Free Range or Not? What Does Everyone Prefer?

[bruceha2000]

They come running up to me in the yard, looking for treats the shameless beggars, and their antics keep me laughing all day.

Ain't it the truth! I usually give them something when they are let out of the coop in the morning. If we aren't going to be home they are confined to the lower part of the barn. If we are home, their door in the barn door is open and they can go where ever they want.

If I go toward wherever they are, inside or out, they storm like a pack of puppies. "Treats! Treats!" I reply: "I don't have any food for you". It doesn't matter that I rarely, if ever, give them anything more until it is time for scratch before bedtime, they keep begging.

Bruce

 

[spotsplus]

In reply to your question about hawks that live in the Northeast in the winter. The answer is yes! More than one breed I'm afraid. They can be more active if the food supply of critters becomes scarce also. Check out coop designs and look at some of the Florida rooms as I call them. The addition of one is a safe haven for your birds when you are not there to watch over them for a while.

I got a picture of this Cooper's Hawk right inside my yard. He hasn't gone for any chickens but I bet he would if food were scarce. I'm in the NorthEast.

 

[Jajika]

Wow...regarding Cooper's hawks. You are one lucky lady. I lost three chickens in four days to a Cooper. This is exaclty the reason I covered our large yard with poultry netting. Once they knew they had a source of food, they came back often.

I'd say keep and eye on them. You never know when they may change their minds. Without shelter, they become bait. The "Florida" room sounds like a good idea.

 

[flyingtnh]

Been a while since I've checked in, but I thought I'd give a relative newbie report on our experiences free-ranging.

We started our first chicks in early 2011, so we're approaching 2 years with them. Since the first ones hit about 6 weeks or so, they've been free ranged - the auto-door locks them in at night and lets them out in the morning. They gradually have increased their range and seem to have set their limits on about a 1.5 acre area around the coop, barn, house, and front pasture.

From our original flock of 30 (two larger groups, plus a 4-some of Australorps):
Losses as chicks to disease/weak birds: 3
Losses to predators: None (except a skunk that took all the eggs from under a broody... he is now buried in the back pasture under a bunch of compost).
Losses to mishaps: 2 (both stuck behind a feed bin on separate occasions.. after #2, I blocked that area).

We've had higher losses with the muscovy ducks. 2 we think simply flew off - they were a bit wild. 1 drake and 1 hen definitely got hit by predators, probably raccoons (I've taken out a good number of them). We lost a few early to sickness, including 2 drowned, but that's not bad for somewhere around 50 ducks (most of which we've sold). Prolific little girls - biggest clutch so far was 18 of 24 hatched - we now steal a few of the eggs when they go broody so they're not leaving some out in the cold.

I figure the ones lost as chicks/ducklings were unrelated to free-ranging, so even if I count all the rest as directly attributable, that's a loss of 4 birds over 2 years, a bit less than 10% attrition, and even if I value them at $20 each, I'll bet you by free-ranging I've saved more than $80 in feed expenses (~5 bags). Plus, my tick problem is almost nonexistent and the flies in the barnyard went down tremendously with the ducks.

The only things I'm planning to change:
1) I'm going to build a small covered area around the coop to get the chickens out more in the rain and snow (the ducks don't seem to mind snow much at all).
2) I'm moving the ducks out of the barn to a separate coop (finishing that right now). They're an unholy mess, and I need their stall when the goats start kidding this March.

 

[Nickeyo]

Been a while since I've checked in, but I thought I'd give a relative newbie report on our experiences free-ranging.

We started our first chicks in early 2011, so we're approaching 2 years with them. Since the first ones hit about 6 weeks or so, they've been free ranged - the auto-door locks them in at night and lets them out in the morning. They gradually have increased their range and seem to have set their limits on about a 1.5 acre area around the coop, barn, house, and front pasture.

From our original flock of 30 (two larger groups, plus a 4-some of Australorps):
Losses as chicks to disease/weak birds: 3
Losses to predators: None (except a skunk that took all the eggs from under a broody... he is now buried in the back pasture under a bunch of compost).
Losses to mishaps: 2 (both stuck behind a feed bin on separate occasions.. after #2, I blocked that area).

We've had higher losses with the muscovy ducks. 2 we think simply flew off - they were a bit wild. 1 drake and 1 hen definitely got hit by predators, probably raccoons (I've taken out a good number of them). We lost a few early to sickness, including 2 drowned, but that's not bad for somewhere around 50 ducks (most of which we've sold). Prolific little girls - biggest clutch so far was 18 of 24 hatched - we now steal a few of the eggs when they go broody so they're not leaving some out in the cold.

I figure the ones lost as chicks/ducklings were unrelated to free-ranging, so even if I count all the rest as directly attributable, that's a loss of 4 birds over 2 years, a bit less than 10% attrition, and even if I value them at $20 each, I'll bet you by free-ranging I've saved more than $80 in feed expenses (~5 bags). Plus, my tick problem is almost nonexistent and the flies in the barnyard went down tremendously with the ducks.

The only things I'm planning to change:
1) I'm going to build a small covered area around the coop to get the chickens out more in the rain and snow (the ducks don't seem to mind snow much at all).
2) I'm moving the ducks out of the barn to a separate coop (finishing that right now). They're an unholy mess, and I need their stall when the goats start kidding this March.

what breed of chicken out of your would you say is best at flying and dont say english/american game breeds

 

[skookumchuck]

Solution to cyotes is a 55 g bullet at about 3000 fps. I also keep a havarts live trap baited for Racoons and possums. My birds all free range and they hardly eat any feed even in the winter they always have feed if the want it but they are so excited to get out of the coop every morning it is almost comical. I do lock them up at night the most predation I have ever had is from Racoons at night when I forgot to lock the coop (when I was a kid) I really hated to lose my ducks and chickens. So far my birds are happy and doing well. If I loose one it will be a bummer but not the end of the world. I am planning to always have new birds on the way up so I am planning a little turn over in the flock naturally.

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

We prefer to pasture our hens--all the benefits of free ranging, fewer problems with wild dogs and no hens in my garden or flower beds.

We do lose a couple to hawks every year. And the fence is only a deterrent for dogs, but usually you can see them trying to dig under and put some buckshot in their butts. We'd like to run a hot wire around the bottom of the fence to be even more of a deterrent.

It may be coincidence, but we put some goats into the chicken pasture so we didn't have to mow it as often, and haven't lost a bird to a hawk since.

 

[flyingtnh]

what breed of chicken out of your would you say is best at flying and dont say english/american game breeds

Ours don't do much flying. We have EEs, Barred Rocks, RIRs, and Australorps. All doing just fine, but son decided to start specializing in BRs this year.

 

[Johnn]

I let mine free range, i think its better because they get a more natural life, and they can find quite alot of their own food so i dont have to feed them as much

 

[Yukonchick]

Ya the winters can be pretty brutal up here in the Yukon so I have to keep my hens in their 8 by 10 coop. They're happy though. I found an old ghetto blaster and turn the country music on for them in the day. I turn it off on their second feeding at the end of the day. LOL. Mental stimulation,LOL . I'm getting an average up to 9 eggs a day in winter from 11 hens.