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[Velociraptor]

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[bluebirdfarm]

i plan on building a hen house and using electric poultry netting around it for the chickens , moving the netting around the house as they mess up one spot and re-seeding as i go . maybe they will stay in the netting are a, otr i hope they will.
we are making two tractors for the 101 meats and will join them with a section of netting for daytime use for ranging.

 

[chcknrs]

My chickens started free ranging at about 7 or 8 weeks. I let them out for the day, they come back to the tractor at dusk. They don't go far from shelter, so haven't gone past the house on the one side, or more than 50' past the tractor on the other side.

They have lots of places to hide in between, such as under either of the decks, under the vehicles (2 trucks, a boat, a quad, and a car), under the carport, etc. They seem to stay close to these areas, and prefer the area where the rose bushes are planted.

I have dogs to ward off ground predators, and the wild birds do a good job of warning when the local hawk is around. The roo's protect the hens, and it seems to work very well after the hawk actually got one of the hens!

The blue jays warn me about hawks as well, and if I hear them squawking, I head outside. So far, so good. Now if I could just figure out what is eating my lettuce sprouts....(not the chickens, they won't stray that far)

 

[bluebirdfarm]

we saw a coyote yesterday , muy hubby kept saying 308 308 308 and went running , i was left in the dust! trying to figure out what 308 was !!!!!
we did not get it as our dog was outside and she would have freaked if we shot the gun , had to get her in and by that toime the yote was gone.

 

[chickenannie]

You're doing everything right, sounds like. I would just wait until they're at least 3-4 months old before you let them free-range in your largest area. When they're small they don't quite have the same homing instinct.

Mine have no fences whatsoever, that's why I call mine free-range. At night they go into the henhouse to roost and I shut the door, and then open it every morning. I live on a 40-acre farm so they don't venture more than 3-400 feet away from their henhouse. they can find food, but they have no water unless they walk back to their house.

 

[chickenannie]

Quote:
What is 308?

 

[chcknrs]

I believe a 308 is a rifle.

 

[bluebirdfarm]

rifle

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

Free range to me is letting the chickens run with no fence at all. We live on 20 acres and will let our range in the yard. AFTER we train our dogs