder how many kids you have? You know how the more kids, the more relaxed you get? It's the same.... You just don't fret as much when you've had chickens for a long time. I let them free-range at a young age because they have older hens to learn from and I start them in the afternoon close to roosting time. It's all about your own personal level of risk you will accept. People who want 100% guarantee they won't lose a chicken need to stick with runs. You can certainly minimize your risk with common sense things like making sure you have enough fencing to keep large animals, especially dogs away and make sure to be there to lock them up at dusk. Living on a River with Eagles flying up and down river if I was a worrier they'd be stuck in a run. But I'm not and I've only lost one chicken in 20years. I think it was to a hawk, not positive....

 

[Mrs. K]

As an experienced free - ranger with lots of predators, here is my advice:

• Free ranging for a couple of hours will not make up for a too small coop/run, they are not like dogs going for a walk
• I firmly believe that you need enough space to go into lockdown 24/7 when the predators find you. They may not find you at first, but once they do, they will be back. Once I had a coon leave a note, 'please BBQ sauce as we are tired of them plain!"
• Do not set up a routine as I let them out at 7:00 every day. I let mine out sometimes early in the morning, sometimes in the afternoon, and sometimes not at all. Predators are quick to catch on to routines.
• If...when you get hit by a predator - go into total lock down for several days so that the predator moves on, or they will treat your chickens like the taste freeze.
• I don't let mine out on real windy days, or dark cloudy days, too much advantage to the predators.
• A good rooster will help with day time predators. A lot of people say they don't, but not all roosters are good ones. A good one will, but he has to be close to a year old. A cockerel doesn't have a clue.
• The less you let them out, the closer they will stay. The more you let them out, a greater distance they will cover. But this can depend on the rooster too. I had one that never let them get too far, and one that covered quite a bit of territory.
• Training them to come to a treat can be very helpful if you unexpectedly need to gather them up in the middle of the day. Every time you feed them make a call or shake a can till they come running.
• You can get them in with a long stick, and working slow, but it is more of a trick.
• You are apt to lose birds, and always the favorite
• Your eggs will taste better and have brighter yellow yolks.
• When you start, just let them out in the late afternoon. They will naturally return to the coop when darkness starts, not long after sundown, but well before true dark.

Mrs K