3 Huge Benefits of Free Ranging Your Chickens

The decision to let your chickens free range or not is a tricky decision among backyard chicken raisers. Indeed, both methods of raising chickens have pros and cons, and the definition of “free range” is often unclear and debated.

In the commercial egg world, “free range” can sometimes mean that chickens only have a very small space to roam and only at certain times of the day. Otherwise they spend their days in cages.  Small farmers and backyard homesteaders should know, however, that free range means chickens can peck, forage, and roam wherever they want, and whenever they want.

The decision to let your hens free range can be scary and often impractical for homesteaders. Often, some sort of fencing is still required to keep your hens off your neighbor’s property; predators like wolves and coyotes can make free ranging your chickens dangerous. Chickens less than one month old should not free range.

Letting your chickens free range will allow you to enjoy the great benefits listed below.

1. Happier birds. Chickens were made to roam and forage, and they are happiest when they are doing just that. Many chicken breeds are extremely active and need time outside of their coop. Chickens that can free range will love exploring their surroundings, eating grass, pecking for bugs, and taking a dust bath whenever they want. When chickens forage they generally have a healthier diet than when they eat chicken feed alone: grass and plants, insects and worms all contain protein, vitamins, and nutrients they may be lacking in their grain feed. A healthier bird is indeed a happier bird, and don’t worry, your chickens will come back to their coop at night to lay even better eggs.
2. Better eggs. Grass, plants, worms, insects, and most other things your chickens eat while free ranging contribute to a better egg. According to Mother Earth News, eggs from true free range chickens, when compared with eggs from factory farms, contain:
• 2 times more omega-3 fatty acids
• ¼ less saturated fat
• 1/3 less cholesterol
• 2/3 more vitamin A
• 3 times more vitamin E
• up to 6 times as much vitamin D
• 7 times more beta carotene

That’s a huge difference in egg quality. Even if you can’t let your chickens free range all the time, allowing them to forage on a large fenced-in area or for several hours of the day will allow you to experience a measurable increase in egg nutrients.

3. Save money on feed. Allowing your chickens to forage will save you money on feed. If your chickens are outside their coop, they’ll automatically want to fill their stomachs with delicious grass and grubs. In turn, they’ll eat less of their feed in the coop and enjoy a healthier diet.