Should you free range your chickens ?

Future backyard chicken owners often dream of having a picturesque back yard, with happy chickens roaming across their lawn, eating insects, and enjoying themselves in the sunshine in between laying their eggs. However, before you let them out of the chicken run to let them free range, it makes sense to think about the advantages and disadvantages of free ranging.

They will dig up the plants in your garden and eat the vegetables.
They will leave poop behind them wherever they go.
They will make holes wherever they dust bathe.
They will eat all the grass, leaving bare dirt.
They might lay their eggs anywhere, leaving you a daily hunt for the eggs.
They will be at risk of whatever predators might be looking for a tasty chicken dinner.
But...
they will eat grubs and bugs and weed seeds and help your garden stay healthy.
And that means your feed costs will be lower.
Their poop is great fertiliser, and whatever they poop outside of the chicken house is some that yu don't have to clean up.
They will be healthier, with less problems with external parasites, and infections won't spread so quickly.
The lower ranked chickens won't get so stressed, because they will be able to stay out of the way of the birds at the top of the pecking order.
and they can move into or out of the sun or shade and shelter as they want, keeping themselves comfortable.
So, you decide for your chickens. I hope these factors will help in your decision making. For me and my chickens, the answer is Yes.

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