Any such thing as too many black soldier fly larvae

[mossyoakpro]

Fencing in my property would be cost prohibitive and require clearing more trees than I want to. Which is why we have a large fence chicken run with a significant predator apron. And it's covered to guard from hawks. This fall, we plan on almost tripling the run size. The chickens will then have more yard than we do. If it's fenced, it's still considered free range?

Maybe you could build a chicken tractor instead of enlarging your run? That way you could move it around to different spots in the yard every few days and they could enjoy different things? Just a thought...I live in the boonies so mine run around without supervision and so far they all come back at night to roost. As was already said, they very rarely go out of sight of their home.

 

[Perris]

I'm sure your chickens would much rather be in that woodland than in the open yard. How about experimenting? Scaffold or debris netting is very cheap and very easy to move around. The idea is to have it loose and flapping not taut; animals avoid it because they fear getting trapped in it. Hack a route through the undergrowth round a bit of that woodland to run the netting through - you can hang it from branches and brambles etc. as well as proper struts and poles - and see how your chickens get on in the pop-up enclosure. They will know how to forage on instinct - they're all young and not yet set in their ways - and will get better at it and predator avoidance with experience. They will also naturally come home to roost at dusk, especially if you have trained them to come on call for tea or mealworms, for example.

 

[Red Mangrove]

Cost is a factor - so is the septic field. We have Australorp, cream leg bars and an Amerecauna. Here is a video of the yard. We have 5 acres but a pretty small yard. The coop and septic take up most of it.

3' garden fencing at Lowe's is dirt cheap, easy to set-up and move. I've used it for sections of heavy forest and also waist deep in swamp water. May be a solution for both your septic area and the forested segments between you and the neighbors. It would essentially be invisible fencing in the trees

 

[TaylorGlade]

3' garden fencing at Lowe's is dirt cheap, easy to set-up and move. I've used it for sections of heavy forest and also waist deep in swamp water. May be a solution for both your septic area and the forested segments between you and the neighbors. It would essentially be invisible fencing in the trees

3'? As in 3 ft high? They won't just hop over that? Especially once they got into the tree line that divides us from the neighbors? I am having a hard time picturing what you mean. It sounds like it may be workable, but I'm not sure how to keep the chickens out of the trees between the neighbors on both sides.

And we are right to be concerned about the septic then? I wasn't sure until I saw just how deep these little guys dug! Lol.

 

[Red Mangrove]

3'? As in 3 ft high? They won't just hop over that? Especially once they got into the tree line that divides us from the neighbors? I am having a hard time picturing what you mean. It sounds like it may be workable, but I'm not sure how to keep the chickens out of the trees between the neighbors on both sides.

And we are right to be concerned about the septic then? I wasn't sure until I saw just how deep these little guys dug! Lol.

Most domestic production breeds are honestly very lazy. I only use 3' garden fencing around my protected gardens and it keeps all of the chickens out except the feral breeds that fly very easily, but they have no incentive to enter and so most don't

Not sure about the septic honestly. Most animals are simply lazy and won't jump a fence without incentive to do so (food)

 

[Perris]

3'? As in 3 ft high? They won't just hop over that? Especially once they got into the tree line that divides us from the neighbors? I am having a hard time picturing what you mean. It sounds like it may be workable, but I'm not sure how to keep the chickens out of the trees between the neighbors on both sides.

this is debris netting draped in front of a hedge to stop our chickens going through gaps at the bottom of the hedge into the neighbours. I should add I have several good fliers and they don't go over.

Because it's loose they don't try to land on it and they stay away from the bottom of it too. At full height it reaches about 6', and there is a reinforced strip that incorporates holes every couple of inches/cms top and bottom to facilitate tying it to things (like scaffolding). Easy to set up, move, take down and store when not needed.
(The hedge has since been cut back to renew the bottom btw.)

 

[U_Stormcrow]

My example differs - my birds routinely go over a 4' gate to get to the other side - or thru the hole at the 3' level, but I don't have old commercial reds or the CX eating machines, and my mutts tend towards lighter/flighty - its the predator awareness I'm preserving in them.

As to septic, if it works properly, assuming you aren't ingesting chemicals that worry you if they should build up in your birds over time (I'm not asking, that's something you can research on your own), you have nothing to worry about. That said, a recent study into red algea/red tide blooms off the FL Coast used tracing of human birth control medications in the water supply to differentiate between nitrogen rich run off from commercial fertilizer use (Everglades sugar procution) and the effects of widespread older (and sometimes failing) septic fields in south west Florida.

Spetic is an excellent, but imperfect, solution to waste treatment. There are no perfect solutions. Leave it to you to determine where your risk tolerance lies.

 

[TaylorGlade]

My example differs - my birds routinely go over a 4' gate to get to the other side - or thru the hole at the 3' level, but I don't have old commercial reds or the CX eating machines, and my mutts tend towards lighter/flighty - its the predator awareness I'm preserving in them.

As to septic, if it works properly, assuming you aren't ingesting chemicals that worry you if they should build up in your birds over time (I'm not asking, that's something you can research on your own), you have nothing to worry about. That said, a recent study into red algea/red tide blooms off the FL Coast used tracing of human birth control medications in the water supply to differentiate between nitrogen rich run off from commercial fertilizer use (Everglades sugar procution) and the effects of widespread older (and sometimes failing) septic fields in south west Florida.

Spetic is an excellent, but imperfect, solution to waste treatment. There are no perfect solutions. Leave it to you to determine where your risk tolerance lies.

I was more concerned about them digging up the field with all their scratching. Our septic is in excellent shape and we just recently had the whole thing redone. And we are up in the Florida panhandle in North Florida. Is them tearing up a septic field a problem?

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I was more concerned about them digging up the field with all their scratching. Our septic is in excellent shape and we just recently had the whole thing redone. And we are up in the Florida panhandle in North Florida. Is them tearing up a septic field a problem?

nope! I have a septic myself. The birds don't seem unusually interested in the field, and don't scratch deeply - inches only. Even their hollows/ground nests are only about 4" deep.

 

[Morrigan]

Free range is fantastic if you can manage it, but it is not always realistic. I elected for a large, covered yard over free-ranging. I have a very heavy predator load -- weasels, bobcats, fox, coyote, lots hawks, you name it. The areas which would be most attractive to the chickens, my vegetable garden and compost bins, are relatively exposed and would make for easy pickings. Every once in a while my nearest neighbor runs the free-range experiment and each time, all her chickens are killed in a matter of weeks.

I'm always trying to improve the quality of their yard. I dump in weeds from the garden, grass clippings, old logs, fall leaves, etc. When I first started, the chicken yard was built on a bull dozed piece of land that was absolutely barren. Now, at least during the rainy months of year it provides a decent space for them. Although, TBH, it does not provide a lot food, it does attract lizards, frogs, mice and insects, all of which I've seen my chickens eat. They also eat mallow leaves, lambs quarter, etc. while it is in season.