Hot take: Free-ranging isn't always better for your flock

I keep seeing people on here say that chickens MUST free range to be happy, but after losing 3 hens to a hawk last spring in my backyard in Ohio, I'm not so sure. My neighbor lets her birds out all day and has never had a problem, but I've got a wooded lot with plenty of predators around. Isn't a secure run with space to scratch actually safer and less stressful for them? What's your take on this - do you think forced free-ranging is worth the risk?

2 comments

2 Comments

benk264d ago

Laughing at people who think their little suburban backyard is somehow predator-proof just because they haven't had a problem yet. It's like saying you don't need a seatbelt because you haven't crashed.

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the_elizabeth4d ago

Oh man, this is so accurate it hurts. My aunt in the suburbs literally has a "no predators" bumper sticker on her minivan like it's a badge of honor or something. Honestly, all it takes is one hungry coyote or a loose dog from two neighborhoods over to make that whole "safe" backyard argument fall apart real quick.