Free range or large run

[donewithfun]

I tend to free range all the time. Over the years I've lost many birds to hawks. Although it is always sad to lose one, I think a short happy life is preferable to the alternative. Anyway... recently a family of Bluejays moved in to my neighborhood. There must be 8 or 9 of them at this point. At first I was a little annoyed since they eat more than their share at the feeders and seem to overpower the smaller birds. But I've noticed on a number of occasions, the Bluejays will overpower bigger birds as well. They will actually gang up on red tailed hawks and chase them off. Since first witnessing that, I've been buying special seed just for the Bluejays (they really like sunflower seeds). I'd be curious to know if anyone else has seen similar behavior.

 

[perchie.girl]

I tend to free range all the time. Over the years I've lost many birds to hawks. Although it is always sad to lose one, I think a short happy life is preferable to the alternative. Anyway... recently a family of Bluejays moved in to my neighborhood. There must be 8 or 9 of them at this point. At first I was a little annoyed since they eat more than their share at the feeders and seem to overpower the smaller birds. But I've noticed on a number of occasions, the Bluejays will overpower bigger birds as well. They will actually gang up on red tailed hawks and chase them off. Since first witnessing that, I've been buying special seed just for the Bluejays (they really like sunflower seeds). I'd be curious to know if anyone else has seen similar behavior.

Jays are in the Corvid family same as Crows and Ravens.... Very smart social and territorial... All are good to have around because they tend to drive off the daytime predators....

deb

 

[aart]

Jays are in the Corvid family same as Crows and Ravens.... Very smart social and territorial... All are good to have around because they tend to drive off the daytime predators....

I love watching the crows chase off bigger birds...hawks, turkeys, geese.
Even smaller birds will chase off 'invaders'.....most animals are territorial.

 

[MinniesMomma]

Yes, you'll gain extra worry and stress, maybe a new spade for burying the dead if you find them. You may gain a few entertaining hours trying to entice them out of some tree they prefer to their coop to roost in. You may even gain a reduction in bodyweight and some extra fitness trying to keep track of where they go, where they've built a nest and of course the great outdoor egg hunt.
The chickens on the other hand gain the opportunity to carry out something more like their natural behaviour. If they live they will probably be happierand fitter both physically and mentally.
So, there you have it. Does the chickens need to live a natural life come before, or after all you may gain mentioned above?
Next there is this erroneous assumption that keeping chickens confined in a run is going to keep them safe. Just a few hours spent on BYC reading the ER and death posts should show you that lots of chicken keepers lose chickens, not just in runs, but also in coops.
Have a look at some of the runs and coops. Many have badly fitted sections of chicken wire or inappropriate pieces of fencing lent on rickety posts that wouldn't keep a blind kitten out. Some of the coops have enough holes in them to act a a colander.
It's the type of run and the type of coop that is important, not just the square footage.
Sure space is good, but if that space looks like a bare lawn that recently suffered a mole attack it's hardly entertaining for a chicken. There are some well thought out secure runs that provide shelter and entertainment for chickens. Unfortunately they are the minority.
Most are like prison courtyards.
Decent runs and coops cost money, quite a lot of money if some planning and imagination has been applied. A 600 square foot secure run from both airborne and ground predators is going to require a lot of thought and a lot of money. If your predator population is large and varied even with the best planning and materials eventually a predator will get in. A weasel or Mink, once in the coop or run is likely to kill every chicken it can catch and because the chickens can't escaper the losses will be high. It just takes one small gap.
I free range. I lose chickens every year. This is what happens in nature. It also applies to people, they have accidents instead of predators but the result is the same; dead or injured.
My belief is the chickens here have an excellent quality of life. Yup, lots die over time but they hatch new chicks and life goes on.
This is the point that I think doesn't get fully understood. Death is not a facet of the quality of life. It's an inevitable consequence of it and neither you nor I can do anything about it.
If you can't avoid death then put your efforts into ensuring the chickens have the best quality of life possible and if that is going to cause you stress and anxiety and you are not prepared to deal with this then don't keep chickens.

Well said!!

 

[Spawndn72]

Sorry for the thread necromancy, but as an update, the girls are now free ranging. They were flying over the fence and then weren't able to get back in, so I just took it down. So far so good.

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

I tend to free range all the time. Over the years I've lost many birds to hawks. Although it is always sad to lose one, I think a short happy life is preferable to the alternative. Anyway... recently a family of Bluejays moved in to my neighborhood. There must be 8 or 9 of them at this point. At first I was a little annoyed since they eat more than their share at the feeders and seem to overpower the smaller birds. But I've noticed on a number of occasions, the Bluejays will overpower bigger birds as well. They will actually gang up on red tailed hawks and chase them off. Since first witnessing that, I've been buying special seed just for the Bluejays (they really like sunflower seeds). I'd be curious to know if anyone else has seen similar behavior.

There is a pair of nesting Cooper's Hawks that raise their babies in my neighbors pine tree. There is a Blue Jay that hangs out around them. It's not uncommon to see one of the hawks "arguing" with the Blue Jay and one day they both took a time-out on my front step. After a moment they both flew away.