How to start free ranging?

[DemeterAD9]

I’ve poked around and read lots of “should/can I free range” but I haven’t been able to find the HOW do I start?

First time owning chickens and it’s been going pretty well, already hatched eggs, raised chicks, butchered extra roos, even sold 2 extra roos! Only thing missing is eggs but soon enough I’ll check that off the list.

Initially when I decided to get chickens I already had it in my head to free range for a few hours every day (when I or someone else is home to watch them). The 24 birds are between 11 and 18 weeks and are starting to excape the run. It is not covered and only 5ft 1in chicken wire secured to fencing meant for pigs. Catching the youngesters is easy as they are more tame, catching the one naughty older pullet is traumatic for me and her. I clipped one wing yesterday and she’s out there now being a turd. I’m guessing she is excaping because of the cockerel chasing her but I’m not sure. So I’m debating how to start free ranging them on my next day off. But where do I begin?

I’m thinking it’s as simple as leaving the door open and see what they do. Maybe leave the coop and the run door open? How do I get them back inside at night? They don’t have a solid recall yet, but they do come running when they see me holding their dish of wet mash.

The roo I have is a good boy so far, he sounds alarms at birds flying over, the cats walking by and the dogs. He doesn’t run away from my but rather calls the other birds over when I have food for them.

My dogs and cats will not harm the birds, in both cases one is scared of them and the other is curious. They don’t even bother them when they are in the run. I only expect the dogs to maybe bark at them the first week or so as they will be “strange animals walking in the yard”.

We have something like 2 acres, which isn’t a lot but the closest house is about 200-300yrds through the woods. Woods on 2 sides, public land across the road, crop field on the other side. I expect them to scratch around in the woods more often than not.

So how would you begin free ranging? How do I train them to return to the coop? Will they pull a disappearing act and run off never to be seen again?

 

[aart]

So how would you begin free ranging? How do I train them to return to the coop? Will they pull a disappearing act and run off never to be seen again?

Hopefully your birds are all going to roost on their own each night.
Start by letting them out of the run late in the day, an hour or so before roosting time. They'll probably stay fairly close and hopefully go to roost when the time is right. If all goes well let them out a bit earlier each day.

BTW, being out there with them may not really protect them much.

 

[igorsMistress]

Hello. Start about an hour before dark and leave the run/coop door open. It may take a few times for everyone to come and go, some are braver than others. Usually when a few go the rest will follow. They won’t go far because it’s near dark, but you can gradually increase their time out as your schedule permits. After full dark do a head count to make everyone returned, but they should know by now where they roost and that the coop is a safe place at night. That being said, sometimes a straggler will push it to the last minute, or some may be afraid to enter the coop if they’re out until dark. In this case you can put a light in the coop and turn it off when you lock up.

I would suggest you put a at least a bird net over the top to keep the escapees in. Otherwise they’ll continue to escape even when you’re not home to corral them.

 

[DemeterAD9]

BTW, being out there with them may not really protect them much.

It’s more so to make sure they stay out of the road. I understand the risks of free ranging. The only day time creatures to worry about are hawks, and TBH if one grabs a chicken and doesn’t let go by the time I get to it... there’s a good chance of it being stomped and/or kicked.

I like the idea of letting them out in the evenings, I’ll try that!

I would suggest you put a at least a bird net over the top to keep the escapees in.

As for the escapees, I’m thinking of ways to add a wire or other material that won’t let them perch on the fencing. Or maybe I’ll have to see about doing some math, I just might have enough chicken wire left over to cover the top of the run too.

 

[igorsMistress]

It’s more so to make sure they stay out of the road. I understand the risks of free ranging. The only day time creatures to worry about are hawks, and TBH if one grabs a chicken and doesn’t let go by the time I get to it... there’s a good chance of it being stomped and/or kicked.

I like the idea of letting them out in the evenings, I’ll try that!





As for the escapees, I’m thinking of ways to add a wire or other material that won’t let them perch on the fencing. Or maybe I’ll have to see about doing some math, I just might have enough chicken wire left over to cover the top of the run too.

You could always cut the roll in half the long way and attach near the top to make the wall higher. That would be flimsy enough nobody could really perch on it and maybe make it too high to fly over.

 

[Ridgerunner]

One problem I had when first starting free ranging was that they don't always understand the concept of "gate". When it starts to get dark they want to return to the place they typically sleep. They can be desperate to return. But they want to return straight there. I've had some go up to a fence and try to go through. They are stuck. They don't understand that the gate they have gone through a few times that day is still open and just a few feet away. I've had to herd them to that gate so they could go to bed.

Most don't have that problem, they can figure out a gate. For the few that have the problem they learn after one or two nights. I understand you plan to be out there with them but it is important especially the first few nights that you are there when it starts getting dark and they want to return to the coop.

 

[DemeterAD9]

Decided to try it out tonight. Let them out 2hrs before dark and watched them the whole time. They were definitely curious and all but the hen who had her wing clipped came out to explore a bit. The area around the coop is messy from when I was trying to catch the naughty hen earlier in the week so do ignore that.


Mister man here was a good boy other than chasing the pullets and trying to force them.

Hopeful second in command roo in the making but there are 3 others. One was trying to crow this AM.

This friendly little thing is a smart cookie. Once it came time to roost she simply flew up onto the roof of the lean-to and dropped into the run. She is one that has escaped a couple times but lets me pick her up so she got to keep her feathers.

About half the birds found their way back in alone, the others were herded to the gate and funneled into the run with the help of the extra chicken wire. The 2 cats watched from their usual evening hunting grounds (wood pile and old boat trailer) which sort of freaked them out but they didn't scatter or run away. I only counted 23 out of 24 after they roosted but I'm pretty sure the one is just squished into a corner under the other birds.

 

[PatriciafromCO]

Things that work for new animals. All new animals at any age are smaller pen contained for the first 30 days (fed, water, clean and spend quiet time with them). So they can learn this is their new home.

Bucket shaking when you go to feed.. Once they learn bucket shake means food they will run to follow you and you feed them back in their containment area. you can teach them with the bucket shake, to return to the containment at any time of the day. I Paired it with saying "Barn" be consistent with the reward so they learn.

security cameras are nice to see animal areas. Any time my geese were go under the barb wire onto the easement by the road. I would step outside with the bucket shaking get them all running towards me and into the barn to dump the feed.. Over time all I had to do is call out "fence" from the house and the geese would come back in the yard or come back towards the house before they went under the fence.

Free range areas should have some sort of run to shelter coverage, bushes/tall grass/ ( simple proped up pallet) your vehicles parked in that area work great too..

have fun

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Nice looking birds.

 

[DemeterAD9]

Well they’ve been out 4/5 times for a couple hours before dark without incident, until today. This will be a bit of a rant.

Thursdays are my only weekday off and 4 pullets had already jumped the fence so I decided to let them all out today around 2. Thursdays are also when the family comes to visit (I live with my parents). I notified one sister who likes to bring her dog (an Akita). Told her the birds would be out and if she brings the dog it would have be put on the chain. Apparently “it’s not your house so you can’t tell me what I can/can’t do” which wasn't exactly said but that’s about how it went.

Well as always, everyone disregarded my concerns and after a few hours of the dog running free with her shock collar on they stopped watching her. Low and behold the dog grabbed a BJG pullet and ripped out most her tail feathers and a chunk of skin. When I informed my sister she said “well I don’t know what to tell you”. All I said was “I told you” refering to the text I sent about keeping her dog on a chain, I think she got upset at that. In hindsight I should of been the one watching the dog, but I figured the owner would keep an eye on her. A lot of good a shock collar does if you aren’t watching them.

The dog has a history of randomly attacking other dogs, not enough to cause major harm but still. Her prey drive is too much, she chases cars so that should be obvious. Now our beagle, a hunting dog, is only interested in the chicken feed. She has only walked over to sniff the birds and check out what I had been feeding them. A chicken safe dog if I ever saw one. Heck when she caught a mouse she let it go unharmed. I just don’t understand why everyone thought my sister’s dog would leave my birds alone.

Even if I don’t let them out I can’t guarantee the birds will always be in the run as they can and do escape. I really would rather the dog be kept on the chain until the birds are put away for the night. Is that so hard to ask? Yes I can make the fence taller and not let them out on my day off, but putting the dog on a chain for the few hours they are here is so much easier. “She needs to run” but I honestly could care less about the dog, even before the chicken issue. Too much bad history with that particular dog. I’d much rather enjoy watching my birds free range on my day off.

They went to bed on their own for the most part tonight. Just had to herd 4 of them to the gate. I took the chance to grab the wounded pullet and give her a once over, I was worried about her preen gland getting ripped off but she still has it. Luckily I think my little bird will be okay, I’ll be applying some spray in the morning. Will update if anything else happens.