Topic of the week - Free Ranging

[mkeawsh]

Chickens stealing the mouse from the cat is so typical around here. We also have a pond and if one of the frogs is caught outside the pond - uh oh for the frog. Then they are running after the chicken with the mouse or frog for a loooooong time. It just cracks me up to see the energy they have to keep up the chase. The critter usually is constantly acquired by numerous chickens before it is all over and eaten. Fortunately the little critter has been dead from almost the moment of capture.

 

[Walden400]

The most important thing is to discover what treat will get them back in easily, then use it only for this. You must know when they lay, and never let them out until after this. It is important to train the dogs to roam with the chickens for protection. The one huge drawback, they eat and scratch up EVERYTHING! Not just the stuff you want them to. They can destroy a flower bed in minutes.

 

[Sandiejo13]

- What pros and cons have you experienced when deciding to free range your flock?
We have just under 2 acres in our main yard which is surrounded by a dike (we own a total of 7 acres around the house). The chickens are def more healthy and happy, and use less food. A few have wondered further than our yard, and yes, we have lost a few to the neighbors dog while they were in his yard. But for the most part they stay within the dike.
- How do you keep your flock safe when out roaming?
We have anywhere from 4-6 roosters at any one time, and each rooster has his part of the yard, with his Ladies. We also have many bushes, low branch pine trees and trailers in the yard that they are able to take cover under when an Eagle does fly over. We have had a couple mink attacks, one dog attack (in our yard) and one hawk attack and 2 Owl attacks. While we have many Bald Eagles in the area, they pretty much leave the chickens alone. We also have a dog that runs out in the yard. While he is a upland game bird dog, he knows to leave the chickens alone. Pretty much, we have had very few problems over the years. Our coops are predator proof, so they are safe at night. The owl got the one Roo who decided he didn't need to come in at night and wouldn't let us get close enough to catch him.
- How do you ensure hens lay their eggs in the coop, instead of the garden/anywhere else they deem suitable?
The first yr, we had lots of problems with that, but since then, not too much, just once in a while.... Their fav place other than the coop, is our garage when we keep it open while brooding young chickens... LOL.... so making sure you have enough "good" nesting boxes helps.
- How do you train new rangers to return to the coop at night?
Like most of the others, when placing them in a new coop for the first time, you need to plan to keep them in for at least 2-3 days. After that, 98% always come back. You many have one or two who think it is a great idea to sleep in a tree, or under the coop or a trailer, but they quickly learn the error of their ways. We do have a couple chicken tractors that we use for both our meat birds (Cornish crosses) and our new members when they are old enough to go outside, but need some time to get acclimated to the flock. So it takes a few days after moving them from those tractors to the main coop... but usually works out well....

 

[Teila]

I live smack bang in the middle of suburbia on a standard residential block with 5 x pampered pet bantams. I work from home.

Free range was supervised only starting at 4PM in the afternoon when I had finished work and the majority of the day on the weekends. The girls used to start asking to be let out around 3PM.

This was fine until Crystal hatched, grew up and discovered that she could make noises that would put a Peacock X Duck to shame!

Because of the noise she could and was making, I started having to let them out at 3PM so that I could concentrate on work and the neighbours did not get annoyed. Of course, because free range was now 3PM, she started demanding at 2PM .. you can see where this is going? They now get let out at 5AM in summer and free range the back yard all day

What pros and cons have you experienced when deciding to free range your flock?
Pros .. quieter, happier chickens.
Cons .. Increased risk of loss from predators.

How do you keep your flock safe when out roaming?
Living in suburbia and working from home is definitely a bonus in that I can race out if the alarm is raised due to an overweight, pampered puddy cat encroaching on their territory.
Lots of places for them to hide from aerial predators [which we do not see often; 2 x Hawks in 6 years and way off in the distance].

How do you ensure hens lay their eggs in the coop, instead of the garden/anywhere else they deem suitable?
Probably because they are 2-4 years in age range and have always laid in the nest box it is more of a case of try and stop them; they kick up a huge stink if they can not get into the coop to lay.

 

[EggGrl]

My coop is near a creek bed that is mostly overgrown in that area. It gives them cover and in 5 years I've only had 1 incidence of predation.

I agree with the pros mentioned. My birds are doing what they should do and are healthy because of it.

My husband complains about the curious birds pooping in the garage but it's only occasionally.

Now that I am starting breeding flocks, the different breeds will take turns being let out. It's a compromise I'll have to make.

 

[Ljc01]

I have never had problems getting them back in the coop at night. After keeping them in the starter coop until they are big enough to hold their own with the older birds, I just let them all free range together. I do that for a week or so and then close off the starter coop and they seem to follow the older birds into the main coop.

Most of my birds lay in the nesting boxes without problems, except Goldie. She is one of my new EE's that started laying about 2 months ago. Laid a couple in the nesting boxes and they started hiding them from me.. Followed her one day and found 15 eggs in a nest in the back pasture. Put the whole crew in lockdown for a few days and all was ok for a while. She must be laying somewhere besides the nesting boxes again, because I have not gotten an egg from her in a week. They are in lockdown again. I can't find the nest. My DH and neighbor and I looked everywhere yesterday. Except of course where she is hiding them! LOL
This is the only downside I have found to free ranging. We have not had any predator problems.

 

[dogkahuna]

We do a modified free-range. We've got short moveable fencing (which we move around)--basically 100 sq. ft. of electro-net that is not turned on (no predator problem so far.) The fence is merely a suggestion and the flock may or may not stay within the enclosure, but all return to the coop at dusk and as far as I can tell, all lay in the coop's nesting boxes. We've got a couple cleared acres that the chickens check out and have had a couple birds wander off the property never to return.

We give them grain in the morning and then organic produce from our local natural food coop. We don't buy it, but get the slightly past-prime fruits and veggies that get tossed once deemed unsaleable by the store. I believe the good eats keep the flock within earshot and they come running when we get home with the afternoon feast.

To answer the questions...aside from the couple deserters, there have been no cons to ranging. Pros are pest control and soil improvement. There are several compost piles they avail themselves of, which enriches the compost.

They all had days or weeks cooped up so they all know where to return to. We live in a predator-light area, but I also run a dog-boarding operation that probably discourages forays onto the property by predators.

 

[Mrs. K]

I free range, but also can confine them in a run/coop set up. I have every known predator, right here close by. I do have good ground protection, but coyotes and bobcats can get them in there.

What I have found to greatly reduce, but not totally eliminate losses due to free-ranging:

• A year old + rooster. A baby cockerel really does not help with this too much until close to a year old.
• An irregular schedule, don't let them out at the same time each day, some mornings, some afternoons, sometimes not at all
• Don't let them out on high wind days or heavily cloudy days...gives the advantage to the predators
• If and when you get hit by a predator, go into lock down for several days, forcing the predator to give up the easy meal, and move on

Different breed will vary how far they roam from the coop/ generally the more you let them out, the farther they roam. However, I have had numerous breeds, let them out quite often, and really never had them real far from the coop, within 100 yards in all directions.

Mrs K

 

[JayColli]

Something I've noted with my flock that includes a rooster vs a friend's flock of hens is that his range much further whereas my rooster seems to keep mine tethered to within a few hundred yards of the coop. Has anyone else noticed this?

 

[Eggscoozme]

The only thing I can think of that would be a new addition to pre mentioned comments is this:

Get rid of the chickens that don't lay in the coop/nesting box. I love chickens, but not looking for more work than I have to. Found about 2 dozen eggs in an old dog house, once, after I thought they stopped laying for the winter. Because I didn't know how long they've been out there, we didn't eat them, but cooked them up real good and gave back to the chickens.

Also, I don't free range in April unless out with the chickens. Red fox in broad daylight, right outside patio door, creeping up on our flock at 9:15am just feet from our house. We figured she had pups she was trying to feed. She didn't get our chickens and we didn't get her hide, but.....

Raccoons haven't gotten any of our chickens, but have tried. Our biggest problem which has since been rectified, was opossum. Lost 1/3 flock of silkies in just over a week from what we came to find out was opossum. Killed 3 juvie opossums that season.

We have too many trees for aerial predators to be a problem plus our chickens are probably too big for them to carry off with! Ha Ha!

As far as my garden goes, I have a small garden that has a portable clothe mesh-like fence that keeps the chickens out. At end of garden season, I roll up an end for them to get into it and stir it all up including the new compost (their feces/straw) that is added for the next growing season. They live in it most of the day it seems!

I have over 70 chickens, but only 10 laying. They all lay in their box. It was my Cream Legbars that wouldn't lay in the box most of the time. I found them a home.