Free Ranging

Everyone thinks the idea of free range chickens is amazing, and that that is their dream... think again! When you allow chickens to go where they want, they REALLY go where they want. This means the end up everywhere, in the stables, in the kennels, and where there is chickens there is chicken poop.

The other issue with free range chickens is the fact they lay eggs everywhere, it is like one long Easter egg hunt, just less fun, with no chocolate. I stupidly thought that they would continue to lay in their nice, warm, cosy nesting boxes. Nope they lay where they feel like it, if there is bedding, a bucket, a bag, or even a gap they are there, laying bloody eggs.

Free range chickens are also like wayward teenagers, letting them selves in and out as they please. Some return for dinner, others stroll in when they feel like it, without a care in the world. A few are rebellious and never return until it is dark, and others are up before light, maybe it is the same chickens, and they simply never sleep!

So, unless you are a master chicken farmer, and have complete organisation, I would say free ranging is a headache. I trip over chickens, clean poop off everything, and find them everywhere on a daily basis. I'm sure there are many people that could tell me where i'm going wrong, bu hey my life would not be complete without some form of chaos everyday.