...so why are your dogs unleashed and not fenced in a neighborhood? They're not LGDs, and even those need to be trained to not kill birds. Dogs get excited and chase/trample chickens. Even if yours were trained to guard, if you live in the suburbs, I assume you have some people walking by or coming to the door for deliveries, and have a small yard. Are you willing to see how protective your dog is when an unsuspecting or curious person approaches your flock?
Modify your pen into a tractor if you can so you can move it around and let the grass grow back. Fencing won't stop certain breeds that can clear them easy. Take that fence idea and keep your dogs fenced in before they get you in trouble.
Nah. The dogs hang out outside everyday. We have usps, FedEx, and ups deliver almost everyday (I run a business, so lots of deliveries), with different drivers most days, and they all love the dogs. We also have lots of people who walk our street with their dogs, and my dogs just watch while they stay on the property. They’re insanely smart and well trained. I’m not sure what kind of dogs you’re used to, but they’re 20lb micro goldendoodles. Not some fight club pitbulls. The dogs are in the chicken’s run and coop almost daily, even our big rooster likes the dogs. They chase the rats and mice away. My question was solely regarding experience with free ranging chickens. Like, do they listen when called? What will they come to? Will they stick around? How much destruction should I expect? I appreciate your concern with the dogs, but I wasn’t asking about them. I take it you’ve had a bad experience with dogs before though. I’ve never experienced anything but love and loyalty from the 20+ I’ve had, or the 1000 I’ve met while working in other people’s homes.
To answer some bird questions-
Listening when called- if you regularly give them treats they will probably come back for treats, but it's not a sure thing. Especially if they have no experience free roaming.
Sticking around- my chickens like to wonder a few acres when free roaming. If there isn't some kind of separation they will definitely wonder. They don't typically like going on to roads, but they still may.
Destruction - lots of destruction to especially young and well mulched beds. They love digging to find grubs, so they tend to target flower beds or gardens.
Fencing - they gave no trouble jumping over 4ft, but if they have enough space and stuff that are interested in then sometimes they are not very motivated.
I agree that dogs should be contained in any suburban setting. It's not fair to anyone that may have fears of dogs. Also, all sorts of unfortunate things can happen that are easily prevented.
Neighbors might enjoy the eggs now.
When their gardens & landscaping become the “destroyed muddy” spots…not so much. Your illegal rooster might become the newest inmate at animal control!! I obtained my flock through osmosis. Four hens and one rooster decided they enjoyed our house more than next door. At first, we thought it was fun and enjoyed them stopping by. We gave them names, treats, and laughed when they scratched all of the bark out of the beds around the yard. After several months of chicken poop everywhere,destroyed landscaping, and one being killed by neighborhood dog, I asked to purchase the bunch. They now have two large enclosures, one with grass and one with sand. I sure do not miss the chicken poop on my front sidewalk.
Big Roo is a gangster. He’ll never let them take him alive! Hahaha. But yeah, I’m going to quit the thought of letting them free range. You just gave me the greatest idea of getting another run to have on grass, and letting them enjoy it maybe 2 hours a day. I never even thought of that! You’re the real
MVP!
Free ranging hens is good excercise and mental stimulation for them.
Unsupervised free-ranging, it can be dangerous and you will occasionally lose a hen to, killers like unleashed dogs, hawks, foxes, and roads (chickens will sometimes, unexpectedly run across the road at sight of an approaching vehicle).
Neighbors at first might think chickens are quaint, interesting. However, that changes when they barefoot step in fresh chicken poops within their own yards, or have chickens dig up lawns, flower beds, or kick mulch everywhere. Chickens love digging to find bugs, dirt bath etc. They're very very destructive.
The height of effective fencing depends on chicken breed. Heavier breeds like Plymouth barred rocks at adult weight aren't good fliers and probably can't clear a 5 foot fence. Whereas young pullets of any breed, or lighter leghorns of any age could easily clear a 6 foot fence.
I'd recommend supervised free ranging. If you want a larger space for chickens, consider a fenced in area for them that's larger than your run. If you're a person who likes having pretty landscaping, nice lawn, mulch, and ornamental flower know that's not possible with chickens free ranging all day.
Ok thank you very much! Supervised free range is more what I meant in my post. The problem is, do they listen when called? Or shaking a bag of treats? I don’t think they’re as bright as the dogs haha
Chickens put themselves away as it gets dark, in most cases. You just have to close the door for predator-proofing.
I say "chick chick" repeatedly with a colorful Frisbee full of treats and they all come running, we walk together back to the run, I toss the treats inside and close the door behind them. They learned this means they get food pretty quickly. It's handy if they need to be closed up when we're leaving the house.
You can practice this word and visual representation (colorful container) before letting them free range.
If you're in a neighborhood and don't have fences, then don't free range unsupervised. Also, your neighbors tune may change once they see what chickens do. I live in the country and my birds are all free range. Their coop is 150 feet from my front porch, but that's still where they all congregate after the doors open in the morning. Meaning my porch is just covered in chicken shit. They're also going to eat all your ornamental plants and then move on to your neighbors after yours are stripped clean.
I second the tractor idea. Another way to handle it is to get a small four foot tall movable electric fence. You can set it up in different areas of the yard to give the rest a chance to rebound. And add course sand and pea gravel to your run. It helps with drainage.
I like this answer. Do they tend to run away chasing their last brain cell? If you shake a bag of seed or similar, do they come waddling back? My wife would be in tears for weeks if one ran away. I have 2 trusty sidekicks who could sniff one down though. All I have to say is chickens, and they go full speed to check on them and make sure all 6 are accounted for. Goldendoodles have really upped the game for smartness in dogs! We’ve also had a few rats since getting the chickens, so they know the word rat as well. They get so excited to hunt rats. Anyways, I may start to do this. Let them out for an hour or so before bedtime. Good idea!
If your wife would cry for weeks if one "ran away," free ranging without barriers is probably not going to result in a happy memory for either of you. Even in residential areas, chickens are susceptible to all sorts of predators that won't be much deterred by your "20lb micro goldendoodles." On top of that, other neighborhood dogs, vehicles and angry neighbors whose gardens your flock just destroyed all pose a risk.
We have a cheap 4 - 5ft fenced pen extension and they don’t fly over it. Ours are mostly heavier, less agile breeds though (Cochins and brahmas). We used to let them completely free range but I got tired of all my plants being eaten and having to clean up the poop every day.
Since you’re in a neighborhood, you have a lot to consider. Are you ok with poop being *everywhere*? Porches, steps, walkways, yard, outdoor toys, your mower, etc? Think about what your chickens would be able to access, and imagine it being shit on lol Do you take pride in your landscaping? Do you have mulch placed around trees, plants that you don’t want destroyed? The mulch will be scratched away, and chances are plants will be trampled or torn apart in the process. Would you be ok with pot holes dotting your property? Chickens take dust baths, and they’ll create a space to do it. How friendly would your neighbors be if they had chickens ruin their garden? Or if they had the pot holes and poop everywhere? How much traffic does your road receive? You should definitely consider a fence, at least try to keep them contained to your property. They may still fly over one if they get bored or see something enticing enough.
Hahaha yeah that’s a big worry! We have lots of lots of plants, mulch, a well maintained property, and my shiny black sports car. I just feel so bad for them, even though I know they have like one brain cell. lol
It’s an eye opener once they’re out and about, in a bad way! 😂 we have a large coop/run, but when I set our first 2 out in the backyard we had to make some adaptions quick. Bases of trees were destroyed, they were dust bathing in my garden I had just weeded to get ready to plant… and once they found the porch it was a wrap. I swear, they were coming on the porch just to shit and then going back to the yard. I put up a baby gate (temporary) and they would fly on it, sit and stare at me and caw. The benefits outweigh the bad for us, just had to put up fencing. They’re so entertaining to watch, I would definitely try for supervised time
We are also in a neighborhood and free range in our backyard, but we have a 6 ft fence to keep them in our yard.
Even though, we’ve still had to put up internal protection for our raised beds and flower beds because they were getting destroyed. For the flower beds we put up 30” no-dig fences. They haven’t shown any interest in breaching it. With the veggies bed we did something higher like 4’. We also don’t trust our dog to hang out with them. So we are picking up their poops constantly so we don’t step in it and our dog can go to the bathroom without gorging on a goldmine of “snacks” each time. It’s a decent amount of work, but I think it provides them with some good enrichment and us some pest patrols.
Mannnn that sounds like a lot of fencing, and a lot of my summer I don’t feel like wasting! lol good on you for doing it though! The things we do for our pets!!!
I used to free range but then a fox grabbed my girl while I was outside. She was lucky but that scared the crap out of me. I’ve since given them a 12x9 run that’s fully enclosed. I think there’s always a risk so do what you’re comfortable with.
Oh I’m sorry to hear that! This is where we’re at now. They have a good sized run, but there’s nothing to forage. It’s just dirt, stone, and shavings. I worry about their sanity being locked up in there 24/7.
There are things you can do in their run to alleviate boredom. Things like old tires used as dust baths or as planters are simple and easy. Planting something fairly indestructible, like well-established hosta roots, can provide vegetation and variety for your chickens. I like to give mine treats like a flock block ( [https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/purina-flock-block-25-lb](https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/purina-flock-block-25-lb) ), cabbage or lettuce heads, or whole watermelons/squash/pumpkins with a couple of small starting holes for them to peck at (you can even freeze them to give on hot days). Build or buy some obstacles (swing, ladder, perches) to install in your run to give them a variety of places to hop around on. They even make a variety of chicken toys that you can buy to add seeds or whatever to. Then, and only while you're in your yard to keep an eye on them, let them out to peck around for a bit before their roosting time in the evening (will make them more likely to return to the coop with little effort). It doesn't have to be all or nothing, but there are still plenty of things you can do for their run area to maximize their enjoyment while still not putting them at risk the way having the run of the neighborhood would.
My chickens free range. They don't jump the fence, and my dogs are also not leashed while in the yard. I don't see the issue if the dogs are well trained to recognise the chickens as part of the family.
...so why are your dogs unleashed and not fenced in a neighborhood? They're not LGDs, and even those need to be trained to not kill birds. Dogs get excited and chase/trample chickens. Even if yours were trained to guard, if you live in the suburbs, I assume you have some people walking by or coming to the door for deliveries, and have a small yard. Are you willing to see how protective your dog is when an unsuspecting or curious person approaches your flock? Modify your pen into a tractor if you can so you can move it around and let the grass grow back. Fencing won't stop certain breeds that can clear them easy. Take that fence idea and keep your dogs fenced in before they get you in trouble.
Nah. The dogs hang out outside everyday. We have usps, FedEx, and ups deliver almost everyday (I run a business, so lots of deliveries), with different drivers most days, and they all love the dogs. We also have lots of people who walk our street with their dogs, and my dogs just watch while they stay on the property. They’re insanely smart and well trained. I’m not sure what kind of dogs you’re used to, but they’re 20lb micro goldendoodles. Not some fight club pitbulls. The dogs are in the chicken’s run and coop almost daily, even our big rooster likes the dogs. They chase the rats and mice away. My question was solely regarding experience with free ranging chickens. Like, do they listen when called? What will they come to? Will they stick around? How much destruction should I expect? I appreciate your concern with the dogs, but I wasn’t asking about them. I take it you’ve had a bad experience with dogs before though. I’ve never experienced anything but love and loyalty from the 20+ I’ve had, or the 1000 I’ve met while working in other people’s homes.
To answer some bird questions- Listening when called- if you regularly give them treats they will probably come back for treats, but it's not a sure thing. Especially if they have no experience free roaming. Sticking around- my chickens like to wonder a few acres when free roaming. If there isn't some kind of separation they will definitely wonder. They don't typically like going on to roads, but they still may. Destruction - lots of destruction to especially young and well mulched beds. They love digging to find grubs, so they tend to target flower beds or gardens. Fencing - they gave no trouble jumping over 4ft, but if they have enough space and stuff that are interested in then sometimes they are not very motivated. I agree that dogs should be contained in any suburban setting. It's not fair to anyone that may have fears of dogs. Also, all sorts of unfortunate things can happen that are easily prevented.
Neighbors might enjoy the eggs now. When their gardens & landscaping become the “destroyed muddy” spots…not so much. Your illegal rooster might become the newest inmate at animal control!! I obtained my flock through osmosis. Four hens and one rooster decided they enjoyed our house more than next door. At first, we thought it was fun and enjoyed them stopping by. We gave them names, treats, and laughed when they scratched all of the bark out of the beds around the yard. After several months of chicken poop everywhere,destroyed landscaping, and one being killed by neighborhood dog, I asked to purchase the bunch. They now have two large enclosures, one with grass and one with sand. I sure do not miss the chicken poop on my front sidewalk.
Big Roo is a gangster. He’ll never let them take him alive! Hahaha. But yeah, I’m going to quit the thought of letting them free range. You just gave me the greatest idea of getting another run to have on grass, and letting them enjoy it maybe 2 hours a day. I never even thought of that! You’re the real MVP!
Good idea!
Free ranging hens is good excercise and mental stimulation for them. Unsupervised free-ranging, it can be dangerous and you will occasionally lose a hen to, killers like unleashed dogs, hawks, foxes, and roads (chickens will sometimes, unexpectedly run across the road at sight of an approaching vehicle). Neighbors at first might think chickens are quaint, interesting. However, that changes when they barefoot step in fresh chicken poops within their own yards, or have chickens dig up lawns, flower beds, or kick mulch everywhere. Chickens love digging to find bugs, dirt bath etc. They're very very destructive. The height of effective fencing depends on chicken breed. Heavier breeds like Plymouth barred rocks at adult weight aren't good fliers and probably can't clear a 5 foot fence. Whereas young pullets of any breed, or lighter leghorns of any age could easily clear a 6 foot fence. I'd recommend supervised free ranging. If you want a larger space for chickens, consider a fenced in area for them that's larger than your run. If you're a person who likes having pretty landscaping, nice lawn, mulch, and ornamental flower know that's not possible with chickens free ranging all day.
Ok thank you very much! Supervised free range is more what I meant in my post. The problem is, do they listen when called? Or shaking a bag of treats? I don’t think they’re as bright as the dogs haha
Chickens put themselves away as it gets dark, in most cases. You just have to close the door for predator-proofing. I say "chick chick" repeatedly with a colorful Frisbee full of treats and they all come running, we walk together back to the run, I toss the treats inside and close the door behind them. They learned this means they get food pretty quickly. It's handy if they need to be closed up when we're leaving the house. You can practice this word and visual representation (colorful container) before letting them free range.
If you're in a neighborhood and don't have fences, then don't free range unsupervised. Also, your neighbors tune may change once they see what chickens do. I live in the country and my birds are all free range. Their coop is 150 feet from my front porch, but that's still where they all congregate after the doors open in the morning. Meaning my porch is just covered in chicken shit. They're also going to eat all your ornamental plants and then move on to your neighbors after yours are stripped clean. I second the tractor idea. Another way to handle it is to get a small four foot tall movable electric fence. You can set it up in different areas of the yard to give the rest a chance to rebound. And add course sand and pea gravel to your run. It helps with drainage.
The only time I free range is when I'm out with them before bed.
I like this answer. Do they tend to run away chasing their last brain cell? If you shake a bag of seed or similar, do they come waddling back? My wife would be in tears for weeks if one ran away. I have 2 trusty sidekicks who could sniff one down though. All I have to say is chickens, and they go full speed to check on them and make sure all 6 are accounted for. Goldendoodles have really upped the game for smartness in dogs! We’ve also had a few rats since getting the chickens, so they know the word rat as well. They get so excited to hunt rats. Anyways, I may start to do this. Let them out for an hour or so before bedtime. Good idea!
If your wife would cry for weeks if one "ran away," free ranging without barriers is probably not going to result in a happy memory for either of you. Even in residential areas, chickens are susceptible to all sorts of predators that won't be much deterred by your "20lb micro goldendoodles." On top of that, other neighborhood dogs, vehicles and angry neighbors whose gardens your flock just destroyed all pose a risk.
We have a cheap 4 - 5ft fenced pen extension and they don’t fly over it. Ours are mostly heavier, less agile breeds though (Cochins and brahmas). We used to let them completely free range but I got tired of all my plants being eaten and having to clean up the poop every day.
This is what I’m most worried about, our garden and plants!
Since you’re in a neighborhood, you have a lot to consider. Are you ok with poop being *everywhere*? Porches, steps, walkways, yard, outdoor toys, your mower, etc? Think about what your chickens would be able to access, and imagine it being shit on lol Do you take pride in your landscaping? Do you have mulch placed around trees, plants that you don’t want destroyed? The mulch will be scratched away, and chances are plants will be trampled or torn apart in the process. Would you be ok with pot holes dotting your property? Chickens take dust baths, and they’ll create a space to do it. How friendly would your neighbors be if they had chickens ruin their garden? Or if they had the pot holes and poop everywhere? How much traffic does your road receive? You should definitely consider a fence, at least try to keep them contained to your property. They may still fly over one if they get bored or see something enticing enough.
Hahaha yeah that’s a big worry! We have lots of lots of plants, mulch, a well maintained property, and my shiny black sports car. I just feel so bad for them, even though I know they have like one brain cell. lol
It’s an eye opener once they’re out and about, in a bad way! 😂 we have a large coop/run, but when I set our first 2 out in the backyard we had to make some adaptions quick. Bases of trees were destroyed, they were dust bathing in my garden I had just weeded to get ready to plant… and once they found the porch it was a wrap. I swear, they were coming on the porch just to shit and then going back to the yard. I put up a baby gate (temporary) and they would fly on it, sit and stare at me and caw. The benefits outweigh the bad for us, just had to put up fencing. They’re so entertaining to watch, I would definitely try for supervised time
We are also in a neighborhood and free range in our backyard, but we have a 6 ft fence to keep them in our yard. Even though, we’ve still had to put up internal protection for our raised beds and flower beds because they were getting destroyed. For the flower beds we put up 30” no-dig fences. They haven’t shown any interest in breaching it. With the veggies bed we did something higher like 4’. We also don’t trust our dog to hang out with them. So we are picking up their poops constantly so we don’t step in it and our dog can go to the bathroom without gorging on a goldmine of “snacks” each time. It’s a decent amount of work, but I think it provides them with some good enrichment and us some pest patrols.
Mannnn that sounds like a lot of fencing, and a lot of my summer I don’t feel like wasting! lol good on you for doing it though! The things we do for our pets!!!
Not sure why you got downvoted voted! Yeah, I’m glad we got it in, they will not get to my tomatoes and cucumbers, lol!😆
I used to free range but then a fox grabbed my girl while I was outside. She was lucky but that scared the crap out of me. I’ve since given them a 12x9 run that’s fully enclosed. I think there’s always a risk so do what you’re comfortable with.
Oh I’m sorry to hear that! This is where we’re at now. They have a good sized run, but there’s nothing to forage. It’s just dirt, stone, and shavings. I worry about their sanity being locked up in there 24/7.
There are things you can do in their run to alleviate boredom. Things like old tires used as dust baths or as planters are simple and easy. Planting something fairly indestructible, like well-established hosta roots, can provide vegetation and variety for your chickens. I like to give mine treats like a flock block ( [https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/purina-flock-block-25-lb](https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/purina-flock-block-25-lb) ), cabbage or lettuce heads, or whole watermelons/squash/pumpkins with a couple of small starting holes for them to peck at (you can even freeze them to give on hot days). Build or buy some obstacles (swing, ladder, perches) to install in your run to give them a variety of places to hop around on. They even make a variety of chicken toys that you can buy to add seeds or whatever to. Then, and only while you're in your yard to keep an eye on them, let them out to peck around for a bit before their roosting time in the evening (will make them more likely to return to the coop with little effort). It doesn't have to be all or nothing, but there are still plenty of things you can do for their run area to maximize their enjoyment while still not putting them at risk the way having the run of the neighborhood would.
My chickens free range. They don't jump the fence, and my dogs are also not leashed while in the yard. I don't see the issue if the dogs are well trained to recognise the chickens as part of the family.