Free Range?

[notmilk]

When we get our chickens we would like to lat them be a free range as possible but wonder about the practicalities of doing so.
Our garden has the house on one side, a six foot high solid feather edge fence to side 1 and front, and a low wall to next doors garden on side 2.
I would expect to be erecting a fence of sorts between ourselves and next door (though not completely opaque as we get on well with the neighbours!).
So - with a completely enclosed garden would it be OK to just leave the coop open 24/7?
Or do they NEED to be locked in at night/let out in the morning?
My wife and I both work, so the house is empty much of the time.
TIA for any feedback,
Roger & Dawn

[Shortie]

Hi Notmilk

I thought the same when I had chickens last year. Ours were free range but I lovked them up at night. The one night I didn't, a fox or something came and took all bar one.

Also, they were becoming quite cheeky in my garden, pulling up my garlic bulbs (even through the netting I put down to stop them) and jumping my 6 foot fence into my Mum and Dad's). As me and my OH work during the day too, we weren't there to stop them fence hopping. We imagined coming home one day to have the neightbours 5 doors down telling us our chickens were in theirs or something similar!

It's a lovely thought and I dreaded having to lock them up all the time but I persoanlly found in a normal sized garden, it just didn't seem to be working...?

Definately recommend locking them in at night though. I found mine naturally went into their run when it got dark or wet anyway so it at least I didn't have to chase them round the garden!

I'm sure Poultrychat or the other grapes might be able to put other scope on it though..?

[poultrychat]

Lock them up, it's not worth the risk - foxes will find them

[Mucky Lizz!!]

Hi,
I have free range chickens, and I live in a rural setting with foxes seen just 25 yards away from my garden. I do not lock mine up at night (unless hubby wants a lay in!!) Around the pheasant pens we have always spread urine (yes human) and this deters the foxes away (and probably your neighbours too!!), but the only thing I can think of is that my dogs are out urinating in the garden.
As for your fencing, my hens can fly onto a 5' fence with no problem at all. Which means keeping them out of the veggie patch is a problem, although they cannot negotiate chicken wire if not framed up as they cannot see the top of the wire to fly onto.
Good luck with your chucks

[thingybobby]

Free Range?

If you're going "Free Range" in your garden, you've pretty much lost it to the chooks, since they'll decimate most vegetation within no time at all.

Consider giving over just some of it and rotating the space to reseed grass or whatever?

Why not simply clip their wings to prevent too much fence jumping?

I lock mine away each night only, otherwise you will eventually have theft or predatory losses.

Thingybobby

[adam connor]

I have 2 acres of "garden", we inherited nearly 30 fully free range chickens. they absolutely love it and have a fab life . they yield wonderful eggs. they went to roost in their house themselves. i used to have to close and open the door each day but bought (about eighty quid) an automatic chicken door opening whihc opens and closes with the sun FANTASTIC couldn't speak more highly. we go away for a week at a time and leave them fresh water, grain in the feeder but in truth they drink from the pond and find their own food most of the time - as that is their preference.
However, they destry most of what is not covered or netted. My veggie plot is bullet prof but emerging bulbs take their chances we have now reduced to 6 chickens and 2 guinea fowl because of this fact. I put in 100 polyanthas - all in flower. they ate every flower in 24 hours - disheartening or what?

[Squirrel]

Reading through the thread, I think your best best would be to keep them in a run while you are not at home, and letting them out when you are. This at least means that they are safe from foxes, dogs etc. As thingybobby says cut one wing so that they can't fly over the fence - believe me they will try!

I agree with those who say, lock them up at night. It's not worth the heartbreak of finding headless chickens because you thought they were safe! Above all enjoy them!

[Sunbeam]

Mine live out free range - two roost in the trees - they can fly to higher levels if there is no house - the other three (rescue) have lived in a converted dog kennel - we do tend to shut them away at night - but they always find their own way out in the mornings!

At the mo only one is returning to her house in the evening - one is sleeping at the corner of the house & we pick her up and put her to bed - the other is sleeping 'wild' - a chicken on the edge!! I get my three year old son to wee on the boundry of the chicken coop & have also collected human hair from the hairdresser & trapped it under stones etc at the edge of their house - so far so good!

[Alice]

What a lovely idea Sunbeam, but let me assure you that one fox and all chickens will be gone ! It is a matter of risk assesment, as with all else. Do you give the chickens a total free life until the day the fox gets them or curtail their activities, and keep them safe from the fox. As with everything else, I think there is a road in the middle. I wish you many BIG EGGS!

[Sunbeam]

The two who live in the trees are inherited from when we bought the house - we thought when we got the rescue girls that it may entice them to move indoors - but they like their tree - the two who have decided not to return to the house are broody, it's a matter of putting the one we can find to bed & hunting for the other...I use wee and hair as a precaution!

I have vivid memories of a fox getting in the henhouse - we had approx 20 chickens when I was about 10 years old.Very early one morning (4am-ish) I got up to use the loo and heard a racket from the hen house. Being a 10 year old child I thought nothing of it - until we went to feed them the next morning - I heard one of my girls clucking at 2am the other morning & was out with a torch in my PJ's looking for her! Some things you just don;t forget!

[Jaxom]

When we change the rules of nature we can expect problems.
If a fox catches a bird in the wild, it gets just one meal as all the other birds fly out of harms way.
If a fox gets in a birdhouse then it kills more than it can possibly eat. Nature has taught the fox to stop the birds making a noise, hence the high death rate.
Keeping the perimeter safe from the fox is a better way of protecting the birds, but the costs involved are immense.

[chickenkeeper]

I live in an ordinary house with a very medium sized garden surrounded not by fields unfortunately, and I have 2 chicken had them about 8 weeks now, I have an eglu and an attached run, I work all day home about 5pm and when i get home or my daughter gets in from school we let them free range in the garden, I shut them in when they roost at night. I have fenced off my veggie patch but they go everywhere else, no escapees as yet we have a secure garden with 5/6 ft high fencing and I did clip their wings when I got them. At weekends I let them out when we are in, I have seen urban foxes on our estate so wouldnt risk leaving them free ranging whilst we are out. They go into their house at dusk no problem but in the day if you have to get them in cos your'e going out, its a bit of a challenge to say the least, I think the neighbours may start selling tickets!

[Squirrel]

As someone told me - they KNOW when you are going out and plan to make life as difficult as possible! Get half in and the other half make a break for it and before you know where you are they are all out again!

Been there, done that - and still manage to do it even though I should know better!

[Mucky Lizz!!]

The only reason a chicken will go back in during the day is to feed, water or to lay an egg!! I have just moved this years pullets from the greenhouse to the chicken house, I put them in once dark and let them out next morning from their new house, I wanted to go to bed early one night, as it doesn't get dark until 11pm I usually have to wait up so I could close them in, so I tried to heard all 20 in to the house! an hour later I gave up and left them till it had gone dusk! most nights I have to collect 1 chuck who has decided to stay out, many mornings I open the door and a chuck greets me, I have no idea where it is roosting!!
As for the clipping of a wing, they can still fly up and onto a 4foot fence- trust me! If you want a bird that cannot fly get a silkie, they have trouble getting onto a perch 10" off the floor!!!