Often one of the first things a new chicken owner wants to do is let the flock out to free-range. One of the joys of owning chickens is doing other chores as they interact with each other, you, and their environment. Free-ranging provides a larger and more varied environment for your chickens. Before free-ranging your chickens, however, there are some steps you should take to make sure your flock gains the most benefits from free-ranging, that they remain safe, and that they return to the safety of the house at night. One of the jobs of responsible animal husbandry (taking care of animals used for food or products), is to provide them with a safe environment. There is no way to ensure 100% safety, but there are ways to make their free-ranging as safe as possible.
In deciding whether or not your chickens can free-range, you should study the benefits and dangers of free-ranging and decide what will work best for your particular flock. There is no “one size fits all” method of free-ranging. Some people decide that the dangers are too great, and so they work to provide their chickens with a large run where they can still get plenty of exercise and fresh air but in a protected environment. Others let their chickens free-range while managing the risks as best they can.
Benefits of free-ranging
Reduced feed costs – When chickens free-range, they eat bugs, grasses, seeds, leaves and other treats they find outside, and that means they eat less feed.
Higher quality eggs and meat – free-ranging makes in the nutritional content of eggs. Free-ranging provides benefits to chickens that are raised for meat as well. Free-range chickens have 21% less total fat, 30% less saturated fat and 28% fewer calories than their factory-farmed counterparts.” Simply put, eggs and meat from free-ranged chickens are healthier for us.
Insect control – Chicken love to eat a wide variety of insects. When they free-range, they are able to find and eat more insects. Many people let chickens free-range in their gardens during the winter to help control grubs and other insects that could harm their plants later in the year.
Fertilizing and aerating the soil – all that scratching, pecking and pooping in the soil does a great job of keeping the dirt loosened, fertilized and aerated.
More natural – When chickens free-range, they are able to do what nature intended them to do. They can scratch and dig in the dirt to find bugs and leaves and to forage for other things to eat. They can run and exercise their wings by flying short distances. They can snooze in the sun or find a nice place to take a dust bath which is essential in controlling parasites and conditioning their skin.
Dangers of free-ranging
Predators – The biggest challenge of free-ranging is protecting the flock from predators. While well-constructed fences may keep out some dogs, coyotes and other 4-legged predators, many predators can (and do) climb or dig under, jump over or navigate their way through fences. Flying predators (owls, hawks, etc.) are a common danger for free-ranged chickens. It’s difficult to protect your flock from overhead attacks.
First be aware. Even if you’re inside the house, listen for excessive noise from the chickens outside. Chickens frequently squawk and cluck, but as you become more familiar with your flock, you’ll learn what sounds they make when they’re panicked or feeling threatened. If you hear unusual sounds from your chickens, investigate immediately.
Second, provide cover for your chickens. When free-range chickens are threatened, they can use the cover of a shelter or trees, bushes and other vegetation for protection from predators.
Have a rooster with your flock. Most roosters instinctively look out for their hens. The hens stay near him as they free-range, and the rooster keeps an eye out for predators such as hawks, owls, foxes and raccoons – anything he recognizes as dangerous.
Many chicken owners use supervised free-ranging. Make sure that when you release the flock you keep an eye on them for any possible danger, until you can let them inside their houses again.
Finally, no matter what you do to protect your chickens while free-ranging, you will likely lose one occasionally. If you don’t feel you can handle a loss, then free-ranging probably isn’t for you. It can be distressing to find a partially eaten chicken, to have a chicken just disappear or to find that a few feathers are all that’s left of your favorite chicken. However, most free-range flock owners accept that an occasional loss is the trade-off for allowing their chickens to roam freely.
Weather – Another danger to free-range chickens is the weather. A covered shelter or access to their cage (permanent or portable) is necessary in case of heavy rain, hail or other weather-related threats.
Chickens may find “unusual” places to lay their eggs – While this isn’t a “danger,” it is an inconvenience you may experience. When chickens free-range for a large part of the day, they will often lay their eggs in a cozy-looking place outside rather than in the nest boxes in the coop. Sometimes you can find caches of 20 or more eggs that have been laid in a hollow in the ground, under a bush, or anywhere else that appeals to the chickens. If you keep the chickens in the cages for the first week or two, they become accustomed to laying in the nest boxes, and they’ll hopefully continue returning to the nest boxes to lay even when they’re free-ranging. You can also provide nest boxes outside for your hens. Despite efforts to encourage them to lay in nest boxes, there’s no sure-fire way to prevent them from laying elsewhere. If you have a sudden decrease in the number of eggs each day, observe your hens as they free-range to see where else they might be laying.
Landscape damage – If you have a favorite flower bed that you don’t want destroyed, devise some way to keep your chickens out of it. Chickens seem to have an uncanny ability to zero in on any area where you don’t want them to forage. Their natural instinct to scratch, peck and take dust baths can spell disaster for gardens and mulched areas. Whether or not this is a concern for you depends on the area where your chickens will free-range.
Finally, when you want to begin free-ranging your flock, research the benefits and dangers and then make an informed decision about what you feel will work best for your flock. Except for the basics of responsible animal husbandry, nothing is written in stone. Be open to modifying your free-ranging set-up as needed – and then enjoy the benefits of a free-ranged flock.
Contact Jaguza Support