Following a Free-range Chicken from Roost in Morning to Roost at Night

[Folly's place]

@centrarchid , have you ever tried planting any of the Pheasants Forever seed mixes?
Just wondering, they look pretty good up here, but I haven't tried them.
Mary

 

[Love-my-girls]

This is already getting interesting. My student is being tasked with following a single bird each day recording location, habitat type and activity every 15 minutes. She is learning how to be a field biologist even though will grow up to be a medical doctor. This will give her some cool stories to relate to patients needing a diversion. She is also getting to see wildlife most people miss.

Great-horned owl watching chickens student is concerned with.
View attachment 1914429


Chickens hiding in pen from owl.
View attachment 1914430
Later in day a hen with 7 juvenile offspring foraging across road.
View attachment 1914431
Two full-sibling brothers separated by brood hatch dates of about 60 days. Oldest hatched Easter. They will look very similar as adults.
View attachment 1914434 Student watching chickens going to roost in persimmon tree at end of day. My daughter is imitating her writing in her own lab book. Daughter in kindergarten so what is being written will be cool to see. View attachment 1914435

Really cool project!

 

[jsr5]

Where is the dog's lab book?

Think its a collie not a lab

 

[Kiki]

Think its a collie not a lab

I was asking where it's lab notebook was.

 

[jsr5]

I was asking where it's lab notebook was.

Yes but it's a collie so would need a collie notebook I'm just being a turd ignore me

 

[Kiki]

Yes but it's a collie so would need a collie notebook I'm just being a turd ignore me

 

[centrarchid]

@centrarchid , have you ever tried planting any of the Pheasants Forever seed mixes?
Just wondering, they look pretty good up here, but I haven't tried them.
Mary

No. I have a roughly 1 acre patch planted with native prairie plants that is having trouble competing with the fescue. Otherwise seeding has been only with various clovers.

Over next year or so I hope get a small flock of sheep going where they will help control vegetation over about 6 acres or so. Only a couple of those will overlap the 6 currently used by chickens. Then I will protect some patches that will be planted in natives.

 

[Lilyput]

This is already getting interesting. My student is being tasked with following a single bird each day recording location, habitat type and activity every 15 minutes. She is learning how to be a field biologist even though will grow up to be a medical doctor. This will give her some cool stories to relate to patients needing a diversion. She is also getting to see wildlife most people miss.

Great-horned owl watching chickens student is concerned with.
View attachment 1914429


Chickens hiding in pen from owl.
View attachment 1914430
Later in day a hen with 7 juvenile offspring foraging across road.
View attachment 1914431
Two full-sibling brothers separated by brood hatch dates of about 60 days. Oldest hatched Easter. They will look very similar as adults.
View attachment 1914434 Student watching chickens going to roost in persimmon tree at end of day. My daughter is imitating her writing in her own lab book. Daughter in kindergarten so what is being written will be cool to see. View attachment 1914435

Just wonderful post thank you! and good luck to your daughter!

 

[centrarchid]

Getting more serious now. Tomorrow a fancy non-military drone will do transects over the area foraged so we will have accurate imagery of micro-habitats. Area below may be extended to West (left) to go over barn and pond area to ensure all areas plus some are photographed. About time of overflights the Missouri Department of Agriculture will be testing my flock so birds can be legally used for public display.

Drone will be launched from my driveway and it will then go to START from which it will then follow the path in green taking a lot of overlapping pictures so a continuous effectively 3D map can be generated. Area to be photographed will be roughly 8 acres. Will be testing some sort of fancy camera and software to see how they distinguish surface types.

This is going to be fun!

 

[centrarchid]

Drone action postponed due to weather.