Flock away from home question

[farmmanjim]

I have 7 acres and 20 girls with one rooster. They free range whenever I'm outside. They have large houses in an enclosed yard they return to dozens of times a day. They put themselves up before dark and I close the pen. They are welcome in my garden as they do very little damage but eat bugs by the thousands.

 

[centrarchid]

I am a big time advocate of free-range keeping where resources allow. I have kept chickens free-range for many years under a variety of situations. One conclusion developed is you need to live close to the chickens for the arrangement to work, especially at night. It keeps you around birds even when they are not what you are focusing on. Most predator issues I have dealt with do not cause complete loss in a very short amount of time. Nor are the events quite as the chickens scream. When you live close, you are more likely to detect a problem and intervene.


The remote keeping I will be a part of soon. Electric fences, traps and poultry guarding dogs will all be part of what is used to protect the birds. Additionally multiple sets of human eyes and ears plus linked cell phones will be monitoring everything. If my way realized we will even have a webcam running showing status of fence chargers and roosting birds.

 

[songbirdfarms]

Thank you everyone for your weigh in! I want to convey or correct something on behalf of their current steward; she is a loving and responsible flock keeper who could take the latest hatchlings if needed- there is no shirking of responsibility here! Having this new flock in my care with coop and run generously provided will allow me to morph into a rooster rescue, which is my ultimate goal after getting some experience. I have already fallen in love with these boys and girls and it’s going to be hard not to fall victim to chicken math!

The OP's reference to "pets" is confusing. Most people who have chickens as pets are nearly devastated by a predator loss. Personally, I keep a flock, with the idea that birds come into and out of a flock, but it still does upset me when I find a bird torn apart.

If I read the post correctly, you want the birds to stay out of the garden, and live off the land in a natural non-restrictive setting. You only want rescue birds to have a quality of life.

I agree with your husband, this is a romantic view, not a realistic view. The person giving the birds away is solving his problem and responsibility. The birds are going to cause a lot of problems in your garden, and going to be eaten by predators. If you just want to feed the wildlife, that is your decision.

Mrs K