Keeping Chickens Free Range

[SmColorInDaPan]

That IS A FUNNY IMAGE C. COOP,

someone in a uniform or dress clothes trying to herd chickens into a coop or up a ramp to the coop!! In HEELS, OH, BOY!!!
I put food and water down nearby my broody girl y-day. She's about 65-70ft below the house. I can see her white lil butte from the front of the house. Saw 2 hens, Big Roo and one of the lil men cruise over to where she is setting….I hiked out, to check. She's still set. It seems it has been FAR longer than 21 days…..Made cookies today so immed broken egg shells, crumbs and bits of mix, made for a big hit once I called for them, threw it off the back porch. I threw a caterpiller i found in my garden the other day, but they wouldn't touch it, THAT I SAW…May need to spread c. wire over my garden/fenced in area. SOMEBODY is eating well on the cabbage! Oh, while down where she has laid, heard those grasshoppers, THAT USED TO FLOOD this area. Better for the HENS, then me!

 

[Carpenter Coop]

Lol. Show up at work orb dirty shoes.

Threw mine a tomato worm. They did nothing

 

[Michelle2639]

I free range my chickens. I always keep feed out for them and give them some scraps when I have them and a handful or two of scratch every day. In the winter, I keep grit in the coop for them too. We have forty acres but they stay in about a half acre area. Just before dark, they're all back in the coop roosting. They pretty much all come back into the coop to lay every day too, although I did have one that layed in the woods for a couple weeks until we found her nest. My girls love getting to roam around but I think that if I had never let them, they wouldn't have known any different and would have been fine being penned in. What's funny to me is that quite often all six will go in different directions and not stay together. In winter I keep them in their coop and run, just because there is not any real coverage for them and all the critters are just a little bit hungry when they're having to hunt in the snow.

 

[JessicaThistle]

That IS A FUNNY IMAGE C. COOP,

someone in a uniform or dress clothes trying to herd chickens into a coop or up a ramp to the coop!! In HEELS, OH, BOY!!!
I put food and water down nearby my broody girl y-day. She's about 65-70ft below the house. I can see her white lil butte from the front of the house. Saw 2 hens, Big Roo and one of the lil men cruise over to where she is setting….I hiked out, to check. She's still set. It seems it has been FAR longer than 21 days…..Made cookies today so immed broken egg shells, crumbs and bits of mix, made for a big hit once I called for them, threw it off the back porch. I threw a caterpiller i found in my garden the other day, but they wouldn't touch it, THAT I SAW…May need to spread c. wire over my garden/fenced in area. SOMEBODY is eating well on the cabbage! Oh, while down where she has laid, heard those grasshoppers, THAT USED TO FLOOD this area. Better for the HENS, then me!

Haha! One day I had a business meeting to go to but I had to feed my meat chickens before I left. So I rolled up my slacks, slid on my flip flops and went on out to be surrounded by my 29 ravenous meaties. After feeding them, I went back inside, unrolled my slacks, slid on my heels, smoothed my blouse and went. No one knew but me. LOL!

 

[Carpenter Coop]

Awesome

 

[kaseythomas86]

Do y'all think that my baby Barred Rocks that are 6/7 weeks old can be let out to free range? I'm not sure when to start letting them out.

 

[Michelle2639]

I didn't start letting mine out until they were about 16 weeks but that was mainly because it was still winter/spring and they didn't have any coverage from leaves on the trees and bushes.

 

[Carpenter Coop]

First off I'm a beginner

Mine are two weeks old and I have been letting them out in the yard for a week now. Of course I keep close. They love it. They also wallow in the dirt and fall asleep. Too cute. I'm also let the two months old pullets near so they get use to them.

So far no problems. I do put them back inside where they spend most of their time.

My opinion if they were naturally born the mother would hv them outside

Feedback ,please

 

[kaseythomas86]

First off I'm a beginner

Mine are two weeks old and I have been letting them out in the yard for a week now. Of course I keep close. They love it. They also wallow in the dirt and fall asleep. Too cute. I'm also let the two months old pullets near so they get use to them.

So far no problems. I do put them back inside where they spend most of their time.

My opinion if they were naturally born the mother would hv them outside

Feedback ,please

I may let mine out today for a little bit.

 

[Carpenter Coop]

Lol. It is a big step. I carry a big stick .

Mine don't wander too far