Recommend Test chickens' preference cage or free range

[Joan Denoo]

Test: Do chickens prefer cages or free range?
When given a choice, do chickens choose to stay in cages or to go outside a chicken yard into a free range situation? The chickens will give you the answer.

 

[Ray Speed]

Free range, unless predators and or severe weather
our chooks always want to range

 

[ClissAT]

Yes I agree with Ray.
Chooks always want to move around outside under large trees.
From dawn to dusk and just come back into the pen to lay their egg, get a drink and have a feed of grain.

 

[Letsgokate]

Like is this a trick question, think it’s obvious they would prefer to free range. Who would like to be locked in a cage all day. If they can’t be let out to free range due to space or predators then a coop with a good run attached is also a good option.

 

[nzmitzi]

I think if the cage was big enough and had their preferred environment, with variety of and plenty of food - they might stay in the cage. The reason they like to free range is for the variety and quantity of their preference of food. Mine range - but not as far as one might think.....I think 1 acre would satisfy my small flock of chickens.

 

[ClissAT]

My neighbour's chooks find their way right to the far side of my place. That's well over 300m away from their pen on the far side of their property and they get there very fast.
They are hunting for somewhere to scratch for small invertebrates mostly.
They have heaps to eat in their pen, but chickens are genetically programmed to range far and wide in dim understory jungle.
They have long legs and like to use them, both to walk and run vast distances daily and to scratch in mulch and ground cover.
My place is the ideal habitat for jungle birds. Unfortunately, I decided 3yrs ago I didn't want more chooks because they do so much damage to my gardens.
Now I have the neighbour's chooks to deal with! They are decimating my gardens and freshly planted food forests every day.
It's very disconcerting. It might be tolerable if I was a much younger, fit and able-bodied person but I'm none of those.
I think forcing them to live in confinement is akin to complete psychological torture.
On the other hand, it is beholden on the owners to keep their poultry at home on their own property.
Those are the council bylaws.
So I believe chooks should have free range in conditions where tree cover is available, but please use wire netting on the fences all around your property to keep them at home!

 

[spector]

My chickens seem to prefer my home to theirs. They go to the coop at night to go to sleep, but they hang around my house all day long.

 

[DTK]

We have 8 chooks and 2 pekin ducks. They have a secure night cage (quite large) plus a day area (not much green in there now) and then most days when I am home all day I let them out (we have foxes in the area so I try to have them secure between dusk and dawn. When I go to the day area they run to the gate to see if I am bringing them food. I find they are quite social in nature. When I let them out to roam the 2 1/2 acres they will wander off scratching about, but they are often seen back in the day area, sometimes just having a dust bath or simply chilling out.

 

[nzmitzi]

My neighbour's chooks find their way right to the far side of my place........They are decimating my gardens and freshly planted food forests every day......

Hi there ClissAt, if I were you I'd have a little chat with the neighbour... if they are not co-operative, tell them you'll have yourself or someone else trap them and either eat those chooks or take them to the local spca or local market and sell them, whatever it takes and you're prepared to say. Good luck with your problem.