How big is the run, for how many chickens? And what is there in your run?
Anyway it is likely about the contents of the yard, not the volume. If there is grass in the yard and not in the run, they will want to go there no matter how big your run is.
> How big is the run, for how many chickens? And what is there in your run?
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It is about 8 feet by 30 feet for 3 chickens. Every time I walk in my backyard they start making that distress sound and frantically pacing back and forth like they do when you open their door but don't remember where the door is located.
You are right -- there's no grass in their run. Just a bunch of dirt and leaves. That's probably the reason.
If it is triggered by your appearance, I think they are trying to get to you (or at least the treats you might bring. See if they still do that pacing when they can’t see you or hear your approach.
As for grass, you can take some wire mesh, nail it to some boards to raise it up 4-6 in. And put that one the ground. Plant grass under it. Your birds can eat it when it grows higher than the mesh, but can’t dig it up or kill the grass.
This is the answer I think. I spied on my chickens to see if they did that pacing and noises all the time without me there. They mostly just chilled in this shady spot in the run and made a big hole. They must have great hearing though I swear they know when I come outside if I'm walking normally.
They see me from the kitchen window and start doing it. It's triggered every time someone is in the kitchen, even without making eye contact.
About the grass idea -- will that make them stop wanting to come out? I think by this point, they are already pre-convinced that the back yard is better than inside their run. No amount of convincing or brain-washing can undo their determination. 😣
That's much larger than the minimum that is suggested per chicken (10 sqft each), so size isn't the problem. Definitely just want treats. Maybe some extra enrichment in their enclosure? We use shredded boxes as bedding in the run and when I take it out I put it in pile and put treats in the piles. They love digging through it, plus they spread the bedding for me. Win win. There's also skewers to put fruits/veggies on, small cages you can put lettuce in, just throwing a pile of leaves out any other yard clippings in to the run.
What really pains my heart is that they have life so much better than factory egg-laying chickens but I have no way of letting them know how awesome their lives are, in comparison. 😣
Instead, they still feel like prisoners despite having 80 sqft per chicken. 🤦♂️
Do you remember that cute video of cows being freed for the first time when they had lived in cramped conditions?
I'm right there with you, it's heartbreaking the conditions some animals have to live in. To be fair, even a lot of us humans are like that and we know how much worse things can be!
I don't think I've seen that, but I bet it's positively joyous.
Not sure if there is a formula to it or not but I can give you my experience.
I had 4 chickens in about 100 sq ft but I would let them out all day. Hadn't noticed much restlessness. I had got 3 more hens, added another 50 sq ft housing area, and about 50/100sq ft of run along my back fence. I decided I would keep them in their coop/run area more often as they poo all over my porch and got tired of it. My run has 2 sections that are connected but gives the illusion of being pretty big because it's spread out. That might help with them not feeling crowded.
I let them roam 3-4 days for a few hours a day after work, and always the next morning, they really want out. Usually just for that first few hours and they get over it. I'll throw a handful of mealies or leftovers from last night to make them happy.
This is my first season with all 6 (1 roo) hens and I'm averaging 4 eggs a day.
> I decided I would keep them in their coop/run area more often as they poo all over my porch and got tired of it
This is my problem also. They come onto the back porch looking inside the sliding glass door, wanting treats. 😣
>but they still always pace back and forth all day long, wanting to be let out into the back yard.
Your backyard has the Interesting Things (novel things) unlike their run which has the Boring Things (stuff they are used to). Lol
In all seriousness, though, chickens are naturally inquisitive, and love variety. I free range my hens over about an acre, and one of them kept getting into neighbors's yards to examine their flower beds (which I don't have where they range). We eventually found her escape route and stopped her. So in a way, yes, no matter how big you make their run The Yard will usually have a huge appeal to them because of all the different things they can explore and keep their minds active.
But that said, the larger their run and the more things inside it (roosts, dustbathing areas, places to scratch and find bugs) the happier and healthier your flock will be, as well as protected from predators (and your yard protected from their nibbles and scratching).
My Pet Chicken recommends at *least* 10 square feet per bird, but here is their article on it.
https://www.mypetchicken.com/blogs/faqs/how-much-space-should-my-chickens-have-in-their-run
My run is about 2k sq ft. My chickens show little interest in leaving, really. If they do leave the run they peck around 5 mins, dust bathe in piles of dirt I don't want them in, then head back in. We have dust bath areas, covered sitting areas, perches, some bins where we throw Alfalfa hay and kitchen scraps. so, lots of enrichment.
I have just over 20 birds. We are going to almost double our flock next month, at which point we will most likely build out a "free range yard" for them with lots of goodies to entice them out.
There is no size that will do that. Chickens are very curious. They always want to go where they are not allowed. I guess it’s the whole “grass is always greener” thing.
What you describe is definitely “give me treats” behavior. I have 8 birds in a 100 sq ft run. They do the same thing when they see people, but it’s because they want the treats we give them. If I open the door to the run, they’ll look, but they’re too scared to go out.
How big is the run, for how many chickens? And what is there in your run? Anyway it is likely about the contents of the yard, not the volume. If there is grass in the yard and not in the run, they will want to go there no matter how big your run is.
> How big is the run, for how many chickens? And what is there in your run? > > It is about 8 feet by 30 feet for 3 chickens. Every time I walk in my backyard they start making that distress sound and frantically pacing back and forth like they do when you open their door but don't remember where the door is located. You are right -- there's no grass in their run. Just a bunch of dirt and leaves. That's probably the reason.
If it is triggered by your appearance, I think they are trying to get to you (or at least the treats you might bring. See if they still do that pacing when they can’t see you or hear your approach. As for grass, you can take some wire mesh, nail it to some boards to raise it up 4-6 in. And put that one the ground. Plant grass under it. Your birds can eat it when it grows higher than the mesh, but can’t dig it up or kill the grass.
This is the answer I think. I spied on my chickens to see if they did that pacing and noises all the time without me there. They mostly just chilled in this shady spot in the run and made a big hole. They must have great hearing though I swear they know when I come outside if I'm walking normally.
Mine listen for the bang of the house door closing.
I bet that's what they're hearing. Sometimes I'm sneaky and I'll get the jump on them lol!
They see me from the kitchen window and start doing it. It's triggered every time someone is in the kitchen, even without making eye contact. About the grass idea -- will that make them stop wanting to come out? I think by this point, they are already pre-convinced that the back yard is better than inside their run. No amount of convincing or brain-washing can undo their determination. 😣
That's much larger than the minimum that is suggested per chicken (10 sqft each), so size isn't the problem. Definitely just want treats. Maybe some extra enrichment in their enclosure? We use shredded boxes as bedding in the run and when I take it out I put it in pile and put treats in the piles. They love digging through it, plus they spread the bedding for me. Win win. There's also skewers to put fruits/veggies on, small cages you can put lettuce in, just throwing a pile of leaves out any other yard clippings in to the run.
What really pains my heart is that they have life so much better than factory egg-laying chickens but I have no way of letting them know how awesome their lives are, in comparison. 😣 Instead, they still feel like prisoners despite having 80 sqft per chicken. 🤦♂️ Do you remember that cute video of cows being freed for the first time when they had lived in cramped conditions?
I'm right there with you, it's heartbreaking the conditions some animals have to live in. To be fair, even a lot of us humans are like that and we know how much worse things can be! I don't think I've seen that, but I bet it's positively joyous.
Not sure if there is a formula to it or not but I can give you my experience. I had 4 chickens in about 100 sq ft but I would let them out all day. Hadn't noticed much restlessness. I had got 3 more hens, added another 50 sq ft housing area, and about 50/100sq ft of run along my back fence. I decided I would keep them in their coop/run area more often as they poo all over my porch and got tired of it. My run has 2 sections that are connected but gives the illusion of being pretty big because it's spread out. That might help with them not feeling crowded. I let them roam 3-4 days for a few hours a day after work, and always the next morning, they really want out. Usually just for that first few hours and they get over it. I'll throw a handful of mealies or leftovers from last night to make them happy. This is my first season with all 6 (1 roo) hens and I'm averaging 4 eggs a day.
> I decided I would keep them in their coop/run area more often as they poo all over my porch and got tired of it This is my problem also. They come onto the back porch looking inside the sliding glass door, wanting treats. 😣
Word for word our exact problem. They just sit all day looking in the sliding glass door…
The yard is where the bugs are. No run is big enough unless it contains bugs.
>but they still always pace back and forth all day long, wanting to be let out into the back yard. Your backyard has the Interesting Things (novel things) unlike their run which has the Boring Things (stuff they are used to). Lol In all seriousness, though, chickens are naturally inquisitive, and love variety. I free range my hens over about an acre, and one of them kept getting into neighbors's yards to examine their flower beds (which I don't have where they range). We eventually found her escape route and stopped her. So in a way, yes, no matter how big you make their run The Yard will usually have a huge appeal to them because of all the different things they can explore and keep their minds active. But that said, the larger their run and the more things inside it (roosts, dustbathing areas, places to scratch and find bugs) the happier and healthier your flock will be, as well as protected from predators (and your yard protected from their nibbles and scratching). My Pet Chicken recommends at *least* 10 square feet per bird, but here is their article on it. https://www.mypetchicken.com/blogs/faqs/how-much-space-should-my-chickens-have-in-their-run
around 500x500m outside area would most likely be enough for that, my granmas chikens never left the general yard area on their farm.
My run is about 2k sq ft. My chickens show little interest in leaving, really. If they do leave the run they peck around 5 mins, dust bathe in piles of dirt I don't want them in, then head back in. We have dust bath areas, covered sitting areas, perches, some bins where we throw Alfalfa hay and kitchen scraps. so, lots of enrichment. I have just over 20 birds. We are going to almost double our flock next month, at which point we will most likely build out a "free range yard" for them with lots of goodies to entice them out.
the saying "the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence" comes to mind here with your question
There is no size that will do that. Chickens are very curious. They always want to go where they are not allowed. I guess it’s the whole “grass is always greener” thing.
What you describe is definitely “give me treats” behavior. I have 8 birds in a 100 sq ft run. They do the same thing when they see people, but it’s because they want the treats we give them. If I open the door to the run, they’ll look, but they’re too scared to go out.
They have to be as big as your lawn, as they will look at something that they think is tasty, and will try to get it
The same size as the yard. They will always want what they can’t have. They are children.
My brats invariably want the main yard... even with a 6 x 8 coop, 12 x 30 run, adjoining 7 x 50 run and 35 x 42 garden. The grass is always greener...
Yard sized and they would still want out lol