[looe-looe-belle]

hello everyone i have six lohmann brown hens newly acquired on saturday and i am a complete novice! They are in a coop with a run but i dont feel the run is big enough i would like them to free range however i do like my plants etc as i only have a 60 ft garden would i need to remove all my plants and would i need to clip their wings - as i wouldnt want them flying next door or in the alley way! Would appreciate some advice please

[Beano]

If you only had them on Saturday I would not let them free range just yet. Let them get used to their home first. Meanwhile you could fence off a section on the garden for them.
I dont know how big your run is, but the ones you get with the coops are never big enough.
As for clipping their wings, I'm not keen on it personally but that is up to you. Ours can fly out if they want to but they are nicely settled and dont bother. I like to think that they could fly to safety if something was after them.

[rachelr]

I have Lohmans and whilst they jump and flutter their wings they dont fly long distances.

Mine were allowed to free range once they got the hang of laying in their coop. They kept escaping from their run so I figured I would try gradually to let them free range. My fences are not brilliant and as yet they have not attempted to jump them.

I have however no borders left they only eat wat they like but they do dig up wat they dont lol. I was digging one of my borders the other day and as soon as i went into clean up they were dust bowling in all my cropped plants.

I have 7 hens now and the pooh is far and wide. You can pooh pick each day or else put a wire mesh by the back door so they dont tread it in.

I love seeing them chase butterflies and I love even more the taste of the eggs now they have total claim to the grass. We open the back door and they come running. They are such characters.
Best of luck

[Jeanette]

I have only had one lohman that flew ( i had 9 ) over the fence the rest don't fly at all they just flap there wings. At the moment leave them in the run untill they know that is where they go back to. If you do decide to clip thier wings only do it on one side to make them unbalanced and you will have to do it again when they have had a moult and the new feathers have grown back

[orchardlady]

I would really not encourage you to let your hens free range your garden especially as we are heading into the winter. They will destroy it. That said if you can enclose a good portion that you do not mind being scratched, kicked, scuffed and pecked day in day out to be their own all the better. I keep my hens free range and they are absolutely not allowed in the garden. The chicken poo on the grass alone would be yuck....no more bare foot in the garden! Yes, clip their wings as when they are young they are still quite light and can jump a considerable height.

[rachelr]

wow so many different answers to one qustion dont ya love diversity

[joyfull]

mine all free range and do not have their wings clipped so that they have the ability to fly into the trees should they need to. However I don't have pretty flowers or borders. I find over winter because mine have so much space the ground stays ok except for the entrances to their coops.

[evie2]

Our big hens, we've had them 3 months now, are allowed to free range because they're settled in but the bantams are not as calm so they stay in the run with the poots

[jinty1911]

I gradually lost interest in keeping my garden nice after we got the rabbits, so the chooks can do what ever they want, but I do have to sweep up after them every night after they have scratched all my fancy pebbles all over the place.
Jinty

[evie2]

Bet there's plenty of yummy bugs under them

[jinty1911]

yeah, there must be cos they dont leave them alone.  Didnt realise chooks could back kick stones so far.  They would do a football team proud  Only takes about 5 mins to sweep back into place just to do it all again the next day haha.  And as for poop, god were does it all come from?
Jinty

[rachelr]

pooh is always the big question some of the chickens pooh could be mis placed by my dogs they are so huge. Apparently its a sign of a happy hen.

I have had hours of fun with mine free ranging and i would hate to think sumat happened and i could not do it any more. it would be so cruel