Beautiful Chaos When Free-Ranging Your Flock

Sometimes we have relationships that are love-hate because they are both wonderful and exasperating at the same time. Free-ranging chickens can be one of those things. I love seeing my birds out enjoying a breezy, sunny day until they start wandering into the places they aren’t supposed to go. Let’s talk about the beautiful chaos of free-ranging your flock.

There are many benefits to allowing your flock to free-range:

• Birds get fresh, varied nutrients, including extra protein, from eating both insects and vegetation.  
• Helps save you money on feed.
• Helps reduce the population of unwanted insects, such as ticks. 
• Eggs benefit from the extra nutrition the birds eat.
• Bold or more intense yolk colors.
• Additional nutrients may include more Omega-3 fatty acids and vitamins A, D, and E.
• Chicken and other poultry can make lovely yard art while providing you and your family with entertainment and companionship.
• Your birds get exercise, helping them maintain a healthy weight and muscle mass.
• More space can reduce or alleviate fighting. 
• I’ve found my birds do a great job of preventing poison ivy from growing in free-range areas.

Sadly, there can be problems with free-ranging the flock. Here are some to consider: 

• Chickens may get into your garden. They may uproot your vegetables and flowers and take bites out of foliage, leaving the leaves to look like a bombed runway. 
• Poultry may visit your neighbors (and dig in their gardens or landscaping).
• Poultry may have less protection from predators while free-ranging.
• You may have droppings on your walkways or other places you’d rather not have them, possibly including lawn chairs or cushions.
• Depending on the poultry type, the individual bird, and how close your neighbors are, you may end up with poultry on your vehicles or your neighbors’ vehicles. Claws can scratch.

Here are some possible ways to help manage the beautiful chaos. 

• Chicken tractors or moveable coops allow birds to be kept on pasture and moved about easily, but keep the poultry only in the places you want them to go.
• Portable electric poultry netting can offer some predator protection and help to keep the birds where you want them, while still being fairly easy to move to different areas as needed.
• Fencing around a garden can help keep birds out.
• Planting your garden in a hoop house secured with posts and fencing is also helpful to protect plants from birds (and deer) while extending your growing season.