My ENTIRE Backyard Chicken System | Free-Ranging With a Garden

I don't keep my chickens in a coop and run — my entire backyard IS the chicken run. Here's how that actually works. My chicken-keeping system looks nothing like the standard coop-and-run setup most backyard keepers use — even most farms keep it more contained than I do. In this episode I walk through how "just five chickens" turned into a flock of 30, how I merged my flock with my food-growing system, what that actually looks like day to day, the very real downsides of doing it this way, and exactly what to check before you try it yourself. In this video you'll learn: ✅ How "just five chickens" turned into a flock of 30 (and why that's genuinely fine) ✅ Why I merged my chicken system with my garden system instead of keeping them separate ✅ The real fertility payoff — free fertilizer and a massive drop in my own workload ✅ The honest downsides: poop everywhere, destroyed gardens, and furniture the chickens "claim" as their own ✅ Why boundary fencing has to do double duty — containing chickens AND keeping predators out ✅ My actual stocking rate (~27 square meters per chicken) and how climate changes that number ✅ Why buy-in from the people you live with might matter more than any fence 📬 For deeper seasonal guides and the science behind what we cover here, join the newsletter: https://newsletter.onceuponafarm.co.nz ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 Intro: my system isn't the usual coop-and-run 1:14 Setting up the old family coop, starting with "just five" chickens 1:49 A broody hen adds a few more 2:14 Free-ranging into an unfenced yard = chicken menace on the porch 2:42 Wanting to grow food and put the chickens to work 3:24 The idea: merge the chicken system and the garden system 4:02 Original run capacity: only 10-15 chickens 4:15 Fencing off the front yard, opening the run into the backyard 5:25 The fertility payoff — free fertilizer, less workload 6:29 The downsides — this isn't a fairytale 6:46 Downside #1: poop, everywhere, all the time 7:24 Downside #2: destructive feet (and why covered gardens are smart anyway) 8:53 Anything chickens can reach becomes their property 9:31 Fencing off human spaces (the deck story) 10:16 What to consider before you try this yourself 10:35 1. Boundary fencing 11:26 Predators change everything (and why you can't copy my setup) 12:52 2. Space, stocking rate and climate 13:46 My stocking rate: ~27 sqm per chicken 15:00 My max flock size: 30 chickens (and how to find yours) 16:29 3. Buy-in from the people you live with 17:09 Eggs: the goodwill currency with neighbors 17:33 Wrap-up: build the system that fits your goals 🔗 RELATED VIDEOS: • Chicken Run Furnishing Guide:    • Chicken Run Furnishing Guide | Essential E...   • Breeding Chickens in a Free Range Flock:    • Breeding Chickens in a Free Range Flock; M...   • Tips to Save Money in Your Food Garden:    • Tips to Save Money in Your Food Garden   • How to Hatch Chicks With a Broody Hen:    • How To Hatch Chicks With A Broody Hen   💬 What's the one thing stopping you from free-ranging your whole backyard — space, predators, or just the poop? Tell me below. 🔔 SUBSCRIBE for new backyard chicken content every Wednesday:    / @onceuponafarmnz   #BackyardChickens #FreeRangeChickens #ChickenKeeping #BackyardFarming #RegenerativeGardening #NewZealandFarming