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Are my birds yarded or free-range?

Discussion in 'Coop & Run - Design, Construction, & Maintenance' started by ckmjreynolds, May 18, 2011.

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  1. May 18, 2011 #1
    ckmjreynolds

    ckmjreynolds Out Of The Brooder

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    "The distinction is that free-range poultry are either totally unfenced, or the fence is so distant that it has little influence on their freedom of movement."

    So I've selected the survivors (already eaten one and seven are in the paper to be sold and will be eaten if not).

    The eight I'm keeping have a (under construction) 14'x14' open-air coop with a 185' x 71' (yeah, nearly 1/3 of an Acre) "run". So is that yarding or free-range? :p. I call it spoiled personally. Free-range isn't an option with all the free-range dogs in the area.

    Chris
     
  3. May 18, 2011 #2
    Ms.Frizzle

    Ms.Frizzle Chillin' With My Peeps

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    If I understand right, chickens roam up to 200 ft from where they roost, give or take (at least mine do). Anything smaller then that would be changing how far they would roam, but idk... If they have enough room to be a chicken, i don't really care what the deffinition is.
     
  5. May 18, 2011 #3
    Veggie4life55

    Veggie4life55 Out Of The Brooder

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    Jul 11, 2010
    West Virginia
    We have 10 chickens (3 Roos and 7 hens) and ours are enclosed because we live so close to the road. They have a run that is about 32'x16'....Because that is all the space we have that can be fenced in... If our roos would learn to get along again (we have one young roo that is chasing our older roo..) we would build the run out under a row of trees so they would have an extra 20'x4'or 6' but because of were we are housing the one roo his enclosure is in the way...

    I would prob free range if I wasn't so close to the road though. But this year we are fencing in our back yard so that they can kinda free range there...

    But I do have a feeling that free range chickens are heathier than chickens that live on mostly layer feed.even though we purchase a high end "natural" feed... We have had a few health issues that I think stem back to not being able to digest the calcium that is in the layer feed as well as the calcium they would get from free ranging through grass etc... So I look forward to them being able to eat the grass in our back yard this summer!
     
  7. May 18, 2011 #4
    33yardbirds

    33yardbirds Chillin' With My Peeps

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    I have explorers, I have found them up to 100 yds deep in the cedars. After some close encounters they now stay within 50yds of the coop. The cantankerous BR Roo keeps a close eye on the sky and wood edge.
     
  9. May 18, 2011 #5
    ckmjreynolds

    ckmjreynolds Out Of The Brooder

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    Everyone seems to think I've gone / am going way overboard on the space.

    I'm aiming to have a low enough birds / acre ratio that they do not kill all of the grass, from what I've read I could have 15-30 in that area before they'd kill everything green. I figure it's a win-win all around if they can forage.

    (I have a fenced in acre per child too, but the wife insists I let them in the house at night. ;-P)

    Chris
     
  11. May 18, 2011 #6
    Farmer_Dan

    Farmer_Dan Chillin' With My Peeps

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    Seattle
    Quote:[​IMG] [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: May 18, 2011
  13. May 18, 2011 #7
    JasonLF

    JasonLF New Egg

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    Apr 26, 2011
  15. May 18, 2011 #8
    ckmjreynolds

    ckmjreynolds Out Of The Brooder

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    Quote:Yeah, but that's the USDA most around here seem to have a more strict definition. Mine don't have a choice but to be outside. Even the coop once completed will be open air. I'm a lot more worried about them surviving the heat and humidity of the Mississippi Gulf Coast than I am our winter!

    Chris
     
  17. May 18, 2011 #9
    pinkwindsong

    pinkwindsong Chillin' With My Peeps

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    Laurens SC
    Quote:love the child to acre ..[​IMG]
    seems like pleanty of room
    )O(
    Pink
     
  19. May 18, 2011 #10
    Dogfish

    Dogfish Rube Goldberg incarnate

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    Mar 17, 2010
    Western Washington
    Does it really matter? Not trying to be flip, but if the bird is allowed access outside, then per the USDA, who is THE authority on labeling, they are free range.

    Don't know who else would decide "free range" standards other than them. If everyody could set their own definition for any standard, there would be chaos.

    We just call our birds happy.
     
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