Keeping Chickens Free Range

[ShrekDawg]

We got our first broody the other night but thankfully I broke her lol she stayed inside all night and day (i was accidentally gone all afternoon yesterday) but I took her off last night and talked to her, put her on the roof (theyve been roosting there). At first she flew off the roof and paced around, making quiet upset noises, quiet protesting, even flew in the coop looking for her eggs, broke my heart lol, i tried to explain to her that we don't have a rooster and they're not gonna hatch, no matter how long she sits there they won't hatch, and i wasnt buying her any cause it's almost winter and she's not gonna have any babies right before winter, but she wasn't having it and was talking back LOL she eventually flew out and ate some so I figured I'd let her eat and drink some and come back later. Well I came back a couple hours later and she was back on the nest with no eggs lol it was after dark this time so i put her on the roof and thankfully she stayed there all night this time and is back out this morning so seems to have forgotten all about it lol She's very sweet and gentle, a good girl. I think she's second lowest in the pecking order too so she's very sweet and poor thing just wanted some babies, broke my heart cause I'm a big softie, can ya tell? LOL

 

[islandgirl82]

@lazy gardener , I heard back from one of the local Ag Extention professors today. He mentioned that other possibilities of the turkey's predator could have been weasel or turkey vulture, both of which are capable of breaking the ribs.

As for dealing with the hawk and nest, he said I'd have to contact State Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to find out what I can and can't do.

 

[lazy gardener]

TY. Interesting. I thought... everyone told me... that Turkey Vultures were not a concern. I find it hard to believe that a little weasel would break ribs and separate them from the body. I wonder where he got his information/schooling on the subject. Not that I have any training, or knowledge. But, seriously, a weasel? In one night???

 

[chickenlover707]

I don't really like free ranging as I live in a small town and there's dogs everywhere I keep my chicken in a tall fence and let them free range supervised once in a while plus 1 month ago I lost a chicken to a dog also raccoons are know around here....

 

[centrarchid]

@lazy gardener
, I heard back from one of the local Ag Extention professors today.  He mentioned that other possibilities of the turkey's predator could have been weasel or turkey vulture, both of which are capable of breaking the ribs.

As for dealing with the hawk and nest, he said I'd have to contact State Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to find out what I can and can't do.

Hawk nest this time of year not relavent. Would not be managed against to protect chickens.

Weasel nor turkey vulture will take down a healthy adult.

 

[islandgirl82]

That's what he suggested. This was a full-grown turkey hen and if it's part of the flock that frequents here, they all look very healthy to me.. Chicks, bantams, smaller LF chickens and ducks...okay but a full grown wild turkey makes me have doubts on the weasel but he said they're capable. The head and neck were also completely intact and if I'm not mistaken, isn't that one of the first if not only part a weasel will go for?

Who knows, maybe something else killed, took what they needed and left it for scavengers to pick over. All the meat, organs including stomach were gone. Just the intestines were left with the carcass.

As for the hawk nest, it's directly over my coop and though it may not be an issue at present moment, I have no doubt it will be come spring. Hawks will rebuild old nests and that one is just a little too conveniently placed for feeding hungry eyas.

 

[Beekissed]

TY. Interesting. I thought... everyone told me... that Turkey Vultures were not a concern. I find it hard to believe that a little weasel would break ribs and separate them from the body. I wonder where he got his information/schooling on the subject. Not that I have any training, or knowledge. But, seriously, a weasel? In one night???

I agree. Maybe he was talking about a fisher cat? They are in the same family but larger, known to do WAY more damage in a hen house and could quite easily consume your turkey...wild turkeys are what they prey on naturally. A typical weasel isn't about to eat a full grown turkey down to the nub in one setting.

Same with the turkey vulture...there's no way one of those is killing a full grown turkey. They are scavengers, not BOP. I'm wondering if the person who called is much like the cashiers at the TSC in their knowledge base...everyone assumes they know things about farm animals because they work in a farm store, so maybe the person who called isn't actually trained on wildlife but maybe a secretary or some such?

 

[islandgirl82]

I'm not sure. He's listed as a Professor with the state Edu. Fishers are in my area and I have no doubt they'd be capable but no sightings directly in my neighborhood. They also have quite and odor that would be a giveaway. It was in a very open space and whatever it was took quite a risk with two dogs here and two dogs at my neighbor's house (turkey found midway between houses). My newfie and the new pup are quiet but dogs are not, spend most of their time outside and are always patrolling the two houses for animals they don't want around. My big guy is too old to do that now and the pup is far too young to be on guard and would probably try to make friends with whatever it was.

I'm leaning towards it being killed by one predator that wasn't able to carry it off and ate and/or carried off what they could and the rest maybe picked clean by the crows. It could have been the hawk and I know a fox would have been capable of breaking the ribs. My neighbors dogs had gone after one in the spring and it avoided coming anywhere near here for quite a while but with the coming winter, I'm sure I'll see it lurking around here again.

I just haven't been sure if there's yet another predator that I should be watching out for.

 

[lazy gardener]

Of all the logical scenarios, I vote for fisher. I've seen signs of them in my neighborhood. One spring morning, I found a bolus of upchucked porcupine meat on my road. Have been told that fisher is the only animal that will take down a porky. Also, if local cats start disappearing, that may point to fisher.

 

[paulcrown]

I am experimenting with keeping 3 black Australorps free range without supplemental feed. I bought them as 1 day olds and put them in the coop that day. ...

Outside the coop, they have access to a small neighborhood backyard of about 4000 sf privacy fenced. The backyard has two trees and 7 raised garden beds. They spend their day visiting every square inch of the yard, and every raised bed. The only vegetable I had trouble with were tomatoes within 24 inches of the ground. They do have one supplement: we daily through kitchen scraps into the compost pile. All three birds immediately sift through and eat 80% of it. ..

Thanks to everyone for their thoughts. I have decided that they are still getting enough to eat on their own. One person asked if the backyard was manicured: absolutely not. There is no turf grass. It is all wild vegetation, none very tall.

At 7 months old, all three began laying eggs. They have laid all eggs in the coop; two girls lay in a nest box, while the third insists on laying her eggs just outside the nest box. I had originally read and only expected 5 eggs per hen per week. Week one brought me 14 eggs (2 per day). The two weeks since then have been 21 eggs a week (3 per day). All three girls still look big and healthy. Since they began laying the only behavior changes I've seen are they are more focused on bugs in the undergrowth of the grass areas and around the raised beds.

They will still come meet me for the first few minutes that I come out, then will dismiss me and go back to chasing bugs. I consider my experiment so far a success, but I will continue to watch them closely during the winter.

The egg yolks are a bright burnt orange (as if they were Univ of Texas fans), and have a rich flavor. I can't buy eggs this good.

Paul
Georgetown, Texas