Free range coop

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Hmmm, wish that would work. NOT the case here however. This is a photo of a part of their pen. Beyond it is what the rest of the land is made up of. DENSE. I'm thinking maybe it's too dense? You can click on the photo and see it a bit better. They love their pen actually. I usually let them out about noon but they are back in of their own accord by about 3 The most open part of the entire property is the area around our house. yet that's where they want to hang out....Maybe they can smell me cooking...

 
cherinbahamas said:
Hmmm, wish that would work. NOT the case here however. This is a photo of a part of their pen. Beyond it is what the rest of the land is made up of. DENSE. I'm thinking maybe it's too dense? You can click on the photo and see it a bit better. They love their pen actually. I usually let them out about noon but they are back in of their own accord by about 3 The most open part of the entire property is the area around our house. yet that's where they want to hang out....Maybe they can smell me cooking... [COLOR=B42000] [/COLOR]
Click to expand...
My birds would drift out of what you have. It is too mature / tall and open in the understory. Such areas do not support much in the way of foraging pressure. I like plants to to be no more than 10' tall with stem density enough so it is difficult for me to walk through. The edges of such places ideally bounded by quality pasture / prairie vegetation. It is those edges that are so productive when it comes to forage for chickens.
 
Hmmm, not so much prairie happening down here, it's open in there as that is what I have cleared. It is thick jungle otherwise. They do well though. It is teeming with lizards and frogs and centipedes, crickets, termites etc and they enjoy a lot of the lower foliage. Bamboo, airplants, orchid roots, some of the higher trees provide as well. Pigeon plums are abundant, But I'm in the process of planting good forage, things that aren't wild. The land here is completely untended and raw.
It's a work in progress.
But it is basically a free range pen. Their coop is open so they don't need to be let out in the morning, they just drop down and are out. I think they have it pretty good.
:-)
A free range coop is as natural as you can get. I'd be interested in seeing how the OP pulls it together. Fun to see what people come up with.
Keep us posted Warren
 
cherinbahamas said:
Hmmm, not so much prairie happening down here, it's open in there as that is what I have cleared. It is thick jungle otherwise. They do well though. It is teeming with lizards and frogs and centipedes, crickets, termites etc and they enjoy a lot of the lower foliage. Bamboo, airplants, orchid roots, some of the higher trees provide as well. Pigeon plums are abundant, But I'm in the process of planting good forage, things that aren't wild. The land here is completely untended and raw.
It's a work in progress.
But it is basically a free range pen. Their coop is open so they don't need to be let out in the morning, they just drop down and are out. I think they have it pretty good.
:-)
A free range coop is as natural as you can get. I'd be interested in seeing how the OP pulls it together. Fun to see what people come up with.
Keep us posted Warren
Click to expand...



I am familiar with what you describe. The jungle fauna will be decimated by the poultry foraging activities. Chickens cause isses in temperate decidous locations as well but revovery rapid owing to quick regeneration time and immigration from surrounding areas. You are not so well blessed as the islands habitats are delicate. I would keep poultry numbers low and create exclosures to protect some patches from foraging.
 
That is a lot of birds, and a huge undertaking. Especially when you are starting off with less than 20 right now.

We have raised maybe 500 at our very max, and they were not all adults. It's a full time job at 500 birds.

I keep at least 100 year round. Last winter for vaccinations we had 177 chickens. You wouldn't be able to move anything big enough to house that many chickens..

Here is our barn. I'd say we have one of the biggest barns dedicated to chickens on this site (in the large coop section).

We only have 1.5 acres. They use our neighbour's yard somewhat as well. I still have to mow often...












My barn is 30' by 46'

I love electric netting by the way.. Works great.. except for winter. Most of the time we free range without borders, but during hawk season we use the netting to keep the hens from wandering too far from the cocks. They are too careless about watching for predators and we lost some this fall during migration.

We do have a dog, but he is not outside when we are away from the home. He can't be guarding at all times. He has taken care of a fox and coyote issue.
 

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