Ameraucana thread for posting pictures and discussing our birds

[LaPoulet]

It was a ball of grass and fiber about 3 inches wide. I always put grit out for them. I always thought that since they had grit they would not have a problem. No more grass for them! I only let them out once in a while. Sometimes in the evening about an hour or so before dark. Now I will be over protective!

When I give grass, I shred it, by hand, so no piece is longer than 2-3". So far, that's worked.

What happens when they free range? I let mine out in the yard everyday. Now I'm paranoid.

 

[Alaskan]

What happens when they free range? I let mine out in the yard everyday. Now I'm paranoid.

In all my years of chicken keeping and the hundreds of chicks that I have raised, only one got a sour crop and looked like it was due to a wad of grass.

So, I chalk that up to freak acident, and ah, whatever, my girls still get access to grass and weeds via chicken tractors as well as everything from the lawnmower bag and whatever I harvest for them by hand.

However, whenever I free range, or just don't keep my girls under impressive lock and key they are wiped out by predators.

So, my answer to "what happens when they free range?" Would be "they die, each and every one, and quickly." (And yes...I have a dog, and yes, I have tried "flighty" breeds, blah, blah, blah. I have bears, weasels, lynx, stray dogs, coyotes, eagles, hawks, great horned owls, etc. etc. )

 

[samouw]

What happens when they free range? I let mine out in the yard everyday. Now I'm paranoid.

Well, I don't free range, so I don't know. The only thing I know is keep the grass cut in the area where they free range, but I realize that isn't always possible.

 

[junebuggena]

I free range. Haven't had a single impacted crop, yet. They eat grass and weeds on the lawns, but leave the overgrown pasture grass alone. They love the seeds, though. They jump to reach those.

 

[marchick]

What happens when they free range? I let mine out in the yard everyday. Now I'm paranoid.

I am paranoid also! We give them bagged grass sometimes and my mower mulches. The grass that I pulled out was only about 2" long and packed in there.

 

[samouw]

I free range. Haven't had a single impacted crop, yet. They eat grass and weeds on the lawns, but leave the overgrown pasture grass alone. They love the seeds, though. They jump to reach those.

Maybe that's the answer... If they have a choice, they stay away from the high grass? Good food for thought

 

[marchick]

Maybe that's the answer... If they have a choice, they stay away from the high grass? Good food for thought

Maybe the lawn grass is finer and packs tighter also. I don't know. I will still give them veggies from the garden. Not sure if its worth the risk to me after going through this.

 

[marchick]

What I am worried about is infection and the gizzard could be blocked also. Some of her poo is coming out with grass and fibers in it still. At least she is going again and eating and drinking.

 

[junebuggena]

Maybe that's the answer... If they have a choice, they stay away from the high grass? Good food for thought

The high grass is where they go mid-day. The ground is still damp there, so that's where all the snails and slugs are (my flocks' favorite things to eat). It's also where the wild blackberries grow.
It helps that my lawn isn't really sod, like most lawns. It's just open space that gets mowed regularly. There's wild strawberries, clover, and other ground cover type plants growing all through it.

 

[Chicken5555]

What I am worried about is infection and the gizzard could be blocked also. Some of her poo is coming out with grass and fibers in it still. At least she is going again and eating and drinking.

If she is pooping, that is a good sign. It means food and nutrients are moving through her system. My fingers are crossed for you!

My four olive egger cockerels are completely free ranged. They roam the goat's field during the day and roost on top of the goat shelters at night. I never feed the free rangers, and they are both bigger and stronger than the other young chickens the same age. Their crops are as healthy as healthy can be. I strongly believe their crops are healthy because they can peck and pick at anything they want; bugs, leaves, seeds, sand, goat food, etc.... The only time I've ever seen a chicken with crop problems was after eating hay (which is just dried grass). Everyone who reads this -> please, please consider using pine shavings instead of hay in the coops/nests.