Keeping Chickens Free Range

[chickadee5002]

Good to know... It shouldn't surprise me because chickens are smarter than most people think to

Lol I agree!

 

[SmColorInDaPan]

We have been getting the coop ready for winter, all my ladies and the roo love being out during the day. This will be my first winter with my flock, last year they were peeps and we kept them inside. Thus year i plan on keeping them on the same daily schedule unless it's bitterly cold. I'm still learning and always looking for advice

but I do agree. Even tho mine are free range during the day, they are eating the there feed r s daily to prepare for winter the little chubs, lol. But online them all ♡

Cold doesn't bother the hens near as bad as heat. I tucked the chickens into a wooden box, when the windchill was PREDICTED, 0 or colder, My Roo lost his Comb. Fed A LOT of feed, bread with *Warm* water mix. Providing water & food in one 'dose'.

Finding where eggs were laid, WAS ANOTHER THING ALTOGETHER...

My kids roost either in the tree nearest to back porch of the house, or on the boxes of kindling ON the back porch. Somehow, with my dogs, & Roo, I have only had scares with flying predators. I have the old Hutch out THIS year. Will prop plywood, patch as necessary, The outcast hen will, hopefully, be happy in the wooden box, etc. as needed.
Frost in the mornings however no ice in buckets or the horse's water trough, SO FAR…. Good luck with your First year….

 

[cehasz]

I just thought everyone should know, my chickens have decided that I am going to free range them! What little stinkers!

 

[duluthralphie]

I just thought everyone should know, my chickens have decided that I am going to free range them! What little stinkers!

My Guinea fowl have decided the same thing! Let's play wheel of fortune on the phrase I use on them (YOU have bought an A, E and I)


T and S were guessed by first player

_ ITT _ E _ AS TA_ _S!!!!!

 

[whitehurst512]

I let mine free range all day and they go back to the coop at dusk, I lock them up and let them back out in the morn. They always head to there nesting boxes to lay then back out to the field. I always keep feed available but I notice a large drop on consumption in the summer months. We are surrounded by bean fields and when the grasshoppers are at their peak my chickens don't even touch the feed. Only draw back I see with free ranging is I lost 6 pullets this spring to hungry hawks, but I have to respect the circle of life. And fortunately pullets are only a couple bucks a piece.

This is how we raise our chickens too. The only problem is gettin them to all nest in the same place! We have nesting boxes but they all refuse to lay in them. Instead they lay them in the hay in our barn. Half of them will lay in the nest of hay and the other half will lay in random spots some don't even have a nest just lay it on the floor behind something! It's like a Easter egg hunt every day only it's not really fun anymore! How can I get them to lay in the same spot preferably in their nesting boxes!?!?

 

[hennible]

You could try locking them in their coop until after they lay or you could lock them in the coop for a couple days so they don't have any other option and finally decide the egg boxes are the best place . And you could try false eggs...

 

[islandgirl82]

The false eggs worked great for my flock. So did having older hens; they inadvertently taught the pullets lots of great things, including where to lay. I do have one pullet whose breed prefers to hide their eggs in more natural settings and until recently, I kept them confined to the coop and run until she had laid or noon, whichever came first. Then last week I had let them out at the usual time but she hadn't laid so I figured she had the day off. I was thrilled to pieces when I saw her go back to the coop to use the nest instead of hiding them so I stopped waiting to let them out to forage. She has consistently gone back to the coop to use the nests each time too.

 

[Debby27]

Mine are free ranged every day and I always had one late girl that liked to lay around 2:30 or so...I don't get home till 1:30 or so and mine were in the coop so they learned to lay in their boxes. The late one was pretty smart, I had no idea she was going back until one day I couldn't find her and went to the coop and there she was, laying her egg! woo hoo! So I let mine out early or late, just depends if I work that day or not....Never had one lay anywhere else but in their nesting boxes. Right now they are laying less, only 2 eggs yesterday so I hope we get 4 today...It's getting cold up here in PA.....So I know it's going to go down some.

 

[dpenning]

Mine are free range with an auto open door around 7:30 am. Five of the six go back to the coop and lay in the nest box but one insists on laying on the poop board. I need to see if I can catch her in the act and discourage her. Would picking her up and putting her in the nest work? She would probably just scare and fly down before I could move her.

 

[FarmgateTx]

Quote: I used a golf ball in the boxes. I put the golf balls in the nesting boxes long before any of the hens were laying. Out of about 150 laying hens, I get 4-5 that are laid elsewhere. As I have more that have not started laying than I have that are laying, I continue to get some that lay outside (neighbor's barn). Every time it is raining, I keep the pen closed. This helps bring back the few that are laying outside.