"Free Range"

[Backyard Bob]

Thats what I have heard. Thank you!

 

[aggiemae]

Read up on fermented feed. It's easy enough to do and my hens eat 50% less feed and digest it better than before

 

[Backyard Bob]

Backyard Bob,

Where are you located?

How many acres are available for birds to free-range?

What does that acreage look like with respect to plant cover? Pictures?

How many birds desired?

What products desired? (eggs / meat / both eggs and meat / entertainment)

You will not be able to get by keeping confined birds of any number without a lot of supplmental feeding.  Fencing may not be the end all for predator management and your estimate for run construction appears way too low.

 

[centrarchid]

Positives

Would be excellent for running a couple of chicken tractors. A heritage production breed might be good with electrified poultry netting. Dog and small grazers like sheep or goats have potential for rotation or co-grazing with chickens. Forage in the form of greens looks good.

Negatives
Insect forage would not take much pressure from birds. My birds if free-ranging would not stay in open foreground but rather drift rather quickly to the cover in distance and would not take much of a scare to get them to fly there. Cover from raptors non-existant and from daytime mammals like foxes cover is minimal.



I have a similar area so planting osage-oranges, brambles, bamboo and Russian olive to provide cover. Dogs and fencing going into place to breakup pasture into paddocks defined in part by cover patches that also provide me with berries and like.

 

[Backyard Bob]

 

[centrarchid]

Latter location provides good cover. I would still want some understory brambles.

 

[Arielle]

Quote: I've never had games myself, just what I read about them. My marans were good foragers, and my speckled sussex and buff orpingtons. ALl the others are loafers-- loafers around the feeders that is!
My ducks hide their eggs and that is annoying-- my time is valuable like most people. ONe has started laying in the hen house. But generally if I find the nest and take the eggs, she goes to another location. Have thought of using ceramic eggs to replace the ones taken. Not sure it would fool the hens. IDK-- worth trying perhaps.

Positives

Would be excellent for running a couple of chicken tractors. A heritage production breed might be good with electrified poultry netting. Dog and small grazers like sheep or goats have potential for rotation or co-grazing with chickens. Forage in the form of greens looks good.

Negatives
Insect forage would not take much pressure from birds. My birds if free-ranging would not stay in open foreground but rather drift rather quickly to the cover in distance and would not take much of a scare to get them to fly there. Cover from raptors non-existant and from daytime mammals like foxes cover is minimal.



I have a similar area so planting osage-oranges, brambles, bamboo and Russian olive to provide cover. Dogs and fencing going into place to breakup pasture into paddocks defined in part by cover patches that also provide me with berries and like.

I like your thinking. THe land would be more productive on a number of fronts. I too have been investigating which bushes and thickets to plant for protection. I have read sources that use the tractors, or use free range housing, and the birds cruise at will, appparently up to 750 feet, which I thought was pretty impressive. My marans only manage about 125. Looks like buddies like sheep goats and pigs encourage longer distances.

 

[centrarchid]

I can have control over ranging habits by use of feeding stations. My games are inherently inclined to go longer distances and 750 feet is easy to realize if area ranged is long anf thin like provided by a vegetated fencerow. Feeder stations provisioned only with part of daily intake can encourage movement as well, especially when properly located cover provides protection from predators and elements.

 

[Arielle]

I can have control over ranging habits by use of feeding stations. My games are inherently inclined to go longer distances and 750 feet is easy to realize if area ranged is long anf thin like provided by a vegetated fencerow. Feeder stations provisioned only with part of daily intake can encourage movement as well, especially when properly located cover provides protection from predators and elements.

Looks like feeding stations and land management, brush, is key.