I wasn't suggesting you shouldn't feed them. I still feed the chickens here three times a day with an 18% protein, 1% calcium all flock type feed.I don't know if you saw, but she looks right as rain this morning after a dose of vitamin E last night. She was stuck to the shell by her umbilical cord, but otherwise no issue. Pipped and zipped fairly quickly.
I do free range all year, to an extent. Not much to eat in the winter time compared to summer. They still cleanup around the cows/pigs/goats, pick through hay and straw, afterbirth , etc. But they are still fed year round, just eat much less when it's not frozen solid.
I agree with you on free range chickens during the warmer months, but when it comes to winter - I just don't know.
I get quite a few broodies a year. Are you wondering why I bought an incubator?
Even in winter here, okay, we don't get the big snow and big freeze like you do, but the chickens still forage for about 40% of their shit weight to commercial feed intake. In effect this means one doesn't really have any control over their diet, unless one is going to tube feed, or force feed to ensure a particular hen gets a particular amount of anything.
I was wondering why you got an incubator. More trouble than they are worth if you have roosters and hens that go broody.
Predation takes care of population increases here in general. Only one or two hens have ever managed to get all their chicks to adulthood. With most the loss rate is about 50% to 60% around the time they introduce them into their tribes.
Harsh, but it's the way chicken life is free ranging. If you limit the clutch size with the predation rate in mind; I usually limit from 4 to 6 eggs you can roughly estimate your next years laying pullets.
Chicks like the one with the damaged/stuck umbilical cord or shrink wraped get left at the nest by the mothers. She only takes those who can follow her when she's decided that it's time to go. I usually kill the chicks left behind rather than let them die naturally. Not a pleasant task.
So, why did you incubate if you don't mind me asking?