Chickens for 10-20 years or more? Pull up a rockin' chair and lay some wisdom on us!

[bj taylor]

struggling w/ two questions 1.bird safety in run (uncovered)...would chickens make use of a dog 'igloo' for safety in the event of hawk attack? i just don't know their instincts yet and how they react to danger. is leaving the pop door open during the day a good safety net? are old fashioned scare crows a feasible deterent to hawks?
2. i thought i researched size of coop & number of chickens well. i have by odd circumstances ended up w/ 4 chickens more than i had planned. before my chicks go to the coop, do i need to correct this number, or can i stall on this until i can tell who is female & who is male & if there are any overly aggressive birds & cull these?

 

[JenellYB]

No, i don't think she is throwing words lightly or misusing....and neither was I in this particular context. i really think it is more a difference of background, what we've been exposed to. As I've said, most of my homesteading experience, and involvling my use of these terms, was a few years ago. But I still know people here that define these terms as i am. Again, i think it may be a regional thing? Our relatively recent heritage here in Texas, of "open range laws" and "free range" really meaning FREE range without confinement or restraint. Locally, a lot of this land around me has been huge tracts of timber and paper company land, interspersed with scattered oil wells, with only rough dirt logging and oil field worker access tracks running through it all, unfenced, and used freely under open range laws to free range cattle and hogs. Because of that, when I moved up here, it wasn't unusual for one of these old families to claim ownership of a few hundred head of cattle, while actually only owning a few acres of land themselves. Their herds were ranging all over the county! "Free" in the sense of no restraint or confinement, and "free" in the sense of having to pay nothing for grazing land. The big companies didn't mind, because the cattle and hogs kept the undergrowth down in the timberland and oil fields. Might help to add, this IS part of the east Texas Big Thicket region.

And like you say, there are people using "free range" when they are talking about a tiny fenced yard, and I agree, that is "yarding"...unless they have so many on it constantly that it's down to bare ground, at which in my definition, it become a "chicken pen." But in the other direction, a little reading through threads on this forum indicate a lot of people ARE talking about running their birds loose in an unfenced, unprotected area. Especially if you read threads under "predators and pests." At lot of the "predator problems" posted there ARE "free range" without having a fence problems. As Bee puts it, being unrealistic about "free range" expectations. And as I noted about many at least novice chicken keepers, it often boils down to the idea you can just get some chickens, and give them unrestricted free run of the countryside...or subdivision...or town, or whatever, at least in most places, actually all the places I've ever known of that just doesn't work. And it's often a "decision" made simply because you can't afford or don't think you have to bother with a fence or decide you can put a fence off until later....that's under the heading of prepare your facilities BEFORE you get the chickens. .

When its totally green novices, its ignorance and misinformation....if you can't figure out pretty quick it just don't work like that, it at some point becomes just stupid. .

 

[JenellYB]

Chickens will use any cover...even just a piece of plywood or metal rooking over low supports, without walls...actually, I think they prefer something open sided like that when they feel threatened, so they can see in all directions, over something like an igloo. Remember, a hawk attack is from above. Chickens weill even use bushes for cover. Yes they can run back into their open coop, you really only need additional covers if they have a pretty good sized yard.
Scare crows, i don't think so. Hawks watch everything in their territory, they'll notice the scare crows don't move like a real person would.
Instincts vary, by breed. Also, experience. Inexperienced birds can be pretty dumb about watching. if you ever get a few that are 'wise', other new ones added will learn from them.
Keep the extra 4 chickens until they are all gorwn out enough to evaluate keepers/culls. They won't be that over crowded that long. and if you get rid of them too early, by the times the others grow out you may well regret your choices.
Good luck! You are thinking, researching, and asking good questions.

struggling w/ two questions 1.bird safety in run (uncovered)...would chickens make use of a dog 'igloo' for safety in the event of hawk attack? i just don't know their instincts yet and how they react to danger. is leaving the pop door open during the day a good safety net? are old fashioned scare crows a feasible deterent to hawks?
2. i thought i researched size of coop & number of chickens well. i have by odd circumstances ended up w/ 4 chickens more than i had planned. before my chicks go to the coop, do i need to correct this number, or can i stall on this until i can tell who is female & who is male & if there are any overly aggressive birds & cull these?

 

[galanie]

One idea for a safe place to duck into is a pallet leaning against a wall or put flat on the ground but raised enough for them to get under. Maybe a pile of brush. Lawn furniture works. Like Janelle said, they like to be able to see out around themselves. I have these sorts of things sitting around the 1/4 acre they're in and while the hens have so far been ok I don't think I'm going to win "Yard of the Month" any time soon!

 

[Beekissed]

Hides are a good idea even in a penned situation or a paddock style penning. I've seen pallets up on blocks with the soil scooped out...served as a hide and a dusting spot on hot days. My chickens will even utilize the fence line, as a cattle fence with barbed wire on top ain't so bad a wall to put your back up to when a hawk has to angle in to get you. It doesn't have to be fancy, it need merely get the job done.

I know this may sound paranoid and overly cautious but I don't even bend over my birds in the daytime and attempt to catch them. I feel that getting them used to and complacent about getting caught from above, and then nothing bad happening to them as a consequence, is asking for birds that don't know friend from foe. When I have to catch a bird, I wait until dark and lift them off the roost. It's easier for me and easier for them and they don't get used to "shadows from above" just holding them gently and putting them back down,if you know what I mean.

One could argue that this would make them comfortable with being snatched off the roost as well, but my birds aren't in any danger of this at all....the dogs lurk outside and nothing can get past their pop door. I try to deal with the realistic dangers in my setup and leave the rest to the almighty hounds.

Having said that, I will say I lost the best dog I had last year to old age and the younger isn't aggressive towards visiting dogs like she was, so now I have to add my 16 gauge to the protection of the flock. My ol' ma put down a repetitive stray just the other day and it is sometimes necessary to do preventative measures like this...if one sees a coon lurking around the coop you usually don't wait until he has a hen in his mouth before you remove him from the picture. The dog had no ID, no one came looking for him after several days and he had the potential to clear out my flock, costing me money and wasted time and effort. He had to go.

Before I get bad posts about how we moved into the wildlife's territory and they are only doing what they are supposed to be doing, I will state emphatically that all that is hogwash. Humans have been living on this land long enough to have established their own territory and have a right to protect it just like animals in the wild do their own. I don't march down to the coon's den and steal his scraps and I don't expect him to come to mine to steal my chickens. My territory.

Same with stray dogs. If they are obviously hunting dogs/hounds I'll ask around the neighborhood and see if anyone has lost one. If they have a collar with a phone number, I'll call and try to return the dog. If they look like a stray and act like a stray, I call it a stray and I try to run it off. If it comes back we have a date with a shotgun and a biscuit. My territory.

 

[bj taylor]

so much great info and perspective. this helps a novice like me get off to an optimistic start.
i am excited about my life with chickens, but it is a new realm for me. i'm familiar w/ wild animals & big predators. i understand cat's & dog's mentality, but i have never been around livestock of any kind and i'm learning that it is new territory.

 

[Beekissed]

Here's a question for OTs: Do you heat or insulate your coop? Why or why not?

 

[Mommy 2 Wee Ones]

Fred - I was one of those who "Free Ranged", we are on an acre of land, but my chickens only have access to 1/2 acre, so I guess I should change it to "Foraging".

Bee - Wish I had half the acreage you do, I would have chickens all over the place. I agree with you 100%, any stray animal that comes on to your property, you have the right to deal with it, how you see fit. Our new puppies are learning their place in the flock. Owl has given each pup a good peck on the head or backside, for just being nosy.

Even when they are running around the yard, it does not faze the chickens, but I will see Owl stand still & listen, if he hears or sees anything that is different.

I have fenced in my garden, and planted the first set of plants, and let the new chicks out today for the first time. They kept close to the box, I brought them outside in. You would be proud of the little Butt Wipers, Bee. They were very nice to the new chicks while they were in the silkie run.

Keep the wisdom coming OT!

 

[cubalaya]

Here's a question for OTs: Do you heat or insulate your coop? Why or why not?

i dont heat or insulate. in fact my coop has pretty good airflow that doesn't allow moisture to build up in cold weather. i have had no problems with frostbite and all my roosters are fertile. i dont allow too much manure to build up where they roost. i put it in a compost pile for the gardens. i paint their roosts with burnt motor oil spring and fall. i use wood ash and de for their dust baths. i put de in their food occasionally. i put apple cider vinegar in their water once every 3 months; about 4 times a year. i put bleach in their water twice a year.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Here's a question for OTs: Do you heat or insulate your coop? Why or why not?

I have 5 uninsulated buildings and none are heated and most have huge windows.
Selecting birds that are appropriate for your climate prevents a lot of problems.
If you live where it gets cold there are dozens of breeds that can handle the cold. If it gets way below zero there are still 5 or 6 appropriate breeds.
If it stays hot there are birds for that.
The tough thing for me is year round high humidity and most years lows of -10 and highs of 110.
Almost any bird is going to be uncomfortable at some point here.
That said, and contrary to my own previously stated advice I started breeding penedesencas.
I had 2 roos with some pretty severe frostbite in this relatively mild winter so in subsequent winters I'll set up breeding quarters for the roos when it drops below 20 and add just a bit of heat in those periods.