Where Does YOUR Flock Love to Hang Out?

[OneMountainAcres]

Whether you free range or your flock is confined, share their favorite place to hang out!


My flock free ranges every day from around 7:30 am till about 7:30 pm or whenever they put themselves to bed. I love watching them outside the window or hanging out with them in the yard. But if I ever don't see them, I don't worry

This pine tree, just beyond our sand mound is their favorite place in the world! If I don't see them, odds are that all 17 of them are tucked underneath They have roosts as high as they dare go, a dust bathing pit dug in the dirt, a cozy leafy spot made for lounging which is curtained by pine branches that come the whole way to the ground, and just outside, a perfect sunny spot for sunbathing.

This is their little doorway off to the side. Sugar is roosting on the lower branch while Cloud is relaxing higher up. Chip is watching over.

Here Lacy, Midnight, and Cookie are roosting on a branch, Cotton is relaxing in the leaves, and Princess is enjoying a dust bath.

A little sunbathing out on the mound

 

[chickyfuzz]

Well my chickens like to just free range from 7:30am to 12pm at 12 they go under trees for shelter and then at 1pm they go out and free range until there shut up.

 

[krista74]

My flock (6 pullets and one cockerel) have their coop, and access to a large fenced run area (with a couple of trees and bushes to hide under inside it) to play in. They get let out of the coop at about 11am most days, and come home to roost at 5.20pm when it gets dark (it's Winter here at the moment.) They even stay out in the rain (by choice!) during the day.

They DO NOT like it on the odd day that they don't get to play outside in the run!

Hubby keeps telling me that I should let them out of the run so they can explore the rest of our property. We have a couple of acres here that the chickens have never seen. It is lush and on the banks of a creek.

I have only had my chickens for a couple of months, and am worried that if I let them out into the wider yard to play, they will never find their way back to their fenced coop (it's at the far end of the property.) Even worse, what if they know the way back but JUST DON'T WANT TO GO?!

I am terrified I will never see them again if I let them out to play! What do you all think?

Krista

PS: Looks like those pine trees are great fun!

 

[OneMountainAcres]

Lol, you sound like me! This is my first flock of chickens (right now it's 13 pullets and 4 cockerels!). I was terrified to let them out the first couple times and we did it as a family, watching their every move, keeping them in the general area that we wanted them but after 3 days of "herding" them out of the woods I decided to just let them go. I stayed with letting them out about an hour or so before they normally put themselves to bed just to make sure they'd return to the coop on their own which they did each day, they fit more time and each day they would wander further. We have 1.3 acres and they've been allowed to free range daily now for 2-3 weeks. They've never left the property (still trying to figure out how they know the boundries lol) and have never failed to return to the coop. It takes a lot of guys the first couple times. I know u was a nervous wreck but it's wonderful once you're comfortable with it

 

[jstlitlome]

My flock (6 pullets and one cockerel) have their coop, and access to a large fenced run area (with a couple of trees and bushes to hide under inside it) to play in. They get let out of the coop at about 11am most days, and come home to roost at 5.20pm when it gets dark (it's Winter here at the moment.) They even stay out in the rain (by choice!) during the day.

They DO NOT like it on the odd day that they don't get to play outside in the run!

Hubby keeps telling me that I should let them out of the run so they can explore the rest of our property. We have a couple of acres here that the chickens have never seen. It is lush and on the banks of a creek.

I have only had my chickens for a couple of months, and am worried that if I let them out into the wider yard to play, they will never find their way back to their fenced coop (it's at the far end of the property.) Even worse, what if they know the way back but JUST DON'T WANT TO GO?!

I am terrified I will never see them again if I let them out to play! What do you all think?

Krista

PS: Looks like those pine trees are great fun!

Sounds like you have had them in their coop/run long enough that they will call that home. I let mine free range as often as I can (depending on which dogs are at my house) and they rarely stray further than our immediate yard. We have 15 acres, but they are usually just under the fir tree 50 feet from their coop. (their favorite place for resting, getting shade and dust bathing!) They also love to free range in our woods when it is windy to keep from blowing away. But when I come out yelling "chickie, chickie, chickie" they come running to me and follow me into their run because they know that I will give them some scratch as a reward! If I just let them range all day, they put themselves into the coop at dusk and all I have to do is shut the door after they are in. Chickens like to be near home. They also like to stay close because if a hawk flies over, they all run under their coop. Smart chickies!

 

[krista74]

OK, you have all given me hope!

This afternoon, maybe around 4pm, I will let them free into the wider yard, wish them well, and hope for the best!

Fingers crossed that George is a good leader and brings them all safely home

I think they will love our yard. There are areas of bushland, areas with pine trees, and plenty of grubs to forage for, thanks to the creek front environment.

My cat, who is most interested in the chickens (in a curious way, not an 'I like chicken for dinner' kind of way!) will be most intrigued to discover them roaming free!

I think I may have to block out an hour of my day to watch this! Chicken tv, lol.....

Thanks all! Krista

 

[Pinkaboo]

In my art studio
Think they must remember growing up in there

 

[CindaLouWho]

Mine like to hide under the deck. They are there for the majority of the day.

 

[ChirpyChicks1]

My flock just recently started free ranging, from whenever-I-wake-up o'clock to whenever-they-go-to-bed o'clock

Their favorite place to hang out is under a couple of bushes or my daughters trampoline.

 

[TwistedFeathers]

Mine love to sit on my garden, nothing growing in there atm as here it's winter, but they will spend a fair while chilling out there, as well as the compost heap, always lots of fun to be had there, and a little tree by the dog's kennel.