Free ranging.

[Gaettberry]

Is it wrong of me to only let my girls out to free range when they lay me an egg? They’re newer layers and they lay me an egg about every other day or every two days.im trying to keep it like a reward for them. Any thoughts? Am I cruel for this?

 

[TooCheep]

I can't think of any good reason to do that. Chickens don't lay every day. Even the heaviest layers generally lay about 6 days/week. They don't control it.

I simply let them out every day to free range. Once they've learned to lay in the nest boxes, they'll naturally go back when they feel like laying a new one, so keeping them in the coop/run won't result in more eggs.

 

[saysfaa]

I don't think it is cruel as long as their coop/run is big enough for them to give each enough space.

And you can let them all out or not let any out. Trying to divide the flock is likely to be stressfull for them. I don't see a good way to both let them all out or not and let them out after laying an egg.

It would be no different than any other reason for letting them out sometimes because hey aren't likely to make the connection between laying and going out. Even if they did make the connection, there is nothing they could do to lay more often or earlier in the day.

 

[Mrs. K]

They are not making the connection between laying and getting out. You cannot make them lay more, or earlier in the day. It is not cruel unless they are way over crowded or lacking space.

 

[BDutch]

The only time I locked a hen in (all hens in) was when I knew little and one hen was laying eggs outside. Keeping them in for a few days forced the hen more or less to lay in the nestbox. I laid a fake egg in the nestbox . A fake egg gives the hens the idea it’s safe to lay their egg there too.

You cant control their egg cycle.

 

[TooCheep]

Another way to think about it: Chickens produce eggs the same way that human women produce eggs- automatically according to their biological capability. They don't control it, so keeping them cooped up won't change anything.

 

[Rimu Ridge]

I essentially do what you do (OP) but not because I'm trying to control or force egg production (by the way I don't think that's what you meant either!) but because if I let them out of the run too early, they end up nesting in secret spots and weeks or months later I find these large piles of dubious old eggs.

I keep them in for the first half of the day which means when they need to lay their eggs, they have to use the nesting boxes. In the afternoon they're free to range about the property. When they go back into the coop to roost at night, I close them in which also helps prevent loss to predators. Unfortunately we have wild cats and possums that we've lost hens to in the past. It probably works because our hens tend to lay eggs around the same time of day.

I think it works well overall. We get most or all of the eggs, the hens get around half a day free ranging time each day and a safe roosting spot at night.