Free Range or Not? What Does Everyone Prefer?

[loversday002]

i would but i live in new york and i get a good amount of snow i do my best to shovel areas outside for them to walk but the ground is frozen

 

[Beekissed]

You might consider grow frames covered with hoops and plastic for their winter greens needs. Easy to make, easy to grow winter hardy things they can clip off and will grow again. Most are planting grow frames in their runs for this.

 

[loversday002]

that sounds pretty cool has anyone tried growing grass in their coops? if so how did that work and how did you keep it over the winter? i heard of this idea but i never heard from someone who achieved it

 

[Beekissed]

I think they grow it in their runs, not the coops, and there are several on this forum who do this successfully. Winter wheat is easy to grow in the winter months, as well as kale, turnips, beets and some types of spinach. This can be done in the colder climates inside of plastic tunnels. If I had to confine birds, I'd definitely instigate these things to provide the birds with forage in the winter months.

Another thing to do is deep litter in the run. One fella out in Colorado said the snow melts off of his deep litter in the run pretty quickly due to the heat that is generated by its composting. This will provide a place for the chickens to find bugs and worms during all seasons and even in the winter.

 

[aggiemae]

Any breed will chase a chicken...pitbulls are no different.

That was my point... The only way to keep chickens safe around dogs is to teach the dog.

 

[aggiemae]

that sounds pretty cool has anyone tried growing grass in their coops? if so how did that work and how did you keep it over the winter? i heard of this idea but i never heard from someone who achieved it

They eat the seeds so you can only do it if you plant in late summer and can keep the chickens somewhere else while the grass grows in but grass takes lots of water especially when you consider it's minimal nutritional value. And unless you have a large run (or few chickens at some point it will be bare dirt again.

During the cooler months I sprout seeds (alfalfa, sunflower,oat) in shallow soil on large greenhouse trays during the winter and put then in the run as treats and have also considered putting a few sheets of sod in but commercial grass growers use lots of chemicals.

 

[Beekissed]

Depends on what kind of grass you plant as to the nutritional value...white dutch clover has 20% protein, tall fescue has 19 %. You can plant legumes or even beets, kale or spinach. Unless you are planting a field of such things, they don't take that much water to sprout and grow tall enough for chickens to clip off the tips.

 

[Shalom Farm]

It depends on the purpose.

My layers and pets are free range but restricted to a coop in the morning and at night. The coop has a run if they want to get out, see light, dust bathe, peck around, etc. The rest of the time they get clear, improved, pasture. I feel its best to let the birds safely experience their natural behaviors and environment.

Show birds are different. I let them out to free range, but keep them restricted longer. If I know predators are about, they stay in or stay in a chicken tractor.

Meat birds I keep completely different. They are restricted to a run that is grassy, but not allowed in the general pasture. They are protected and kept on a stricter diet. We try not to get attached to them, which is part of why there is a separation.

Birds in quarantine, sick birds, injured birds, or chicks not raised by their mother aren't allowed to free range again until they complete their quarantine, growth or get well again. Some even live in the house!

Different methods work for different people. This is what works for me. I haven't lost a bird yet to a predator but that has to do with the way we are set up. Can we? Of course, especially hawks. Its a risk we have weighed though, and depending on the circumstances we gladly let them range.

 

[All Ball]

Is anyone on this thread dealing with the drought we are having in the western US? If so, what sort of impact are you seeing on your winter grass/greens growth for foraging?

I have 3 chickens with about 2,000 sq ft of backyard forage space - I had figured my chickens/sq ft. based on Paul Wheaton's chicken paddock estimates, and expected there would be enough space to prevent them from eating everything. Well, there's not much green stuff at all.

I'm trying to determine how much of the lack of greenery is due to our lack of rain, vs. the girls' voracious foraging of sprouting weed/grass seeds (it's their first winter, so no experience to compare with).

My one patch of green is hand-watered wire-covered weeds, rye and oats. I'm going to take up Bee's suggestion and put together some frames. I had hoped this would be kind of a sustainable thing, and it's not so great if I have to expend a lot of water growing greens for the girls!

Would appreciate hearing about others' experiences, if anyone would like to share.

Thanks!!

 

[TXchickmum]

-been living in a significant area of drought (very, very little rain through the summer and scorching temps). Due to the mild winters here, there are always weeds sprouting. We also plant elbon rye grass in the winter for forage. -think we are still technically under drought conditions. Anyway, the suggested space/chicken ratio might work for some and might work in theory.....but, I think three chickens could clear three times that space. We let our small flock free-range the entire back lawn their first summer. -initially had three standard and four bantam chickens. By the end of summer it was clear that if we wanted any grass or other vegetation we must construct a large run and allow limited access. (-other major reason for a covered run was hawks) Last summer we decided to do some extensive perennial landscaping and add a vegetable and herb garden. Over the year, we added to the flock. We now have 7 standard and 3 bantam hens. (We unfortunately do have to water like mad, but have a nice thick lawn and wonderful garden areas for our family and the chickens). The chickens forage (supervised) for a few hours per day. The rest of the time they are in a large run with access to the coop. I supplement their diet with fresh, organic greens year round since they don't free-range all day. This is the best scenario for balance for us.

The frames are an excellent idea. This should help a good deal. -haven't tried it, but there are many that do use this system with great success. -best of luck to you!