⠀ Can free ranging be detrimental at a young age?

[charalzo]

Thanks for the advice! I definitely am letting them out to roam around often. And I love watching them peck at anything and everything. Now if I could just figure out how to keep them from pooping on my patio!

 

[Outpost JWB]

LOL! GOOD LUCK WITH THAT ONE!

 

[mymilliefleur]

My birds don't free range, but they are moved on pasture every other day. I'm glad to say I have not had any problems with worms.

 

[Outpost JWB]

My birds don't free range, but they are moved on pasture every other day. I'm glad to say I have not had any problems with worms.

Do you use a chicken tractor? If so, do you have any pics of the tractor?

 

[mymilliefleur]

Do you use a chicken tractor? If so, do you have any pics of the tractor?

Yes I do. Here are some pictures of the coops I use for my main layer flock:
(They are built mostly from scrap materials)













This is one of my smaller coops I just remodeled for my Easter Eggers.

Before the remodel:

Though it is in very bad shape you can see the basic design. I have a bunch like this that I use for my d'Uccles.
Hope this helps.

 

[Outpost JWB]

It does. Thanks!!! Mine mostly all free range, but I have a few I have paid a pretty penny for and I don't want to feed them to the hawks!

 

[Ridgerunner]

Some coccidia is good for chicks. They cannot develop the immunities they need to fight it unless they are exposed to it in low numbers. The problem is when the numbers get out of hand. That can be fatal. The trick is seeing that they are exposed to some but not too many. That “bug” can thrive in wet conditions. A wet brooder, wet coop, wet run, or any wet ground with chicken poop in it is a potentially dangerous area. Normally if they are exposed to low levels of it they will develop immunity in two to here weeks, but you need to know the signs and be ready to treat if necessary. Some people have a history if it but we all need to be vigilant, history or not. I feed dirt from the run to my chicks in the brooder starting from day 2 so they can develop that immunity before they hit the ground. My chicks with broodies are also exposed to run dirt at a very young age.

The potential for parasites comes with any animal, not just chickens. Your pet dog or cat has that potential, even if kept in the house most of the time. Earthworms can potentially carry gapeworms or roundworms. Grasshoppers, slugs, and some other things they love to eat can potentially infest them with some type of parasite. Wild birds visiting in their coop or run can potentially spread parasites. This does not mean that every chicken that eats just one earthworm will automatically be infected with gapeworm and roundworms, but the potential is there. The vast majority or earthworms are not infected, at least not around here, because my chickens eat a bunch after a rain and they have never has an infestation. Again it is something we need to be vigilant about whether they are in the brooder, coo, coop and run, or free ranging. The potential is there but from my experiences my potential is really low for earthworms causing a problem. If my experiences were different I’d feel differently.