Does anyone else Free Range?

[coop410silkies]

I have 9 girls. I kept them in for about a month and now I let them out by lunchtime and they go in at bedtime.
So far we know of a fox being nearby but no trouble with it....we have heard coyotes, too. 30,000 acres of national forest behind us. I know there are many predators here ....those are just what we know are nearby at this minute. We have dogs inside and out.
I want a roo......I think the neighbors are far enough away to not be bothered BUT my hubbie does not want the early morning crowing. My question......do you know of any 'quiet' roosters? Lol, I feel silly even asking. I would prefer a Dominique as that is what five of the girls are....but I would consider a different breed......Iowa Blues or Ohio Buckeyes sound great to me.....but a plain old rooster could work, too.
Another question is should I put a nest box away from their coop to help keep eggs from being hidden or would I just be asking for trouble?
We have a pen for them when they need to be kept up...but our land is not fenced. I guess I will find out over time how far they will roam. I do worry about finding their eggs if they wander too far.
I love seeing them out in the yard...my granny used to keep chickens like this.

vpatt, I wish I could say something helpful, 'cause I empathize with your dilemmas. I have a layer flock of about 20 hens which consistently lay eggs in their 8x10 coop, in the nest box(es) set up for them - mostly; they "free range" over an acre of loosely fenced field, but they stay right around their coop and other nearby outbuildings. There are supposed to be predators here: foxes (which I have yet to see), coyotes (some took all of my first small flock), raptors of all sorts, including hawks, eagles and falcons, and dogs (my own), being the most common. I let the birds out in the morning, and they return to roost at night when I lock their pop door; they go in and out of the coop all day to lay their eggs. Once in a great while, one of the hens will see fit to start laying somewhere else - in a box in the shed, in the dirt behind stored plywood, in a hard to reach corner of the coop, etc. Others will follow suit if I don't remove the eggs, so if egg production lessens, I start looking in "usual" places. If you put nesting boxes in their coop (mine all prefer to use the same box right up next to the south wall, where the sun hardly ever shines) and then put in a couple of fake eggs - or even real eggs - they might start laying there. If you do something like this, be sure to put their box where it will be EASY for you to get them. (My silkie flock lay eggs all over - in their Dogloo shelter, in their hoop coop on the ground, out in their pen, wherever. Maybe two of them actually go back up the ramp to lay their eggs in the Dogloo, but for the most part, I find them uniquely single-minded and incorrigible. Some breeds seem more easily persuaded than others.

I am deaf and can't even hear a rooster more than 3' away, but if they are nice to their girls - and me - I like having them around. I have never seen one do anything but run from a predator - my dog - but they seem to provoke and draw her like a magnet when they come close. The circling eagles and hawks have yet to attack any of my big birds, and they've had plenty of opportunity. I use Nightguard eyes around my coop and breeding pens, and I think they help to deter foxes and coyotes, as does maybe the presence of my chicken chasing bird dog. Yes, roosters can be an asset. The best thing mine does is induce the hens to go in at night. So I don't have to. But I like looking at them and am greatly entertained by their antics. If your coop is small, you might consider sound proofing it. Or getting earplugs. Or plugging in to music to wake up to. Don't know of any "mute" breeds, but it wouldn't surprise me if there were one or two "mute" mutations running around. (Nice pun, huh?)

Although my birds have feed available to them 24/7, I feed them snacks EVERY day. I believe this keeps them involved with their caregiver and immensely reduces any tendency they may have to roam: just an observation/opinion; I'd feed them daily snacks, even if it were only to keep them happy.

Can't imagine any of this helping. Mostly I just want to wish you good luck and provide some perspective. Laurie in Berthoud

 

[TeriHarmon]

I usually open my coop (which is a re-done horse stall) at 7:00. I have 14 hens, one drake Peken, and 4 females that are Pekin, Buffs, and Blue Swedes. They all run past me and head towards the house which is about 180 feet away. There is a center garden with a Magnolia tree, nandina bushes, hibiscus, and some other tall bush. It offers protection and we have the same bushes and crape myrtle bushes around the house where they'll hang out. They'll go back down to the barn for food and to lay their eggs and then come back. If they want a snack they'll come up on the porch and look in the glass door or window. They do a lot of scratching under the buses and lay in holes to snooze or clean their feathers. The ducks will noodle holes in the grass. My husband fenced in a paddock area off the barn and two sides of the barn and then part of the front yard which totals about 1/2 acre. We have two dogs, a German Shepherd 1 year old, and a Golden Retriever 2 years old. This week my "grand-dog" a 5 year old Chocolate Lab stayed the week. I've never seen any evidence of predators. The dogs one night on a pee break chased a possum that got in the yard. Oh, I have two cats. We did have a brief problem with the Buff Orpington Hens hopping on the gate and going over the other side of the fence. But we trimmed their wings and now they don't try any more.

 

[vpatt]

Thank you all for the responses! I may sneak a rooster in and see what happens.
Just have to watch the eggs and decide if I want to put more nest boxes around. Also, they have started sleeping in the nests causing dirty eggs. Maybe I will find a way to block the downstairs nest at night and let them sleep upstairs cause they don't lay there any ways. I am enjoying these girls so much!

 

[TeriHarmon]

Regarding your mention of dirty eggs. In our 5 nest boxes we have pine shavings. Some hens sleep in the nest boxes at night and poop in there. Every morning when I let them out, I fill up the water and food, and take a trowel or scoop and just scoop up the poop into a empty gallon plastic ice cream container (the ones that have a handle). Our eggs are never dirty.

 

[vpatt]

Thanks Teri....I had come to that conclusion. But for the past couple of days I have had a foot injury and I'm limping around and just havent done that....my foot feels a lot better now. In the morning I will start scooping out the nests,.

 

[kmccoy1220]

We free range our chickens. But we made a big mistake. We never closed the coop at night. And in just about two weeks all of our twelve chickens were gone. When free ranging make sure to close the chicken coop.

 

[Marcy54]

We free range our chickens. But we made a big mistake. We never closed the coop at night. And in just about two weeks all of our twelve chickens were gone. When free ranging make sure to close the chicken coop.

Did they disappear over time or all at once?

 

[vpatt]

Yahoo!! I found the missing eggs! There is a dog box near the coop and when I checked it just now there was a beautiful nest in it with six eggs. I had been looking at it but thinking the doors were latched. But the hens were squeezing in there. Lol.....they make me laugh so much. We fixed it so they cant get in there and I put another nest nearby for them. If we could raise that off the ground I might let them use it.....but I don't want to crawl around to get the eggs.

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[Marcy54]

Yahoo!! I found the missing eggs! There is a dog box near the coop and when I checked it just now there was a beautiful nest in it with six eggs. I had been looking at it but thinking the doors were latched. But the hens were squeezing in there. Lol.....they make me laugh so much. We fixed it so they cant get in there and I put another nest nearby for them. If we could raise that off the ground I might let them use it.....but I don't want to crawl around to get the eggs.

Yay!

 

[vpatt]

After thinking about it I decided that maybe I should work with them if this is their chosen place.I went out this morning and tried to raise the new "nest box" up higher. I was able to get some concrete blocks under it and there is a hen in there as I type. Maybe I can get more blocks and raise it up gradually so that it does not disturb them. Olivia is still laying her beautiful green eggs in the coop nest, but I think she is the only one who is doing that.

Oh no! I am going to the chicken swap this Saturday! I want 2 or 3 more birds......after that the coop will have a no vacancy sign. Yes. it. will.