Keeping Chickens Free Range

[islandgirl82]

Do most of you let your chickens out as much in the winter? I don't mean in really bad weather.....but just in general. There wont be bugs out for them to eat so I wondered what most people do.

I have gotten braver since I first started letting them out. I love walking outside and hearing them scratching about in the leaves and seeing them around the yard. I love having them!

I do. They still manage to find things to eat, it helps with cabin fever and they're able to get into the coop and out of the weather as they please. The only time I don't let them out of the run is if we're getting hit with a major storm.

 

[duluthralphie]

I will let mine out in the winter, except major storms also.

I am not sure if I will let them free range or keep them in the pen.........I will play it by ear.

 

[chicksurreal]

Today, I saw this video on YouTube where this one guy was out in the field when a hawk came and tried to take one of his chickens.(in the video, he just watched

) When it tired again, it got one of his hens and he was just watching that hawk kill the chicken! Then, he lets the thing eat the chicken!!! I was sooo angry, but luckily I kept it inside!
I felt sooo sorry when I saw that chicken, I wish I could have helped it!! I mean, if I was that guy I would have helped the poor hen!! Anyways, just wanted to say this!!

I find that to be just horrific.

I know that some of us are more attached to our chickens and treat them as pets (me, for sure), but to just stand by and watch one animal tear apart another, especially when one of them belongs to you, is just sick. Nature has it's order, of course, but what in the world...?

 

[JessicaThistle]

I will most likely let mine out unless we have a severe storm. We had some pretty heavy rain a time or two in the last two weeks and it didn't bother the chickens a bit! I didn't want to go out in it but they were happy as sopping wet clams. I will play each day by ear just like Ralph as the weather changes.

I would never allow anything to kill one of my chickens while I watched. I would go after that thing with my bare hands if I had to with no thought to myself. I guess I just love my chickens that much!

 

[chicksurreal]

I will most likely let mine out unless we have a severe storm. We had some pretty heavy rain a time or two in the last two weeks and it didn't bother the chickens a bit! I didn't want to go out in it but they were happy as sopping wet clams. I will play each day by ear just like Ralph as the weather changes.

I would never allow anything to kill one of my chickens while I watched. I would go after that thing with my bare hands if I had to with no thought to myself. I guess I just love my chickens that much!

Exactly!

 

[ChickyChickens]

I find that to be just horrific.

I know that some of us are more attached to our chickens and treat them as pets (me, for sure), but to just stand by and watch one animal tear apart another, especially when one of them belongs to you, is just sick. Nature has it's order, of course, but what in the world...?

Yeah, that's what I thought...

 

[andreanar]

I have 7 pullets that free range from early morning until sunset. They head to the coop on their own. During the day, they like to hang out in the woods. They are 17-18 weeks old now. Im on first egg watch! Yay. Im assuming I should start keeping them confined to the coop until they are using the nest boxes consistently. What time of day should I let them out? They are not amused with the door staying closed while the sun is up! Lol, but Im not keen on going on an Easter egg hunt thru the woods!

 

[vpatt]

I have 7 pullets that free range from early morning until sunset. They head to the coop on their own. During the day, they like to hang out in the woods. They are 17-18 weeks old now. Im on first egg watch! Yay. Im assuming I should start keeping them confined to the coop until they are using the nest boxes consistently. What time of day should I let them out? They are not amused with the door staying closed while the sun is up! Lol, but Im not keen on going on an Easter egg hunt thru the woods!

I have worked up to letting mine out at about 2 in the afternoon. That gives them about 5 hours of freedom. I do plan to eventually work up to all day. But since only 4 are laying (and doing good with going back to the nest box for that) I decided to wait for the other 5 to begin laying before I let them out for the whole day. Way too many hiding places for me to find hidden eggs. I wonder if I amuse the chickies as much as they amuse me. Yesterday was the first day that I didn't go outside at least 6 times and count them to be sure they were all there. I only counted them 5 times...lol.

I have one bantam black Phoenix.....I am guessing that she won't lay eggs very often. The seller flimflammed me on that one. But she is cute and they all seem to get along well so she is a keeper, too. She loves getting out of the pen as much as the "big" girls now that she is used to her new home. I cant wait for all of them to start laying so they can stay out all day. They were napping yesterday in the brush under some trees. So far none of the girls have turned into guys.....that's amazing. Sorry to get off topic.

 

[Tikkijane]

I'm getting my first flock and its going to a mixed flock and I am planning to free range.  But my question is I've heard that Buff O's are not good to free range because they are a heavier breed and I really want some!  I was planning on getting a couple dominiques, EE and Orpingtons.  Is this true????

I don't know of a single breed that doesn't free range well. Fwiw.

 

[duluthralphie]

I have 7 pullets that free range from early morning until sunset. They head to the coop on their own. During the day, they like to hang out in the woods. They are 17-18 weeks old now. Im on first egg watch! Yay. Im assuming I should start keeping them confined to the coop until they are using the nest boxes consistently. What time of day should I let them out? They are not amused with the door staying closed while the sun is up! Lol, but Im not keen on going on an Easter egg hunt thru the woods!

I am also on first egg watch, my hens are from 17 to 23 weeks old. Yesterday I left the one shed open for a little bit, a chicken went inside, I could not find her. I thought she had ran out. About 10 minutes later I heard the egg song coming from in the shed. I went in just in time to see a hen crawling out of a pile of boxes and things piled in one corner.


I spent 10 minutes looking. my wife spent another 10 minutes looking. We decided we are not going to find a brown egg in all that junk in a semi dark corner of the shed....

I wish I knew if their was an egg in there! I hate to move all that stuff for nothing....I hate to move it for one egg!


Dang Chickens!