Keeping Chickens Free Range

[SmColorInDaPan]

Yes, that is what is great about starting them in a hutch, house, tractor, WHATEVER. Once they find the 'great out of doors', they head right back into the usual place to lay. My PR is still sitting and we've hit 92-94 in the last few days. I have food and water there but she doesn't seem to be touching it. The others cruise nearby….checking on her? May try to take Caught-in-jars Moths to her, see if she will eat those. A BIG FAVE!

Oh, yeah and the HUGE beetle the other PR got today!! Took 2 bites for her to get it down…….UUUGGGGGLLLLYYYYYY!
Duluth I love the chick set-up you have…..May need to track down some lumber and nails tomorrow..

 

[duluthralphie]

Yes, that is what is great about starting them in a hutch, house, tractor, WHATEVER. Once they find the 'great out of doors', they head right back into the usual place to lay. My PR is still sitting and we've hit 92-94 in the last few days. I have food and water there but she doesn't seem to be touching it. The others cruise nearby….checking on her? May try to take Caught-in-jars Moths to her, see if she will eat those. A BIG FAVE!

Oh, yeah and the HUGE beetle the other PR got today!! Took 2 bites for her to get it down…….UUUGGGGGLLLLYYYYYY!
Duluth I love the chick set-up you have…..May need to track down some lumber and nails tomorrow..

TY I made it out of junk I had lying around.

 

[SmColorInDaPan]

NO WAY…THAT lumber looks fresh off the mill! GOOD JOB! I bet it could be stood up, slid up against a wall and unemployed until the nest egg cracking comes around….. I am so bad...

Hen left her nest this morning and the Danged Dog I thought was watching her was WAITING!! Barefoot, I had my walk this morning chasing her butt, scolding, yelling at her. 12 left in the nest. I inadvertantly brought up the plastic water bottle I had there to refill the hen's water dish too…Got her refilled. Day old Bread was big hit for them this morning.
I'm begining to think this PR has a co-dependancy thing going…. Have an issue or Kid and it's "Pay attention to ME, ME, ME, ME, me, mmmmeeeeeee!!"

Thanks for the info, encouragement, Duluth. I'll scrounge around for supplies. Even with the 3 hen hutch heavily lined with hay, Not likely to happily hold close to 12 chicks PLUS Momma, for very long...

 

[ShaylaFox]

My chickens love to run around and eat bugs. Every morning I will open the door and they come running out wings flapping and begging me for treats. Each night when it gets dark they will return to the coop and be locked up. When it rains(really hard) I don't let them out. When I go up there to check on them I feel so bad because they all look at me with those eyes and want me to let them out.

 

[duluthralphie]

NO WAY…THAT lumber looks fresh off the mill! GOOD JOB! I bet it could be stood up, slid up against a wall and unemployed until the nest egg cracking comes around….. I am so bad...

Hen left her nest this morning and the Danged Dog I thought was watching her was WAITING!! Barefoot, I had my walk this morning chasing her butt, scolding, yelling at her. 12 left in the nest. I inadvertantly brought up the plastic water bottle I had there to refill the hen's water dish too…Got her refilled. Day old Bread was big hit for them this morning.
I'm begining to think this PR has a co-dependancy thing going…. Have an issue or Kid and it's "Pay attention to ME, ME, ME, ME, me, mmmmeeeeeee!!"

Thanks for the info, encouragement, Duluth. I'll scrounge around for supplies. Even with the 3 hen hutch heavily lined with hay, Not likely to happily hold close to 12 chicks PLUS Momma, for very long...

Thanks!!!

Believe me it is all junk. I never throw anything away. I have several huge sheds here filled with junk. AND my cup runneth over so much I have piles in the old pasture and the woods around the homestead area.

So many if fact the county came out here a year ago and threatened to site me for the "mess" and "junk". I told the guy it was not junk it was valuable materials I was recycling. He then said It was sloppy, messy and not stacked neatly. So I said "Can you cite the statute that requires me to stack my belongings neatly? If so give me a ticket for it."


I got no ticket. BTW Because of my past career I know the statutes inside and out, I do not suggest everyone try this!!!!!

The thing that most ticked me off was the county used Google Earth to see my "junk". I live on what is left of a 900 acre farm. ( 13 acres surrounded by miles of swamp. my closest neighbor behind me is at least 3 miles. But I digress. Rant ending.

I already made nests for the chickens out of other recycled OSB. BUT I do need a nest box for the CX"S I keep for reproduction next year. I never thought about them not being able to jump up into a nest. From what I have read here the nests must be on the ground.

 

[duluthralphie]

My chickens love to run around and eat bugs. Every morning I will open the door and they come running out wings flapping and begging me for treats. Each night when it gets dark they will return to the coop and be locked up. When it rains(really hard) I don't let them out. When I go up there to check on them I feel so bad because they all look at me with those eyes and want me to let them out.

Mine too. Every where I walk I am followed by my gang of chickens! I have not closed the door on mine in 6 weeks, the other day it poured here and I felt so bad for those too dumb to go into the coop.

 

[SmColorInDaPan]

Yeah, I had issues with folks in cty a few years ago. Free range, some recently hired to the cty crthouse, from OUT OF STATE, complains she needs to be an exception, horses are pooping her 20 acre place, SHE shouldn't have to fence like the last 10000's of folks have across 1000s of acres, last 100 yrs….. Cty commish's wife works in DA's office, Emailed me 'it would be better to pen my horses up'. IF same wife HADN'T LIKELY INSTIGATED NGBR to ngbr shooting, few years previous, made Nat'l news, and my experience with Manipulation, as a kid, I would've been in a pickle……Steams me to NO END

TO have to drop to a "Pacifier PLACE" in dealing with dirty politics. Misery (sounds like ?) sounds JUST LIKE LA, Ca, some…20, 30, 40, 50yrs ago.
Why I like my Critters. Plain and simple. Eat, drink, sleep, poop an egg, fart, no big deal, been there, done that. Catch myself ad libbing them all the time…..
"Well, mom that's all i trained to do is be a chicken. That gate was open and your tomatoes looked so good and I'm SUPPOSED TO BE looking for my vittles, you know….."
Due to the elements i try to keep my stuff covered, stacked. Lot of recycling gets hauled out on days into town to do shopping. Good luck in keeping your stuff for the day/time you need it. Weather is against some of us...
BTW, someone mentioned keeping their hens inside during rain. Mine hide when needed, and have been wet due to the light rain. I have more areas for them to run for cover, 2 porches for them to hide under, BUT to EACH HIS OWN!

 

[RoosterLew]

BTW, someone mentioned keeping their hens inside during rain. Mine hide when needed, and have been wet due to the light rain. I have more areas for them to run for cover, 2 porches for them to hide under, BUT to EACH HIS OWN!

If a bird isn't smart enough to get out of the rain...they aren't smart enough to be in my coop! LOL
I have found, THEY seem to know where it is best for them to be when it comes to weather.

 

[duluthralphie]

If a bird isn't smart enough to get out of the rain...they aren't smart enough to be in my coop! LOL
I have found, THEY seem to know where it is best for them to be when it comes to weather.

The Darwin awards Chicken division...

 

[love them chick]

We did the same thing. Put in a fake egg, we keep them in until 7-7:30 but they run to get the dropped bird food even though they have food.
Well I'll take them any where and any time we can get one. Love my chickens, we like all animals and now with the chickens loose we have a rabbit we can almost walk up to. I actually are enjoying them more than a dog.