Free Ranging

[roche477]

I am fairly new to raising chickens so excuse my lack of knowledge about free ranging. What exactly is free ranging? Is it letting your chickens eat only grass and other greens in the yard or is there a lot more to it? I have 43 acres of land and think free ranging my dual purpose birds that I plan on processing would be much more cost affective than what I am putting out every month for feed.

 

[pats4lsu]

They need feed and water. During the day they will wander around eating whatever they want, but they have to have feed. They can't get enough nutrients, living off of the land, that they need to be healthy and productive.

 

[gritsar]

My chickens free range on 80 acres, though they don't really wander that far. I still keep food available to them 24/7. Free ranging cuts down on the feed bill considerably, but it does not and should not eliminate it.

 

[roche477]

That is what I thought. I have a bunch of roosters in my front yard that have tons of grass to feed on, but I keep feed and water available to them at all times.

 

[MudPie]

I'm new to chickens as well. However, I have a friend/vet, whose birds only free range for food during the summer. There is plenty of water around the barn for them. The normal summer vegitation and bugs provide enough food. In the winter, he does provide feed and heated water.

That said, if you are looking at maximum egg production or mussle growth, then I suspect free ranging alone may not be enough. Lastly, each local environment will be different. What works here, may not work 30 miles down the road...

Regardless of advice here, it's important w/ any animal to observe the animal's health. If free ranging is not providing enough, then adjust your setup accordingly.