4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[Tilly Bud]

Hi everyone!

 

I've had my lovely ladies since last Tuesday and they're settling in nicely! Me and my family would love them to have more roaming space though. They're in the run all the time at the moment cos they're getting used to where they live but i'd like them to be more free range.

 

Our garden is big, filled with bushes and it's not completly secure. There are lots of places where the chickens could hide and if they wondered off in the garden and decided to hide, i think it would be a bit hard to find them. I could secure the garden, but it still has different layers and a lot of bushes to lose them in.

 

My dad really wants them around us when we're out in the garden though and i'm a teeny bit jelous of all of you who have them pottering around with you!

 

What i'm writing to ask is:

 

1. How far do they roam when they are free ranging? Do they stay quite close by?

2. Would they come back to me easily?

3. Do people think i'm being reckless?

 

I will erect a permenent run if the free ranging doesn't go down well, i'd just rather they have full reign of the garden. I would ONLY let them out when i was there with them.

 

Thanks everyone, sorry for the long post!

[Hen Watch]

My chickens love scratching around under bushes. They will love your garden.

 

No need to worry about loosing them in the undergrowth. My lot will come running as soon as I rattle the treats bowl or throw a handful of corn in their run.

 

Just go around your fences/boarders and check for holes in the fence they could get through and block any up with chicken wire or something heavy proped in front.

[Egluntyne]

They will wander out through any gaps in the hedging and may not hear you when you come to get them in.

 

I'd certainly make the perimeters of the garden secure, with netting at the very least.

[..lay a little egg for me]

i'm a teeny bit jelous of all of you who have them pottering around with you!

 

Me too!! Our garden is just far too open to be safe for the chooks to free range completely so they have to live behind electric netting.

[alih]

If you secure the exits they will disappear round and under the bushes but, if they are remotely normal chickens, will come running the minute they hear the door open in a mad frenzy for food. Ours can't escape the garden, but I do spend many a few minutes wondering where they have all disappeared to - occasionally opening the door just to get them to come running so I can count them!

[Helen&Lee]

As everyone says, you need to fill the gaps really.

 

My garden goes around the house so they wander from front to back quite happily, they all come running when they hear the door open though

 

Helen

[Gamebird]

It also depends on whether you have foxes near your garden. Even if you have not seen foxes before, they could well be attracted to your garden when the chickens are free ranging.

 

Sorry to sound so pessimistic but it is worth mentioning.

 

The more confident the chickens become the further they will go. Also, My 6 chickens didn't always go around together and so I would be constantly looking this way and that for them and shaking the treat tin didn't always work.

 

They are now in a large electric fence enclosure safe and sound, free ranging all day and I don't have to be around the whole time to keep watch.

 

That's just my experience.

[craftyhunnypie]

Get training them on sweetcorn - so that they follow sweetcorn trails back to their houses. Ours can be left out all day now wandering - don't go near the road or in the neighbours - just quite happy dustbathing in the flower beds, drinking rain water from an old jam pan & scratching in ' the woods' & mini orchard. Little loves. I never need to weed. They hide under the barbecue cover when it rains rather than run back to their houses. They are all very good girls & boy. My cockerel (Bumble) must be the most soppy cockerel ever (he likes a tickle) & quite quiet too. Couple of crows at 8 - 9am & that's it!

 

Emma.x

[Tilly Bud]

Thank you everyone for getting back to me! I'm going to try and secure the garden and experiment letting them out on a nice day (with my mum, dad, boyfriend, best friend around!) Then if i'm still worrying about them then i'm going to put a big run up i think.

 

I'd like to try and build an aviary type thing (basically a rabbit run but a lot bigger) but i'm having to take into consideration the costs! I'm only 21, at university and working part time! Can anyone thing of a cheaper way to do it?!

[mrsm_jones]

Thank you everyone for getting back to me! I'm going to try and secure the garden and experiment letting them out on a nice day (with my mum, dad, boyfriend, best friend around!) Then if i'm still worrying about them then i'm going to put a big run up i think.

 

I'd like to try and build an aviary type thing (basically a rabbit run but a lot bigger) but i'm having to take into consideration the costs! I'm only 21, at university and working part time! Can anyone thing of a cheaper way to do it?!

 

Ebay should be your friend! I found a lovely man on ebay to build me a 9ft x 15ft walk-in run, cheaper than I could build it mysesf!!!(Or OH's self! )

[Tilly Bud]

Ebay should be your friend! I found a lovely man on ebay to build me a 9ft x 15ft walk-in run, cheaper than I could build it mysesf!!!(Or OH's self! )

 

mrsm_jones, if you don't mind me asking, what was this nice gentleman's name?! I'd like to look him up ! Thanks!

[mrsm_jones]

Have PM'd you Tilly Bud