I have free ranged my 6 girls for 2 1/2 years on our 2.5 acres and never had an issue until last weekend. 4 went missing early but two returns at sunset….the other two did not….I will still continue to free range but mor cautiously during fall and winter.
This is Marty, 1 1/2 years old! She always has a dirty butt🙄. I think she just likes me giving her a bath…..nothing like a little spa treatment 😝. Not an avid egg layer but pretty green/blue eggs when she does lay!
I don’t recommend it for reasons mentioned but it may depend on how long your visit will be. Every weekend my chicks would travel with me to my acreage for a few days and they did fine. But that’s only 1 hour away. I didn’t have anyone to tend to them. But yes, they really do stress about it...
All of my frozen cracked eggs I boil up and give back to my girls. Seems odd but they aren’t getting wasted and good for them....they turn out like a poached egg. And they love them!
My chickens act like it’s hot lava! They did not approve of their snow chicken sister I made them and ate her lol. Some times they will fly over the drifts🤣. And I have to shovel a path because the snow is too deep!