Keeping Chickens Free Range

[Debby27]

I turned my crew loose yesterday evening for the first time.

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woo hoo...we're free, we're free! I'll bet those were some happy free ranging chickies!!!!

 

[paintedChix]

Where we live, people shoot dogs that go after poultry or livestock. No questions asked. It's understood that you are responsible for training/controlling your dogs.

Where are you at?

Here - the ACOs are stretched to the limit at times and at others, just don't seem to want to do the job (not sure how they got hired). We've had packs of DOMESTIC, "pet" dogs, in our county, take down not only small animals, but horses, cattle, goats, mini horses and couple of years ago - turn on children/families in our county. Wasn't until turned on the children/families - that something was done. Separate packs - one had 20 dogs in it ranging from toy size to larger than our shetland ponies. THe pack that turned on the family had only 5 medium & large dogs in it... Several animals were wearing rabies tags AND had been microchipped. Several owners were found in different states than here, while others were local.

I am previous military, from a military family w/ others currently in the military. I grew up traveling from base to base before we settled in CO for the late teen years before becoming an adult. Rules/laws were so DIFFERENT then than they seem to be now. They also appear to be different in each county in each state as to how these situations are handled...

These days, A lot of pets are just "left" when military picks up and goes - when there is a reduction of forces, or right around Christmas, when there are lots of PCSing going on - pets are abandoned left & right here. See huge increases in animals in the rescues/sanctuaries/"pounds" at those times - the ones that get turned in. Others - you see coursing about - often starving and in bad shape - both dogs and cats. Our new "farmette" is further out in the country w/ fewer people around (larger tracts of farm land than where we were previously) but I'm seeing more stray/feral cats and dogs out here than I did when I was closer to "town" or other communities. Think it's because of being able to "hide" and also to hunt to feed themselves on the other wild life (or our chickens!!).

My chickens get less free ranging on our 21 acres here than they did on the 8 acres we had previously - simply because of the loose "pet" animals... Eventually we will have more property fenced properly so that there will be less chance of outside "pets" getting in. Until then, ?? I'm limbering up those shooting skills and re-learning how to fire distances... digging graves for other's animals - sucks in this weather and this day/age!

***

Very glad to hear of OPs birds getting better and so sorry for your loss(s). I think it's a sad state of affairs when we aren't allowed to care for our own property and WE are threatened by someone who doesn't keep his own HOME.

 

[fancychick1]

I was such a nice day today the flock was scattered all over the yard enjoying not having to hide from the hot sun.

 

[Free Feather]

I was such a nice day today the flock was scattered all over the yard enjoying not having to hide from the hot sun.

Here, it was hiding from the endless rain.... It was in the 60's.

 

[Manyana]

Hi everyone.....my girls are very happy to be free ranging around our lovely edge of rainforest property.

Today they, and I, were in absolute heaven. We had showers on and off for most of the day and now we have glorious sunshine.

Because of the rain, I had time to spend out in the garden with them pulling lots of weeds and tidying up garden beds. I moved 3 wheelbarrow loads of weeds today. They loved the company and helping me.

As you will see from my profile, I'm very much a new egg but am learning fast. I'm really enjoying having the hens around, enjoy watching them busily working away. Today I cleaned up their chicken coop so I had lots of yummy stuff to add to my compost bin. That'll really get that moving along nicely also.

Not every day is going to be as productive as today because there are too many other obligations that get in the way of spending as much time at home as I would like. That's not going to get any better in the next couple of years but I'm promising myself to be selfish with my time and to say no more often.

 

[Peeps61]

Hi Manyana,,

Welcome! I've always wanted to visit Australia, and my folks will be going in a few weeks - cruising from Perth on the West Coast south around the bottom of the continent and ending in Sydney - or close to it. Then, they'll fly home.

What kind of birds do you have? I lived in the Philippines for 6 1/2 years, so I know about the rainforest and monsoons!

 

[Manyana]

Hi Peeps61. I'm sure that your parents will have a lovely time cruising from Perth to Sydney. I hope that they are prepared for the cold as its pretty chilly in the southern states at this time of the year.....

My birds are Red Sex Links. They range in colouring and patterning from really rich red to a pale golden. We did have a rooster but he got too aggressive with us and had to be gotten rid of.

 

[Peeps61]

Yes, my dad mentioned that it would be cold. It's in the 90's here right now, so cooler weather is a nice welcome! I have a variety of birds, but I love my Black Sex Link - she's talkative and intelligent. When she starts to lay, she'll be a big producer too. I had two other BSL last year. My mean EE rooster killed one and a hawk got the other one - before it got the rooster too. My surviving hens have gotten wise to the skies and teach the younger birds to look out too.

 

[Manyana]

I've had to get rid of my rooster. He got way too aggressive with us. The girls seem to know how to look out for the skies. With all of our tree canopy, they are pretty protected from hawks and such. They are just so lovely to watch working together.

 

[Peeps61]

Chicken TV!