So today I let them out - they've been living in a chicken tractor-type pen, and they're used to it & consider it home. So when I let them out, one ventured out & stared at the others through the hardware cloth for awhile. Then she went back in & another came out, staring at US and grabbing bits...
They won't be in sight, since you only level area I have that will support a "chicken tractor" is on the other side of the house.
The tractor we have is set up to be secure overnight, but it only holds 12 max.
If that goes well I will open the whole flock to free range in the spring, and keep...
Thanks
We are gonna try splitting the group in half and letting half free range from a chicken tractor (that way if we have heavier losses than expected we won't lose the birds I really don't want to lose)
We will see how it goes.
I have four Australorp pullets about ready to lay (born in June) if you are interested. There is nothing wrong with them but we need to reduce # (as I bought a few impulse chicks I shouldn't have earlier this year). We also have some buckeyes.
How far is Paducah from I-64? I can drive out there...
One of our wagerers leaks or something sometimes (we have one chicken who likes to play with the watered by sticking the "chicken nipple" to make the bucket spin, I think this mat be why), so we tried putting a child's plastic sled under it inverted, so that all the moisture collects there...
I want to start letting our birds free range - I am thinking of starting by letting them out for 2-3 hours before nightfall, to see how it goes. We are on a heavily wooded Appalachian hillside, and we have raccoons & possums, but during the daylight my big fears are wandering dogs & speeding...
I have found the best thing to do with otherwise-unusable stuff that can't be composted (for sanitary or scavenger-attracting reasons) is to dig a hole, put it in the hole, and plant a tree or shrub above it.
Requires some forethought (but we live outside of trash collection, so *all* our waste...
The thing i'd recommend for retraining a dog is to learn about pack behavior. If you can make your dog believe you are the alpha and those chickens belong to you, he'll view them as off limits. Making hom view you as the alpha is yhe easy part; every day, take him on a leash walk and make him...
This has been my experience as well.
We were fortunate to get great pyr puppy from a working mom, which I would recommend if possible.
The only thing on, with great pyr, you need really good fences: they are bred to roam big territories.
I have a Faverolle pullet with a leg injury apart in a cage. I thought she might not like being alone so I put another bird in there with her, but I'm worried about the cage being crowded. Is it better for her to be alone in a less crowded cage, or should I risk keeping her caged up with the...