Go to Bed Empty

[RoostersAreAwesome]

When my chicks and adults free range, they go to bed with small crops. Even with unlimited access to feed. Are your chickens bantams? My bantams seem to be more enthusiastic about free ranging than my standard roosters.

 

[21hens-incharge]

When out ranging can they still access the dry feed of they choose to?

Mine are big birds and yes I check crops nightly. They do have smaller but not empty crops during the hot months.

 

[Chickassan]

Not true, you can free range in South Carolina it just takes a lot of bushes.
As for the crops, some are full and some aren't it just depends on what the bird favored to eat that day.
The young ones are stuffed reguardless.

These girls are livin' the life, dang! I'm kinda jealous here. Hawks are such a problem in South Carolina, no one free ranges. We'd have to be willing to lose a certain percentage of birds per month if we free ranged. But how lovely to think there are still flocks that can do that.

 

[sean_wonder]

My chickens are half bantam, so I guess they’re kind of?? I leave all doors of the run open so they can access their food and water whenever they want. It’s very hot where I live right now so I suppose that makes sense. They don’t go to bed with empty crops, just very small ones.