Keeping Chickens Free Range

[duluthralphie]

The protective urge is part of the breed, but an Australian Shepard really should have bigger live stock to move about the property, getting him to work with the chickens has taken lots of training... He was guilty of killing a duck when he was a pup, but has sense learned that the birds are to be protected not chased... I should have went with a calmer guardian breed rather than a heard breed, but I don't have the land a breed like the Great Pyrenees needs.... The Aussie suits the family in other ways though.... Ways a larger dog would not have. I'd look for a cross I think, a herd or guardian breed breed with something a bit more mellow mixed in knowing what I do now... I think with training any active, clever breed ( as long as it's not a bird dog

) could learn to care for chooks in time, starting with the dog when young...

A bird dog can watch a flock too, I have two labs and they spend most of their day with the birds, mainly for the tasty treats they drop,,,,,

 

[hennible]

There we have it, chicken poo calms the savage beast.
Good to know bird breeds can be trained... It's all in the training it seems.

 

[vpatt]

Jessica brought her chicks out! Out of five eggs three hatched. They were fathered by Joe the Dom.....they are all black and about the same size. The two that didn't hatch.....one seemed fully formed and the other egg rotten with no chick. I think those were the two bantam Cochin....I was really hoping for a frizzle. Those two eggs were not simple for me to identify....but I'm pretty sure. But two of the chicks mom is the olive egger and one is from the rsl. So I suppose there is a chance of a green egg layer....but if I understand right they will be barred because their father.


The Cochin eggs were from my two cochins.....Ms Frizzle is on five eggs so I still have a chance at a frizzle baby.

Ralph thank you for answering all my questions....I thought the rainbows were EE's, lol.

 

[vpatt]

A bird dog can watch a flock too, I have two labs and they spend most of their day with the birds, mainly for the tasty treats they drop,,,,,

I love labs....my lab used to eat everything but rye bread.....do they really do good with your chickens? Big Dog is a great Dane....the chickens walk all around her when she is stretched out asleep.

 

[duluthralphie]

grats on the chicks!


Here are my labs with the chickens, I turn the labs loose with the birds and ignore them now, BUT it took some work to get to this point..

 

[vpatt]

grats on the chicks! Here are my labs with the chickens, I turn the labs loose with the birds and ignore them now, BUT it took some work to get to this point..

Oh I love it! Patrick was black...I still miss him.

 

[Kylea0219]

My Chickens have been free ranging for about a month and a half. They are 13 weeks old I am in the process of building their big coop and an in closed run. I let them out every day and they really love it. Am I just setting my self up for a chicken massacre? They seem so happy and love exploring, They really don't go very far. They are in their coop at night and its completely secure. I think their quality of life is better just having them out foraging. So really have I just been lucky nothings gotten any of my chickens yet? Or are the odds of losing a chicken like one a year? or 5 a year? I live in a really wooded area and I work a lot so I can't be home to watch them most of the day. I am very attached to all my girls I have 15 and I haven't lost a single one. I would like to keep it that way as long as possible but still give them a good free life where they can mill around doing chicken stuff. I also love watching them on their little chicken expeditions where they explore a new part of the yard.

 

[duluthralphie]

My Chickens have been free ranging for about a month and a half. They are 13 weeks old I am in the process of building their big coop and an in closed run. I let them out every day and they really love it. Am I just setting my self up for a chicken massacre? They seem so happy and love exploring, They really don't go very far. They are in their coop at night and its completely secure. I think their quality of life is better just having them out foraging. So really have I just been lucky nothings gotten any of my chickens yet? Or are the odds of losing a chicken like one a year? or 5 a year? I live in a really wooded area and I work a lot so I can't be home to watch them most of the day. I am very attached to all my girls I have 15 and I haven't lost a single one. I would like to keep it that way as long as possible but still give them a good free life where they can mill around doing chicken stuff. I also love watching them on their little chicken expeditions where they explore a new part of the yard.

You will lose some at sometime. I have to watch Eagles and hawks here, the dogs keep the rest away. I like having them run around wild,(well, until they see me and come running for treats).

I have lost some, I have no idea how many, maybe 5 to 10 in the last year, I have raised 150 over that time, most I processed an ate. I have not, knocking on wood, lost one in 6 months now, BUT I did have an eagle circling the other day.


This does not count the Guinea fowl that refused to come in the coop one night, so I locked him out after telling him, : I hope an Owl gets you", He had me pretty mad at him.. BTW an Owl got him that night.. That will teach him to not listen.



Nor does it count the 2 guineas that got out on the road and got hit. Guineas are loud noisy stubborn and stupid!

 

[vpatt]

Since last September i have lost one ....unless she shows up soon with chicks. But they do wander further now that they have been free for a time. I am sure i will lose more as time goes on. From what ive learned on BYC the number lost can depend on the predator you are dealing with. I also have a LARGE dog in the yard. I think she helps. Years ago i had chickens for a very brief time because something got every single one of them in a very short time.....i know a dog and a fox got some of them....not sure what else. I didn't have them long enough to learn much about them.

Now i have three mamas with babies and one more to hatch in a week. Olivia brought seven chicks out the nest this morning! The frizzle is sitting on five eggs and her hubbie is pacing.

I know I will lose more....it is inevitable with them running free....but i love seeing them so happy.

I have a rooster question. Joe must be about a year old now. I saw him peck at a chick today...a couple of times. I have never seen him do that before. Is his pleasant disposition going to change? He has been great with people and so far as i have seen he has been good to the hens. I really like him. But that could change if he pecks at many little chicks.

 

[Debby27]

My Chickens have been free ranging for about a month and a half. They are 13 weeks old I am in the process of building their big coop and an in closed run. I let them out every day and they really love it. Am I just setting my self up for a chicken massacre? They seem so happy and love exploring, They really don't go very far. They are in their coop at night and its completely secure. I think their quality of life is better just having them out foraging. So really have I just been lucky nothings gotten any of my chickens yet? Or are the odds of losing a chicken like one a year? or 5 a year? I live in a really wooded area and I work a lot so I can't be home to watch them most of the day. I am very attached to all my girls I have 15 and I haven't lost a single one. I would like to keep it that way as long as possible but still give them a good free life where they can mill around doing chicken stuff. I also love watching them on their little chicken expeditions where they explore a new part of the yard.

I wish you the best of luck.....We have had ours for almost a year and a couple of months. No problems, and we have hawks all over the place and 3 feral cats that lay with the girls.... Just 2 days/nights ago....we forgot to shut the coop door and a fox got Aunt Clara

Broke my heart....the other girls made it ok...one lost all of her tail feathers...they have walked around for 2 days now looking for her and being very wary....we make sure now we lock the run door and the coop door at night. I have watched them for 2 days now, we have a gun by the back door to deal with the culprit should we see her/it....I know the fox is just hunting for food for it's kits, but that was my little girl & it hurt like hell!!!