How far will chickens roam?

[The Coop Crew]

Quick question! We’ve been letting our chickens free range under supervision as we live right in town. We are always in the same area as they are (like within a few feet and can see them at all times). They do not wander off. They stick to our yard. My question is, if we leave them and go do other stuff outside, like on the other side of the house, will they wander?
Thanks so much!

 

[nuthatched]

They might, though if your yard is more interesting, they usually won't.

 

[Hungry Chicken]

I think it really depends on the chickens! We let our hens free range in our back yard once (under supervision)... one of them naughty girls flew onto the roof! Meanwhile my friend's silkies will happily stay put. How high is the fence? Do you think they could fly over? And are there hawks circling about where you live? Normally they won't attack when people are around but they might come if you just leave them there

 

[The Coop Crew]

I think it really depends on the chickens! We let our hens free range in our back yard once (under supervision)... one of them naughty girls flew onto the roof! Meanwhile my friend's silkies will happily stay put. How high is the fence? Do you think they could fly over? And are there hawks circling about where you live? Normally they won't attack when people are around but they might come if you just leave them there

We don’t have a fence yet. They would just be literally free ranging with no “real” boundaries. They’ve never tried to go anywhere and we let them out multiple times a day under supervision. We don’t have hawks that I’ve seen. We are literally in the middle of town so we don’t have a ton of “wild” predators. I worry about the road though…

 

[Ridgerunner]

if we leave them and go do other stuff outside, like on the other side of the house, will they wander?

Part of that depends on the individual chickens and flock dynamics. Each chicken has its own personality and each flock has its own dynamics. I've had flocks where none of them went more than 150 feet from the coop, ever. I had one that the entire flock went more than 1,000 feet to visit a neighbor's compost pile. I had a flock where the rooster and most of the hens stayed pretty close to the coop but three hens would strike off on their own to play in the road over 200 feet away.

Terrain and physical features play a part. If the grass is short they might wander up to the edge of an uncut hayfield and stop. Some may go into the hayfield. Some will stop at a grownover barbed wire fencerow while others won't. If you are hanging out in your backyard some might come visit you while others will not.

What I typically see is that when they are first let out of their coop/run they tend to stay pretty close for a while. But as they get more comfortable being out they tend to wander further. Some set their ultimate distance fairly close, others will go much further.

 

[The Coop Crew]

Part of that depends on the individual chickens and flock dynamics. Each chicken has its own personality and each flock has its own dynamics. I've had flocks where none of them went more than 150 feet from the coop, ever. I had one that the entire flock went more than 1,000 feet to visit a neighbor's compost pile. I had a flock where the rooster and most of the hens stayed pretty close to the coop but three hens would strike off on their own to play in the road over 200 feet away.

Terrain and physical features play a part. If the grass is short they might wander up to the edge of an uncut hayfield and stop. Some may go into the hayfield. Some will stop at a grownover barbed wire fencerow while others won't. If you are hanging out in your backyard some might come visit you while others will not.

What I typically see is that when they are first let out of their coop/run they tend to stay pretty close for a while. But as they get more comfortable being out they tend to wander further. Some set their ultimate distance fairly close, others will go much further.

Thank you so much for all of that information! As of right now they all stay rather close and one of them follows me around
Maybe I just need to give it a try and see how it goes. Like not actually go to far away but where they can’t see me and see what they do!

 

[Evadig]

Most of mine (various ages, 6 weeks (but with a momma hen) to 2.5 years) stay in the yard and fairly close to the coop (it is fenced, but it is also a big yard and partly wooded), but two make a beeline for the fence, the road, and the neighbor's yard the minute they get out of of the run. Those two do not free range any more!

 

[The Coop Crew]

Most of mine (various ages, 6 weeks (but with a momma hen) to 2.5 years) stay in the yard and fairly close to the coop (it is fenced, but it is also a big yard and partly wooded), but two make a beeline for the fence, the road, and the neighbor's yard the minute they get out of of the run. Those two do not free range any more!

Naughty naughty! Lol. It’s so funny how different each chicken is lol
I think I may let them try without supervision (I’ll be hiding where I can see them) and see how they do!