Can a pet chicken run in fenced backyard without a smaller pen?

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backyard chickens
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Question by jolie: Can a pet chicken run in fenced backyard without a smaller pen?
We’d like to have a pet chicken. We’ll probably use a rabbit hutch for the nest. Can we let the chicken run free in the entire backyard, which is fenced, in the daytime, if I keep her in the hutch at night? What predators are in so cal cities, the only wild animals I’ve seen near here are possum, rats, cats and dogs. Can a hen stay in her rabbit hutch nest for a week while on vacation, (if someone feeds her), or is that too stressful?

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2 Responses to Can a pet chicken run in fenced backyard without a smaller pen?

  1. I don’t think it’s a good idea because chickens can fly enough to get on roof tops & over the fence
    I’m not sure about staying in the hutch for a week. It might be OK if someone is feeding it.

    John
    August 1, 2013 at 12:44 pm
    Reply

  2. Yes you can keep a chicken in your back yard as long as you clip it’s wings or it will fly away. It does not hurt it to clip it’s wings as long as you don’t cut the bone. This has been a common practice for hundreds of years. The chicken will be ok in the cage as long as it has food and water. Good luck!

    6 gun
    August 1, 2013 at 1:07 pm
    Reply

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