If you are thinking of free-ranging your chickens it is important to know the pros and cons. So I will be sharing the pros and cons that I have found from free-ranging my chickens.
Cons:
- My first con of free-ranging my chickens is that they poop all over, almost every time I go out there I step in it. If you wanted to avoid this then you could just put up some fencing where you don’t want them to go and that would solve this problem.
- My second con is that whatever you are growing in there area they will destroy, so make sure that you keep any of your special or poisonous plants out of the area.
- They are at more of a risk for a predator attack, but if you provide them enough places to hide or if you get a rooster then this won’t be as much of a problem. Read here to learn more about the different predators of chickens!
Now that we have talked about the cons let’s talk about the pros.
Pros:
- You will have less bugs in your yard! The chickens will scratch around and eat all of those nasty bugs from your yard.
- Your chickens will be less likely to get in fights because they will have so much room to roam. Most chicken fights happen when they are in tight quarters and can’t escape from each other so by free-ranging you are preventing them from fighting.
- You will save money on their food. I mean who doesn’t want to save money? They won’t need to consume as much food because they will be eating grass and bugs! Read here for more ways to save money with your flock!
- Their eggs will be full of nutrients from them free-ranging. Since they are foraging and eating more naturally their eggs will be packed full of good nutrients.
If you have any other pros and cons to free-ranging chickens then be sure to let me know in the comments below.
Other articles that you may like:
- Reasons your hens may not be laying eggs
- A guide to raising your chicks week by week
- Recipes to use up extra eggs!
The 1912 Homestead 