Does anyone else Free Range?

[heartsizedfarm]

Years ago we lost a huge, thickly-branched limb out of one of our large trees.  Getting it cleaned up got pushed further and further down our "to do" list, to the point that the downed limb became a permanent fixture, as it wasn't in the way.  One February morning my favorite pet chicken was foraging near that tree when a young eagle attacked.  There were two fistfuls of feathers about 5 feet away from the limb, and two fistfuls down inside the tangle of branches where the eagle had reached down inside as she was running.  But she made it to an area where the eagle couldn't reach in, and if flew away as we came running outside.  That downed tree limb saved her life!  Free range chickens need places they can find cover if you live where raptors fly.

Hurray! That's exactly what I'm hoping for. Your hen had quick reflexes and good luck on her side as well. My branch bunkers look not too bad. Husband likes an open field aesthetic, so he might complain. And a bonus for the sheep, who spent the day browsing on the twig ends.

 

[Sydney Acres]

Wow, I'm really loving this thread! Such wonderful information.
We are getting our first chickens soon. Well, my first. My husband had them when he still lived at home. We're building a coop this weekend and buying some 6 week old pullets from a nearby small farm. They are alreadyin a coop there. We plan to let ours roam around in the evenings after work and the weekends as much as possible. How long should I keep this group confined before letting them out of the run? I'll keep a close eye on them until they're grown because we have an outside cat. I just wondered how long it takes before they consider the coop home?

I'd keep them in about a week, depending on how tame they are. They need to be comfortable in their new home, and know where to go if they get scared or if it starts to get dark. If they're not at all tame, it may be very hard to catch them out in the yard, so you need them to be willing to go back to the coop on their own. On the other hand, if they're lap chickens already, you may be able to let them out (with supervision) on day one, if you can simply walk up to one and pick it up. I typically start free ranging my chicks in a large wire bottomless cage, just to protect them from the cat, and to keep them from running off in all different directions at the same time, as you will be outnumbered and may have a hard time keeping track of them all at once if they're not kept together. But if you let them out this soon, be sure to watch them closely, and to take them in at least an hour before dark for the first week. Chickens are very perceptive about changing light levels and start to look for a safe place to spend the night quite early in the evening. Once they know where their coop is and are confident that it is safe, that's where they'll go. But until then they might hide under a bush or up in a tree. And sometimes they can be very hard to find when they're hiding, especially after dark.

Also, even though they're feathered out at 6 weeks, they're still babies without a hen, so be careful about too much exposure to harsh weather. They're well protected at this age from moderate weather, but snow or cold rain or wind is likely too much at this age, depending on what they've been acclimated to already. They'll grow up very fast, so they'll be able to take almost any weather soon.

Most, not all, cats can be trained not to hunt your chicks by the time the babies are this old, even my hard-core hunters. I usually start by taking the chicks out in a large wire cage, so that they can graze but the cats can't get to them. When the cat starts to stalk the chicks, I pick up the cat, tell it "NO" firmly enough for it to pay attention but not so harshly that I scare it, then set the cat down and pick up a baby chick and hold and pet the baby. Then I pet the cat, then the chick, then the cat, then the chick, etc. Whenever the cat gets a predatory look on its face or shows any predatory body posturing I again tell it "NO" and turn the cat's head away. All of my cats have figured it out within 5 minutes that this chick is important to me, and they tone down their prey drive enough that they just watch me play with the babies. The next day I do the same thing. I repeat this until the cat shows no stalking behavior at all, then I take out one chick and let it run around while I hold the cat on the ground. Every few minutes I give the cat treats if he's being calm. If that goes well then I take out a second chick. Eventually a chick will come up to the cat and peck it, and I hold the cat to allow the chick to do that. Once the chick learns that it can peck the cat, and the cat learns not to respond, the chick is the boss. Being natural bullies, chickens will try to intimidate the cat, and the cat typically runs away. I still supervise cats very closely when they're with the chicks until the birds are truly big enough and confident enough to dominate a cat, but training the cat in his way minimizes the likelihood for disaster and gives the chicks confidence, and I've never had a chick killed. This probably only works with cats that are very bonded to their owners, as all mine are. However, excellent hunters and indifferent hunters seem equally trainable, in my experience.

 

[Sydney Acres]

Thank you for that! Mine is a former indoor cat and excellent mouser, and wild bird and mole killer. I don't expect he'll bother grown chickens, too much work. He doesn't stay in a barn, but in a cat house that's heated in the wintwr and he's fed daily and even gets some canned food. He hunts for sport and to bring us presents. Lol Spoiled rotten, I'd say.
The neighbors also have two little yappers that stand in our yard and bark at us. I'm looking forward to the first time a rooster gets after them ;-)

If the neighbors dogs have access to your yard, that might be a problem. Even small dogs can sometimes kill chickens that are larger then them. It depends on the dogs and the chickens, but I'd be very careful. There's no guarantee of how that will end, and you might lose some birds.

 

[superdeluxe]

At what age are most BYC old enough to not be a threat to domestic cats? 12-14 weeks? 16 weeks?

 

[Sydney Acres]

At what age are most BYC old enough to not be a threat to domestic cats? 12-14 weeks? 16 weeks?

That's impossible to pinpoint, as it depends on the cat, and the bird. You really just have to watch their behavior around one another, and trust your intuition. If you're not confident that the chick is safe, don't risk it. They grow up very fast. Another 1-2-3 weeks of supervision is worth it if it prevents an injury or death.

 

[Bethel3330]

Thank you, Sydney Acres, all very good info!
The neighbors dogs are a nuisance but they seem to be all noise. One is the size of my cat and the other is half that, maybe 4-5 pounds. They won't even chase the cat, just bark at him. I'll be careful though.
I especially like your point about chickens being bullies. Haha That's what I'll use to our advantage.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

If the neighbors dogs have access to your yard, that might be a problem. Even small dogs can sometimes kill chickens that are larger then them. It depends on the dogs and the chickens, but I'd be very careful. There's no guarantee of how that will end, and you might lose some birds.

x 2.

Little dogs might be the worst. Sorry to say. They are usually the alphas in the house and don't listen to anybody and aggressive with non pack members--getting to sit on laps and such. LOL. I would ask your neighbor to keep his dogs on his property. Explain why as nice as you can...being a good neighbor should always be priority, as your chooks may wander over property lines-- they don't really discriminate property lines. You might consider the electric poultry fencing to keep your chooks from going over to the neighbors' house though, too.

Our neighbors are "week-enders" Thank goodness. and the roo tends to stay away from all the action --on the weekends-- being cautious, plus I'm usually bribing them back to the house and yard on the weekends.

 

[Bethel3330]

x 2.

Little dogs might be the worst.  Sorry to say.  They are usually the alphas in the house and don't listen to anybody and aggressive with non pack members--getting to sit on laps and such.  LOL.  I would ask your neighbor to keep his dogs on his property.  Explain why as nice as you can...being a good neighbor should always be priority, as your chooks may wander over property lines-- they don't really discriminate property lines.  You might consider the electric poultry fencing to keep your chooks from going over to the neighbors' house though, too.    Our neighbors are "week-enders"  Thank goodness. and the roo tends to stay away from all the action --on the weekends-- being cautious, plus I'm usually bribing them back to the house and yard on the weekends.

we are definitely looking at the fencing. I never want my animals to become a bother, though his wife doesn't care what her rats do. Haha

 

[farmgirl89]

I love to free range my chickens they eat all those darn ticks hanging around and they have been a big problem the last few years. Unfortunately, i am going to keep them in a run or at least try (i have a few escape artists). They like to go under my neighbors porch and i felt bad about them pooping under their deck but they said they didn't mind but i added 30 more chickens to the flock so I'm pretty sure they wouldn't like it that much anymore. I am going to make a huge pen for them to run around in. I have a few silkies that will be in a separate coop and i think they will be free ranging. I would enjoy seeing my little puff balls running around the lawn and the neighbors wouldn't mind them.

I have never had a problem with predators, that doesn't mean i won't, but there are a few houses around me and dogs that keep the animals away. they only thing i have ever seen here is the porcupine that got my dog. My opinion is that free range is best and i feel bad that I'm putting them in a pen this year. I will probably be having my husband help me build pens all over the place so they can move around the property. The only problems that i had with free ranging is them dust bathing in my flower beds and the poop everywhere, its nice fertilizer but I have a two year old that loves to run around and spot the little bombs all over the yard, i didn't like it much when he was younger and crawling for obvious reasons.

 

[GrammyKati]

I agree with your complaint about the mess. I spend some time each day sweeping the bark back into my flower beds and washing off the poop but that is the only trouble I have had and I feel it is worth watching a chicken run across the lawn!