Free ranging

[Illia]

Quote:
My entire flock is LF brahmas. I put my foot down the day I saw them nearing my neighbor's house, a quarter mile away as the crow flies. She has commercial chicken houses and all heck woulda broken loose had my flock made it to their destination.

I could certainly believe that. That's why I added the "upbringing" part - My Brahmas grew up to the belief that near the coop is where they should be. The Wyandottes grew up thinking they own the world. I'm definitely sure if I had my Brahmas freeranging from day one. . . They'd be laying their eggs in the slash and burn piles out in the clearcuts, too.

 

[pardenx3]

We decided to let ours out of the coop to free range during the day. The hens stayed right by the coop, but the roo ran (literaly ran) into the woods and we never saw him again. He was strange from the word go.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
My entire flock is LF brahmas. I put my foot down the day I saw them nearing my neighbor's house, a quarter mile away as the crow flies. She has commercial chicken houses and all heck woulda broken loose had my flock made it to their destination.

I could certainly believe that. That's why I added the "upbringing" part - My Brahmas grew up to the belief that near the coop is where they should be. The Wyandottes grew up thinking they own the world. I'm definitely sure if I had my Brahmas freeranging from day one. . . They'd be laying their eggs in the slash and burn piles out in the clearcuts, too.

Yep, we started ours freeranging (with lots of supervision) in the yard when they were about 2 1/2 weeks old. That worked for about a week, until they realized they could slip through the holes in the fence. That's when they realized the whole farm was theirs and they go where they please. Luckily our farm is big and isolated. So long as they stay away from the nearest neighbors chicken houses, they're good.