Here at Lohre Farm, the Chickens are an important part of not only soil fertilization, but also the production of eggs. Our Chickens spend their days roaming free to find any small insects or seeds to devourer. At night they find refuge in the barn, where they are safe from any would be predators.

So What Are The Pros and Cons of Free Ranging Chickens?

Pro: Buying Less Feed

Allowing chickens to forage for their own food is a definite positive in the bank account. Animal feeds are not cheap and can come with a whole host of issues. If your entire purpose for raising chickens is to have farm fresh organic eggs, the cost of non-GMO feed can take a toll on the bank account. It would be much cheaper to simply buy organic eggs vs. building a coop and providing food for your birds.

Con: Eating Your Garden

Chickens are really good scavengers. They are also very curious about areas they see you spending time near. The birds will quickly locate the best fruits and vegetables in your garden and eat whatever they can. What they don’t eat, they will destroy. A couple of years ago we had some chickens get into an area where we had fruiting tomato plants. Within only a matter of minutes they had single pecked dozens of tomatoes, only to realize they had no interest in eating them. We were left with complete destruction since I don’t know too many people that would mind buying tomatoes with a chicken peck in them.

Pro: Much Healthier Flock

Sunshine is very important to most living things. This is definitely true for your flock of chickens. The birds will need an adequate amount of sunshine everyday in order to get the necessary vitamins to produce their eggs. Even though we have many sunny days during the winter months here in Minnesota, it is very hard to get the birds out running around in the snow. As a result, we have a sharp decline in egg production through the winter months.

Con: Easter Egg Hunt

Once your chickens start to realize their eggs keep disappearing from the nesting box, they may decide it is time to hide their eggs from you. This is a real thing. Chickens are pretty dang smart and the last thing they want is you to take their eggs. Most mornings here at Lohre Farm you can here celebration after celebration of eggs being laid. Each time a bird lays an egg, many chickens will partake in a chorus of celebration for the laid egg. Free range birds will choose other little hiding spots and you’ll be forced into and egg hunt you didn’t want to take part in.

Pro: Way Less Insects.

Free ranged chickens are extremely effective at insect control. One of the greatest pests we deal with here at the farm is Ticks. These little pests can become attached to you without your knowledge and can burrow under your skin and cause all sorts of medical issues. Ticks can carry Lyme disease. We have noticed dramatic changes in tick populations depending on how much time the chickens are spending free roaming the property.

Con: Predators Everywhere.

Predators can be a massive threat to your flock. Thankfully we have had very little tragedy with predators while the chickens are out free ranging during the day. About a year ago our neighbor lost their entire flock one morning due to a pesky fox. Keeping your chickens in an enclosed area is a very effective method of keeping the flock safe. 

Pro: Relaxing In The Shade

While sun is a very important part of a healthy flock, allowing them to retreat to a wooded area during the peak heat of the day is equally healthy for your flock. During the summer months, our chickens spend most of the morning out and about around the barn and coop. As the heat of the day picks up, we will notice less and less birds around the yard as they retreat to the cool and shade of the woods.

Con: Profession Landscape Destructionists

I hope you don’t have much of a desire to have certain landscapes around your house. The Flock will quickly destroy any landscape they can. The chickens will search for insects that are hiding under your decorative rock or mulch. A couple of years back I picked up a half dozen bags of mulch while at the store. I wanted to place them around the base of our fruit trees. An hour after I had spread them around the trees the chickens thought they might add a little of their own design. Needless to say, what was once a 2-3 diameter circle of decorative wood chips was quickly a 8-10 foot circle of disaster around each of the trees. Live and learn.

Pro: Coop Space

For us, this isn’t much of an issue because we have dedicated much of our barn to the home of our chickens. For those of you that would like a small backyard coop mainly for egg gathering, free ranging can really make for a less congested coop. Having the chickens all locked into one space also gives you the convenience of being able to leave the house without being concerned about the animals all getting back to the coop. If you would like to free range your flock there are some trainings here that can assist getting the chickens back to the coop.

Con: Excrement Minefield

This is actually a problem. Allowing the birds to free range wherever they choose will inevitably result in little treasures wherever the chickens go. The main inconvenience I have found is chickens wandering onto patios, front steps of the house, or even into the garage. While Chicken poop can be used as a great fertilizer you definitely won’t enjoy it scattered about wherever they go.

In Conclusion:

Whether you choose to free range your flock or not, there are definitely pros and cons that should be considered. I think the benefits of a free range flock out-ways the concerns of them being coop bound. I would also suggest that if you choose to have a free range flock that you should consider having a rooster with the ladies. Roosters provide good protection for the ladies and seem to play an important roll of balance to the flock.