Benefits of Free Ranging Your Chickens
by Meghan H
Published April 30, 2018
This blog post, Benefits of Free Ranging Your Chickens, comes to us from a special guest blogger Angela L. who raises chickens and other livestock on her homestead.
On my farm I have always let my chickens free-range. The reasons are very rewarding to both me and my chickens. Letting them go around as they please offers them chances to use their natural scavenging instinct for food intake. Here are just a few of the many reasons to let your flock free range:
- Free Pest Control
As your chickens forage through your farm-yard for food they eat pretty much everything they find. They will eat loads of ticks, spiders, flies, small mice and many other troublesome insects. They will keep any pest problems under control.
- Nutrient Dense Eggs
When your chickens are allowed to forage around naturally they will eat a more nutrient dense food then what grain can provide, plus it will keep them at a healthy weight. The nutrients help the hen and go into the making egg yolks brighter!
- Cut the Cost on Feed
While your flock of chickens are loving what they are doing they are filling their bellies up as well, which is great for them and also great for you. Their bellies are full on what nature is freely providing for them and they don’t need as much grain due to the extra protein intake, which makes you happy!
These reasons that I have provided you with are just a few of many benefits to free ranging your flock. Overall, the main reason that I let my flock free range is to keep them happy and that is what we care about most.
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I love the idea of free range and letting chickens be chickens, but worry about predators. I’m in WV and we have about every chicken predator on land and sky. How do you manage that?
Hi Beth. Livestock guardian dogs, guard geese and keeping some watchful roosters are some ways to help protect your flock from daytime predators.