Does anyone else Free Range?

[heartsizedfarm]

I agree free range is best for them physically and mentally, but the losses to predators can be hard on me mentally! Mine have been in a large, hopefully interesting coop for three months now, since I lost a young hen to a hawk. Too gruesome to describe. My rooster was injured too, probably trying his best to save her. I think once a predator has had one of your chickens they come back again and again. So I'm hoping the hawk will be frustrated here and move on. It's winter still here anyway. I'll let them out in spring when presumably hawks can find easier prey in the fields.

 

[Searsmom]

I have a small flock that free range & I like it just fine. I let them out first thing in the morning while I am getting ready so they can eat. They stay outside on my 3 acres & come & go from the coop when they please, laying their eggs in the coop. At night they go roost in their coop & I lock them up. They are extremely clean & healthy birds this way. The only thing that is inconvenient is they like to peer inside the back patio windows & they drop huge land mines on the back porch....I have to spray it off often

We had to put up a gate to our porch...we couldn't walk outside anymore without stepping on bombs.

Balance, you need balance in the approach to free-range keeping of chickens. Sometimes keeping them cooped up for extended periods is prudent thing to do. Predator management will be biggest driver for how confinement is employed. If you are in a flock only setting with no other animals, especially chicken friendly dogs, then a nice coop is needed for times when predators are hitting you hard which they will unless you live on a small island. Some of my birds are never penned. They fly well and have two dogs plus layers of fencing to protect them. Others at certain times of year a r e confined owing to concerns of pasture management / rest periods. Keep birds off when forage base is damaged by too much pressure.

Yes, that's something else I should have mentioned. When predators are spotted, the girls go in lock-down for several weeks. They are not happy, but it gives the predators - usually dogs - time to go find other entertainments. The panels for their run are actually horse round pen panels with dog fencing wired to them - I don't see a dog getting through that. Barking yes, getting through, no.

 

[dekel18042]

Lokking at all the pros and cons of free range for us, we've found when we free range, the eggs are huge and the birds eat a fraction of the food they eat when penned. That said, we do have a run, and they are locked up overnight and as needed.
We have lots of folage and safe spots plus we let the dogs out with them and check on them periodically. They never stray and come when called. (They associate us with treats.)
One of the main decision makers is that we live in one of the tick capitols of the world and the chickens do provide some defense against this, and able to go out and about seems to make for happier chickens.

 

[Quack House]

NOT FREE RANGING TODAY!!!!!!! Thanks again Mother Nature! Yesterday was a balmy plus 10 degrees celcius ... See avatar picture ....
Today ...
THIS!!!

 

[heartsizedfarm]

You must be up in my neck of the woods!

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Oh Quack House. After some nice weather if I saw that out at the coop it would be like a kick in the teeth. We had lots of snow...but what really got us was the cold and frigid temps this winter. I don't thing we saw hardly a week worth of temps above 0 for 3 months. Of course now that trend is changing...but the snow depth is still probably 2 feet or more. I've shoveled some paths for the chickens to go under some pine trees in the yard and go to some sunny slopes. where I can scrape some snow away just the weekend. I looked out at the coop today and the Roo was leading the hens down one of these paths back to the run and above him was a Bald eagle circling.

I think I'll just shut the run door this afternoon...they aren't venturing out that much anyways.

 

[Quack House]

Oh Quack House. After some nice weather if I saw that out at the coop it would be like a kick in the teeth. We had lots of snow...but what really got us was the cold and frigid temps this winter. I don't thing we saw hardly a week worth of temps above 0 for 3 months. Of course now that trend is changing...but the snow depth is still probably 2 feet or more. I've shoveled some paths for the chickens to go under some pine trees in the yard and go to some sunny slopes. where I can scrape some snow away just the weekend. I looked out at the coop today and the Roo was leading the hens down one of these paths back to the run and above him was a Bald eagle circling.

I think I'll just shut the run door this afternoon...they aren't venturing out that much anyways.

Wow ... a bald eagle!!! YIKES!
I haven't seen any prey birds YET ... But my poultry were content to stay inside today. I hear you about the cold. I lined my coup with 28 bales of hay this winter and it may just have saved their lives. Net year I'm bringing them into the barn with the horses. Just too cold! This year we had two straight months of temps below -15 BEFORE windchill. Crazy. Never seen anything like it before. Luckily ~ no fatalities.

They were so happy the last few days scratching around ... sad to lock them up. Oh well ... it can't last.

 

[Quack House]

You must be up in my neck of the woods!

Where are you?

 

[heartsizedfarm]

Cambridge, Ontario, Canada. Currently in the middle of a huge snowstorm! Upside is they sent my husband home from work so he can clean the coop. Laughing emoticon here.

 

[Quack House]

Cambridge, Ontario, Canada. Currently in the middle of a huge snowstorm! Upside is they sent my husband home from work so he can clean the coop. Laughing emoticon here.

HAHA did they send him SO he could clean the coup, or is that your idea

I'm about 45 minutes Southwest from you ~ in Norfolk county ~ 15 minutes from Lake Erie ...

WOW ~ Giant flakes out there right now.