Free Range chickens need Feed?

[savilcr]

I have 7 chickens all laying in a fenced area about 1/2 acre of woods behind the house. There is plenty of leaves for them to scratch but sometimes it looks like they have covered the whole yard( i know they haven't) do i need to feed them unlimited food still? they have a large coop and always act hungry when i don't have the feeder full but are fine scratching all day.

 

[thixen]

I would recommend giving them some feed in a feeder. Mine aren't free-ranged as much as yours, but my in-laws are. They've been keeping free-ranged chickens off and on for 40 years and they always feeder fed theirs as well. This ensures that they get the nutriants and trace minerals that may not be present in the range. If it's a good range and they find what they need you'll just need to fill the feeder less often.

 

[mdbokc]

Mine free range most of the day, every day. I always keep water, feed, grit and oyster shell (for the layers) available 24/7. They eat what they want and need accordingly. It varies by season and day. Healthy girls month after month....until their dying day.

 

[Lesa]

If you want a supply of eggs, it is important to give them layer feed. A 1/2 acre of area is not going to be enough. Especially, since it is not grass. They will certainly find things to eat out there- but I consider that mostly for "fun". They still need their nutritious food. As things start sprouting you will notice that they eat less- but they will always eat some feed.

 

[Fred's Hens]

They can perhaps survive, barely, on what they find, but the chicken is domesticated now for 3000 years. Scrawny jungle type fowl, living along the equator, do not lay 250-300 eggs a year.

Some newer management methods suggest that for rodent control, you do not need to have feed constantly available. Just feed them once a day. However, it takes some trial and error to know the amount they can/will consume. It appears feed left in containers overnight are most susceptible to rodent attraction. Just something to consider.

 

[Ariel301]

I'm going to be different.

I think that for seven chickens, that is plenty of room to get what they need for the most part. If they are laying well and in good condition (not overly thin) then they are doing fine. You may need to supplement them in the winter or if they start dropping weight. Of course, it wouldn't hurt to offer them feed too, but I notice in my flock that given the choice between hunting their own food and sitting at a feeder all day stuffing themselves on "free" food...it's pretty obvious which they will choose! When you do offer them feed, I would look for something fairly high in fat, as they need the extra fat to support their active lifestyle.

 

[newchickgal]

I would let them have the option of the feed if they need it. They might not be able to find enough just free ranging all the time to survive on.

 

[Illia]

Unless your place is packed with insects, seeds, nuts, fruit, and greenery they prefer - I'd highly recommend you offer them normal hen feed.

My girls are on 2 acres of pasture with partially wooded areas and even shrubby areas too and still I give them feed.

 

[Wildflower_VA]

Domesticated chickens cannot be expected to live off foraging. Even pastured poultry, constantly rotated to fresh pasture, only get about 15% of their nutrition from forage.

 

[6chickens in St. Charles]

but good luck getting them to eat their feed! LOL!

We keep ours locked up in their coop til 9am or so, with their feed. Its the only way they'll eat some. Then they forage and beg for treats the rest of the day. By bedtime, their crops are full of worms and grubs and grasstips, etc.

There's a few chipmunks who would gorge on the feed if I left it out, and it worries me they'll get kidney stones from all the calcium in our Layena feed, so I lock it up once the chickens are done in the morning. We have checked and checked for overnite rodentproofing, as we put their feed into the feeder-dish at night for them to eat when they wake up with the sun through their window.

We have a total of 8 chickens now. One to two big bags of feed is all we need all year. We live on a 100ft by 100ft lot, partially wooded. Our chickens eat toads, chipmunks, bugs, weeds... but in the winter they HAVE TO eat their Purina Layena, and it makes them GORGEOUS!