You can just turn the chickens loose and they will come back to the coup at sunset or shortly before. All you need to do is remember to close the door when you check the animals. I will get flames for this but on the intellegence scale (according to Cornell University) chickens are pretty stupid but rate higher than horses. Darn where is that flame proof suit.
No flames from me, I believe they are smarter than horses.
I have a type of pen that you move daily, (it is on wheels and pulleys) the inside is 2 story, the bottom part is where their feed is and automatic waterer, then they take a ladder to the 2nd story to roost - there are 2 roosting poles (there is plastic mesh on the floor of the second story) and 3 nesting boxes that are totally enclosed and the floor of those are at a slant and the eggs fall down toward the back were there is a door from the outside to collect the eggs. Also second floor has a mineral feeder (oyster shell) and a grit feeder. From the bottom floor there is a small mesh wire enclosure that goes outside and is removeable. When we are home, we remove the wire outside enclosure and let them free range...about an hour before sunset, they all head back to the pen and go up and roost, then I attach the wire enclosure so nothing can get to them. Also the roof of my pen slides back to fill all feeders. We have tons of coyotes and raccoons here and so far no problems (knock on wood), I'm sure if I left them out all night, some would be MIA, but I just make sure they are closed up at night.
I love the pen, it is called a "Henspa"...we purchased it, it was like a kit, you just put it together, it was very pricey, but we had no idea how to build a good chicken coop and we like the idea of moving it so the chickens aren't in their poop all the time and I'll tell you what - their poop makes the grass very lush, as long as it doesn't get overloaded w/pooh and the pen is moved daily. Now that we know the set up, hubby is going to build one similiar to it next year and we are going to get some bantams for showing.
I have 10 chickens (7 rhode island reds, 3 Americaunas)...I really enjoy the chickens and they are pretty smart. They follow me all around the place when I am doing chores. They know I am the "food lady". They will eat ANYTHING! I feed them meal worms from my hands and I will sit on the ground and they will come up on my legs, in my lap and take the worms.
I always assumed that free range was just that -- not penned up at all
That's what I would think, but they would still have to have a safe place where predators can't get to them. I consider mine - partial free range , since when I am at work or not home I keep them locked up. When I am home - they go wherever they want, including on my deck and devour my flowers!