Guide to raising free-range chickens from A to Z

In this article, I will introduce you in detail the techniques of raising free-range chickens according to each age stage of the chickens, as well as some useful tips so that you can successfully apply this model. Let's follow!

Prepare the barn and grazing area

First, you need to build a chicken barn according to the following requirements:

• The barn must have a high, solid floor, easy to clean, easy to drain, not damp, and avoid being dug by rats. You can plaster the floor with cement or tile it.
• The barn must have a roof made of material that does not absorb heat to prevent heat, covering the barn wall about 1m to prevent rain from wetting the floor. You can cover it with corrugated iron or thatched roof.
• The coop must have walls 30-40cm high, and the top should be covered with wire mesh or bamboo for ventilation. You should also have curtains made of canvas, sacks, etc. to protect the chickens from rain and cold wind.
• The coop must be divided into many compartments to easily manage the flock, especially breeding chickens. You can divide the compartments with wire mesh or bamboo strips.
• The barn must have an underground drainage system and an external drainage system to avoid water stagnation around the walls.
• The barn must have enough space for the chickens to be kept in when they cannot be released outside. The stocking density is 10-12 chickens/m2 for chicks and 5-6 chickens/m2 for roosters.
• The coop must be cleaned, disinfected, and sterilized at least twice before receiving the chickens for 7-15 days. You can use Formalin 2% at a dose of 1ml/m2, Paricolin 0.05% or Disinfection 0.05% to spray the entire chicken coop.

Next, you need to prepare a pasture (pasture) for chickens according to the following requirements:

• The free range garden must have shade trees (fruit trees or forestry trees), and green grass which is a food source containing many vitamins and minerals for the chickens. You should also build a temporary shelter to hang additional feeders and waterers for the chickens during the free range time.
• The free range must have enough space for the chickens to move around and find more food. The minimum area required for free range is from 0.5 to 1m2/chicken. Free range is arranged on both sides (front and back) of the barn and rotational grazing is practiced.
• The pasture must be leveled, well-drained, free of stagnant water, and free of trash or foreign objects. You should also periodically clean up any stray feathers in the pasture.

These are basic instructions on how to prepare a coop and a grazing area for free-range chickens. You can learn more about other chicken raising techniques such as breed selection, feeding, disease prevention and treatment, etc. to achieve high economic efficiency.

Choosing the right chicken breed

Choosing the right chicken breed is one of the important factors to ensure the economic efficiency and sustainability of free-range chicken farming. You need to consider criteria such as adaptability, productivity, meat and egg quality, disease characteristics and market demand to choose the right chicken breed. Below are some native chicken breeds, specialties in the North recognized according to national standards (TCVN):

• Native chicken: This breed of chicken is mainly distributed in the Northern and Central regions. Native chickens are small in size, have diverse feather colors, yellow skin, and yellow legs. Native chicken meat is sweet, fragrant, and has crispy skin. Native chickens reach sexual maturity early (18 weeks old), have high egg productivity (120 eggs/hen/year), and a high hatching rate (85%).
• Ho Chicken: A precious breed of chicken in Vietnam, originating from Lac Tho village, Ho town, Thuan Thanh district, Bac Ninh province. Ho chicken has a large body mass (roosters from 4.5 - 5.5 kg/bird and hens from 3.5 - 4.0 kg/bird), special feather color (hens have 3 feather colors: clay, ripe longan shell and sparrow color; roosters are plum-colored, head and wings are blue), beak, legs, and red skin. Ho chicken meat is sweet, fatty, and fragrant.
• Tien Yen chicken: A native chicken breed of Tien Yen, Quang Ninh. Tien Yen chicken is characterized by having a tuft of feathers on the head and chin, diverse feather colors, yellow skin, and yellow legs. Tien Yen chicken meat is sweet, fragrant, and has crispy skin. Fat is mixed in the meat, so when eating Tien Yen chicken, you can also taste the aroma of chicken fat. Tien Yen chicken has a late age of sexual maturity (22 weeks old), average egg production (78 eggs/hen/year), and high hatching rate (80%).

These are three native chicken breeds, specialties of the North that I introduce to you. You can learn more about other chicken breeds such as Lac Thuy chicken, Mong chicken, H’Mong chicken… to have more options suitable to your conditions and goals.