Just like there are many methodologies to garden, there are also many ways to keep chickens, and no one way is right. When considering whether to free range chickens, you have a lot of considerations. There are so many factors such as your location, predators, cover, and many more.
I have a personal connection with each one of my chickens, and would never place them in harm’s way. But I do want them to live happy, long lives that are stress free, and free ranging is one component of happiness. But I see it as my top job to make sure they are always safe. That’s priority number one, with happy and healthy coming in close behind. Keeping them safe in the coop has set parameters that I can control. Keeping them safe while free ranging introduces many variables which are much harder to control.
The intent of this article is to examine the pros and cons of free ranging chickens, provide a few considerations, parameters and strategies, so that you can make the best choice for your flock. And if you decide not to free range, hopefully this will give you ideas to implement into your own property for safe coops, safe runs, plants to grow and things you can do.
Table of Contents
- Reasons to Consider Free Ranging Chickens
- Factors to Consider Before Jumping In
- Your Property
- Your Flock
- Your Own Habits
- Avian Flu
- In Summary – Should You Free Range Chickens?
Reasons to Consider Free Ranging Chickens
One of the best reasons for me to allow my chickens to free range is that my chickens love to be outside. They love digging in the dirt for grubs, they love the sunshine, and they love opening up their wings for a stretch. It is a joy to see hens playing and scratching. Their heads and tails are high and they run around like children on a playground.
When they are out and about they generally do not peck each other and they do not squabble. It is obvious to me how happy they are to be outside. But I have a relatively controlled environment which I am able to watch over to ensure their safety. More about that in a moment.
Another reason to consider allowing your hens to free range is that when chickens are out free, they get a more varied diet. Pecking and foraging is more like their natural diet. They eat bugs, grubs and worms; all high protein food sources, which help them create strong eggshells. They also get a little bit more exercise, which keeps them healthy, and strong.
I also think that being outside with different surroundings once in a while stimulates their neurons. They are not only better socialized, but mentally stimulated as well. There seems to be less hen pecking on the days and weeks when the hens are able to be out in the field. And they always come running when they see me headed for the coop.
When chickens are free ranging, they are not kicking up dust or pooping in the coop. They are instead pooping outside in their free-range area, adding nutrients right into your landscape. Enriching the soil. The reduced poop in the coop means you can go a little bit longer in between cleanings.
Lastly, when you are cleaning the run or coop, it is also nice to be able to do so without hens underfoot, so another benefit to free range is practical in nature. Get those hens out and you can really do a good scrub-a-dub on the coop.
Factors to Consider before Jumping In
Your Property
Consider the size of your property. Do you have a huge farm or ranch or a smaller one? Do you have an enclosed area which can be easily surveyed and defended? Or is it sprawling without a defined area for chicken foraging? Chickens don’t need a whole lot of space, and in general big properties are harder to defend than small ones. If a hen gets into trouble; stuck somewhere or attacked, it would be harder for you to come to her rescue over a large area.
How is your property or area designed? What are the sun and soil conditions like? Are there trees or bushes? What types of cover and shade are available? Trees and bushes are important not only from hot afternoon sun, but also because your hens would need a place to hide if a hawk appears out of nowhere. Our hens roam our orchard, and I am particularly careful in the winter when the plum tree leaves have fallen to the ground. I have also planted a number of evergreen bushes along the edges of the orchard to ensure additional wintertime cover.
Your Flock
Maybe surprisingly, the demographics of your flock play a factor in your decision to free range or not, too. For example, how old are your hens? Younger, smaller birds and bantams are most likely to be targeted by raptors. And white or light colored birds will be most noticeable.
Also, how many birds are there in your flock? A hungry predator may think it easier to grab a stray hen from a group. And similarly, it may be easier to get a slower bird from a large group if all the best hiding places are already claimed by the faster more agile members of the flock.
Your Own Habits
Finally, think about how you interact with your flock. Do you intend to spend a few hours in your yard or garden while they are out? Or do you just check in on them and collect eggs?
The timing and frequency of access is important. Predators would be far less likely to attempt a daytime raid with you nearby watching over the flock than if the birds are out frolicking on their own. Many predators scope out the opportunity for long periods prior to making an attack; so they would likely already be aware of your habits. I’d highly recommend that anyone who is considering free ranging their hens to consider staying nearby.
And of course you’ll want to be home and able to lock them up safe and sound in their coop at night. Hens will always put themselves to bed in the evening. But they can’t close the door behind them to keep out the many curious nocturnal predators.
Avian Flu
As I’m writing this post in the spring on 2025, the avian flu is raging across the United States. Entire commercial poultry flocks are being infected and culled and commercial egg production is at its lowest in modern memory.
Not everything is known about transmission. And, the majority of infections are of commercial flocks. But, there are documented cases of a few backyard flocks being wiped out from wild songbirds.
For this reason, it may not be the best time to start introducing your hens to the joys of free ranging. Until the avian flu outbreak is either under control or a poultry vaccine is available, it may be best to keep your girls safe inside their coop and segregated from birds and other carriers.
In Summary- should you free range chickens?
There are many rewards to giving your flock some free range time. But, there are some very important factors to also consider to keep them safe. Until you have a good handle on the specific types of predators in your backyard and their patterns, it may be a good idea to stay close and keep a watchful eye on your hens if an when they free range.
