Keeping Chickens Free Range

[LadyBroody]

Anyone else have free range chickens?

 

[dawnEF]

Hi all Yes i do but dont have alot of land its just a big back yard a perfect size for my four

 

[Sylviaanne]

ROFL So, you want ME to be your guinea pig? I'm not sure I want to try without more reassurances that she's a lot more docile at night. LOL Sylvia

It has temporarily stopped raining so I haven't tried to move her yet but today I got to thinking. She is not sitting on a proper nest, she's sitting on the ground tucked into some vines, leggy vines at that. I don't know if I could move her nest as I don't think there is a real nest around the eggs.

On another forum someone said to make a hen broody, to lock them up. If I moved her eggs and locked her in with them for a few days do you think she would go ahead and stay with them when I open the door? Or do you think she might get upset and stomp the eggs?

 

[troy4]

Hi! I try to pen my chickens up at night, they don't like it, they want to roost on my front porch and poop there. Good thing we have a pressure sprayer. When I can get them penned up at night, I let them out to forage in the late morning or early afternoon, after I am reasonably sure that their eggs have been laid. I don't want to go hunting all over my property for their nests. They are allowed to forage for the rest of the day and we put feed down in the run to get them to come back in. They seem to love the feed we buy for them and consider foraging as snacking.

We finally have our first broody after 3 years of having chickens, guineas and ducks. She is barely under the eave of our house. If the rain slants in, she gets a little wet but I'm afraid to move her, afraid she will not sit her eggs if I move them.

Well, she should i always try getting my broody out of her nest(We don't want any more chickS)and she goes straight back in the nest ande sits!

 

[troy4]

I ALWAYS FREE RANGE THEM!They love it.

 

[Sylviaanne]

I ALWAYS FREE RANGE THEM!They love it.

Do you also give them feed?

 

[troy4]

Do you also give them feed?

Yes every morning its their breakfeast

 

[Sylviaanne]

Yes every morning its their breakfeast

I just wonder whenever I see someone saying they free range if they offer feed at all or just let the chickens roam. So I ask. LOL Thank you. Sylvia

 

[troy4]

WAIT free range means letting them roam

 

[Sylviaanne]

WAIT free range means letting them roam

Yes, but what I meant was if people let their chickens free range, do they also feed them or do they just let them hunt their own food and not give them feed? I am not clear on the distinctions of the terms in this setting. Am I clear as mud? LOL