Feed Management Methods [Poll]

[ManueB]

Oh, I don't know about that.

While there is a small sample size, we can say that the majority of flocks are managed in a way that involves four hours or fewer of free range time daily, and that the overwhelming majority of those flocks only occasionally range, or not at all.

We can also say that only about 1/3 of flocks are maintained with access to a massive amount of space for each bird, split about 50/50 between ranging substantially all day, and roughly evenly divided between the other time frames.

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I guess the way you look at numbers depends on who is looking because what I see is that out of 181 answers (flocks) 97 free range at least a little every day. Not counting the few ferals.

I think it could be interesting to make a small number of categories rather than aim for the most representative, like personas in marketing.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I guess the way you look at numbers depends on who is looking because what I see is that out of 181 answers (flocks) 97 free range at least a little every day. Not counting the few ferals.

I think it could be interesting to make a small number of categories rather than aim for the most representative, like personas in marketing.

I sliced it as I did because so many people seem to think that free ranging can make a substantial dent in the feed bill, or magically fix a host of deficiencies in the bird's regular feed, but the majority of people don't let their birds free range very long, very often, or at all. That's sort of like saying I eat healthy because every once in a while, i have broccoli or a salad.

 

[ManueB]

I sliced it as I did because so many people seem to think that free ranging can make a substantial dent in the feed bill, or magically fix a host of deficiencies in the bird's regular feed, but the majority of people don't let their birds free range very long, very often, or at all. That's sort of like saying I eat healthy because every once in a while, i have broccoli or a salad.

Well if you have a broccoli or a salad every day ?
I get your point though. And because I'm convinced a few hours outside daily do make a difference for the chicken's well being if not in the feed bill, I see the numbers differently.

 

[BDutch]

Purely speculation on my part, but I would guess that both, protections provided by various governments has made some difference and other prey species may have dwindled. I don't know about France, but in the US in years past it wasn't uncommon for rural residents to shoot or otherwise kill birds of prey even though they were protected by law (since 1918).

Fyi
In the North of the Netherlands they had a mouse plague a couple of years ago. Biologist figured out this was a side effect of (illegal) killing birds if prey.

 

[Shadrach]

but the majority of people don't let their birds free range very long, very often, or at all.

I don't know whch poll you've been reading.
Your poll indicates that 154 people have voted at the time I wrote this.
51 of those people state they don't let their chickens out of the coop and run at all.
101 of those that voted let their chickens range for a few hours daily(it could be anything up to eight hours or more.
67 of those 101 those voted let there chickens range for eight hours, or more.

You can't make any assumptions about what nutrition they get while ranging, nor are you ever likely to gather any meaningfull data on the matter, partly because people have very little idea of what chickens eat when ranging.

There needs to be a bit of common sense applied here and some knowledge of how chickens feed. They are not three carefully balanced meals a day creatures. They forage, a bit of this with these nutriants, a bit of that with those nutriants. Somehow it all seems to work out.

 

[Brooks_]

the majority of people don't let their birds free range very long, very often, or at all

Your poll indicates that 154 people have voteda t the time I wrote this.
51 of those people state they don't let their chickens out of the coop and run at all.
101 of those that voted let their chickens range for a few hours (it could be anything up to eight hours
67 of those 101 those voted let there chickens range for eight hours, or more

67 is much less than 154. Not being an ass, just pointing out how I read it.

 

[Shadrach]

67 is much less than 154. Not being an ass, just pointing out how I read it.

True. But 154 is the toal votes, not any particular category. You have to look at the votes for each category and then group them. So many for eight hours ranging, so many for weekly ranging et etc.
What may be confusing is the word secure in the caegory descriptions. Obviously a chicken ranging even supervised is by no means secure.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I don't know whch poll you've been reading.
Your poll indicates that 154 people have voted at the time I wrote this.
51 of those people state they don't let their chickens out of the coop and run at all.
101 of those that voted let their chickens range for a few hours daily(it could be anything up to eight hours or more.
67 of those 101 those voted let there chickens range for eight hours, or more.

You can't make any assumptions about what nutrition they get while ranging, nor are you ever likely to gather any meaningfull data on the matter, partly because people have very little idea of what chickens eat when ranging.

There needs to be a bit of common sense applied here and some knowledge of how chickens feed. They are not three carefully balanced meals a day creatures. They forage, a bit of this with these nutriants, a bit of that with those nutriants. Somehow it all seems to work out.

I'm reading the poll exactly as I said I did. The majority of flocks are not let out very long, very often, or at all. and at the time I posted it, we had 50 votes for "not at all", 19+12 (31 for the math impaired) for "not very often", and a further 10 + 11 (21) for "not very long". 50 + 31 + 21 = 102. That is a majority of 181 votes.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I don't know whch poll you've been reading.
Your poll indicates that 154 people have voted at the time I wrote this.
51 of those people state they don't let their chickens out of the coop and run at all.
101 of those that voted let their chickens range for a few hours daily(it could be anything up to eight hours or more.
67 of those 101 those voted let there chickens range for eight hours, or more.

You can't make any assumptions about what nutrition they get while ranging, nor are you ever likely to gather any meaningfull data on the matter, partly because people have very little idea of what chickens eat when ranging.

There needs to be a bit of common sense applied here and some knowledge of how chickens feed. They are not three carefully balanced meals a day creatures. They forage, a bit of this with these nutriants, a bit of that with those nutriants. Somehow it all seems to work out.

Shadrach, may I remind you, back on one of the first pages, you pointed out that the percentages didn't add, and I responded both that I didn't write thee program that generates the percentages (its part of the built in poll on this website), AND that it divides the number of answers in any category by the number of voters, NOT the total number of votes. and since some voters maintain multiple flocks under multiple methods, they voted more than once.

That is still true.

and the next poll will help to dial in some info about the quality of grounds on which poultry range - that wasn't the point of this one. Though I still think we can make some assumptions about typical grounds - and the poll will either bear that out, or show them to be mistaken.

 

[Shadrach]

I'm reading the poll exactly as I said I did. The majority of flocks are not let out very long, very often, or at all. and at the time I posted it, we had 50 votes for "not at all", 19+12 (31 for the math impaired) for "not very often", and a further 10 + 11 (21) for "not very long". 50 + 31 + 21 = 102. That is a majority of 181 votes.

I don't understand how you have come to this conclusion.
It would help as I mentioned earlier in the thread if you number the options then we only have to type A) B) and so on.
I need to know which option you are refering to.
Take the first option. It's received 51 votes out of the total
"My flock is kept in a secure house and run substantially all day, every day."
This then is the only option for people who don't let their chickens out of the coop and run.
Every other option involves time out of the coop and run.
The total number of votes is 154.