Farm fields

[nfrost]

We just got some chicks ducklings and goslings and the farmer is worried about once they start free ranging they will destroy his field since the coop buds up to his corn field is there anyway to prevent this or will they leave the field alone?

 

[cracked egg]

Yep its a problem. My birds also free range except now due too the newly planted sugar beets. After the crop gets so high the birds seem to leave it alone. I grow corn,sunflowers,sorghum and pumpkins for my birds and after its 8 -9 inches they just wander around in it eating bugs. Talk to the farmer and let him watch your birds in the field after its come up a bit and see what he says. I have chickens,guineas and turkeys. It is really up to the farmer though.

 

[ChickenLegs13]

Corn is already knee high so if the farmer is worried about a few chickens & ducks destroying it he aint much of a farmer.

 

[nfrost]

The farmers haven't even gotten around to planting around here yet!

 

[cracked egg]

The farmers haven't even gotten around to planting around here yet!

You must be up north as well. From what I observe they don't really dig the seed up but graze the plants down when they are young and tender.

 

[OldTobaccoBarn]

Our chickens stay away from the hay fields near their coop. They like to stay under tree cover.

 

[JekkaLynn]

We just got some chicks ducklings and goslings and the farmer is worried about once they start free ranging they will destroy his field since the coop buds up to his corn field is there anyway to prevent this or will they leave the field alone?

How long are you planning on waiting before letting them run loose? How old are they now?

 

[nfrost]

Idk prob 4-5 weeks feathers everywhere but there heads so I was gonna let them out in a week or so!

 

[JekkaLynn]

You could make sure they are penned up when the farmer plants and only let them out when you can be there to keep them out of the field till the plants are big enough that they don't try to eat them

 

[cracked egg]

Keep the farmer happy, it will be miserable if you don't. There are two fields on each side of me with two different farmers. The one could care less saying the wild geese do more damage. The other guy is something else. As long as he knows that I contain the birds till his crop gets going he is satisfied but if he sees a mass if chickens and turkeys going through the fields after planting all hell breaks loose. Supplying free eggs and a cull bird now and then smoothes things out with him.