What is Free Range Chicken?

Free Range chicken to me is chickens that have access to the outside of their coop at some point of the day. Most of the time chickens appreciate the time they get to scratch the ground and look for bugs or worms. A happy chicken is a tasty chicken! From my definition, I can say it is possible to free-range all sorts of chicken that you can think of; even silkie chicken! Just an hour or two out in the sun makes a huge difference…

Give them a chance!

Free-range chickens have abilities to find things you have never seen in your backyard. You may be having trust issues about the hygiene of your chicken and what they eat, but the truth is, they love it! Being out in the sun, chasing each other around, making the most noise, and even perching on some raised spots relieves their stress.

Is free-range chicken really better?

Free-range chicken is a  better chicken. They exercise more, feed better, and have less stress of being locked up in a cage. Free-range chicken actually tastes even better than normal locked-up chicken. If you have layers, or indigenous layers, their eggs will taste better. These opinions are solely from my experience and I would love to share them with you!

 

How to free-range chicken the right way!

Your way is the right way. Just give them some extra space and the sun! They like it. However, you need to be conscious about the source of your chicken’s feed, their safety, and health;

• Have a demarcation

Talking about keeping free-range chicken in an enclosure sounds a little bit confusing. Free-range chicken has limits! Otherwise, you risk losing your flock to wandering off. Build a fence for your chicken and try to keep it as high so that they do not fly over. I don’t think clipping your bird’s wings is ethical…😂

• Make a compost

Composting was a subject i used to learn when i was in primary school. It is so easy for chicken. They are not choosy. Whenever you have a little kitchen refuse or cut grass, dig up a hole and throw the refuse and grass and throw it in. Do not cover it but just keep adding kitchen refuse and whatever you may be having as leftovers from the kitchen. Then let your chicken go through it.

• Check up from time to time

We all have trust issues when it comes to free-ranging chicken for the first time. We worry about things like the safety of our birds and the health of the chicken. The weather conditions can be terrible and this may or may not cause harm to your chicken. The best thing to do is to check up on your chicken from time to time.

• Give them lots of freshwaters

Chicken needs fresh water. It helps in digestion, growth, and even productivity; for those that are laying. I keep my chicken on a free-ranging system and they love it! Read THIS POST to know how i started and reach out to me if you have any questions.