Free Range or Not? What Does Everyone Prefer?

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I need a doggy gate now.
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We just started using a baby gate. I just hope they don't think it's a new place to roost.
 
Thank you, that was very informative- the labs are truly loyal as your lab mixes are- my male lab will sit all day on the front porch, alert and scanning the perimeter, he is an excellent alert watch-dog!!
 
i really do not have a guardian dog. my dog is a bull mastiff. she is a house dog. i will say when she goes out the first thing she does is check the birds. if something should enter the yard human or otherwise she protects the birds. my 3 roosters 2 which are rhode island reds not production but heritage are amazing to watch. the top rooster will call all the hens in at dusk or so. when all the hens are in he Will walk the perimeter of the area than he goes in.
flock dynamics is very interesting. each rooster has his own hens. they are always with that particular rooster. it is like watching 2 separate flocks.
the 3rd cock bird is young he is a black giant. the cockerel giant is being schooled by the other 2 roosters. there is no fighting between the 3 cock birds. why ? because the ratio of hens to cock birds is high.
a good rooster is worth his weight in gold. a good cock bird will watch out for his flock always alert and stays with his flock. as far as eating well yes he will let the girls eat. however he eats with them. some people say a good cock bird will let the hens eat first. i have not seen it. my roosters will call when food is found.
bee, you are absolutely correct is saying the right birds for a situation . you can not expect a bird that has not had that range gene in place to act accordingly. when people ask me or tell me i want a ------ .breed. i always ask what is your situation. you can not expect a sweet docile creature to take on a range. just not a good idea. research the breeds you would want to own. some birds do better on range than others in a pen situation or confinement. setting. most american breeds like rocks,, rhode islands reds,,do well on range. there is a host of other breeds as well.
the other thing is what bee said handling birds. we as humans want to think the birds adore us. in reality the could care or less. we are a food source.. it is like pavlov's theory .
also birds do not really want to be handled. it can make them nervous. it is un-natural to them people want to be-leave the birds love them. . reality is your a perch. some birds are trained by humans to do what we want them to do. well so is the elephant or tiger in the circus.
that does not mean those animals like it. it is not natural to them. really what you are teaching your birds is not to cower or fear and all is well in utopia .. not a good thing to train a bird who has many predictors.
 
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I free range my mature flock when I am home I also have a good roo with them, my younger flock is penned150'x150'. I have 2 reasons I don't free range my younger flock they are not laying yet and the ones that are may not go back to the coop to lay eggs if free ranged and I don't want to go on an egg hunt everyday, 2nd reason is hawks or other predators my take the smaller birds that don't have a mature roo to warn them or if need be protect them.
 
Beekissed said:
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I'm glad! I thought maybe another something from the good old days had died out and was fading from the minds of America once again...I was all set to mourn the simple screen door...
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do you mean the screen door is not dead ? oh man, i got to return the suit and cancel the limo. there you all go. you just blew it. seeing me in a suit.
 
Hey do yall mind if i join in this thread. I have been trying to find one about free ranging. I have 5 chickens and a rooster who love grass, but i am too scared to let them out. We have a lab, and our neighbors have a lab pitbull cross. Also i don't know if they would come back. my chickens lay and roost in the coop so they would know that it is their home. If i let them out near sunset will they come in at dark. I am kinda new to chicken keeping, but i would be so cool for them to roam around the yard.
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emilmc7 said:
Hey do yall mind if i join in this thread. I have been trying to find one about free ranging. I have 5 chickens and a rooster who love grass, but i am too scared to let them out. We have a lab, and our neighbors have a lab pitbull cross. Also i don't know if they would come back. my chickens lay and roost in the coop so they would know that it is their home. If i let them out near sunset will they come in at dark. I am kinda new to chicken keeping, but i would be so cool for them to roam around the yard.
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Well what i would do is let them out for an hour or 2 and just keep an eye on the that is what i do because our neighbors have a pitbull
 

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