Keeping Chickens Free Range

[SmColorInDaPan]

Just had a SCARE! Heard a Chicken 'Help!' which had the dogs running right away, some 200+ft from the house. Head count has them all here although for a bit thought I lost my Leghorn, My BEST daily layer, for a bit there. Could of been quite bit of differing things, hope the other cat shows up.

as far a feed goes, I didn't find Layer feed until all the girls were quite into laying and they DID NOT LIKE GOING FROM SCRATCH TO LAYER. GLAD I bought a bag of scratch also. Even mixed with Scratch, most of 50lbs went towards horse feed….So much for studies!
I feed my girls their own eggshells as they become available. Will price calcium next time I'm in but think they find it a treat. So much for telling if they are low on it?

 

[QueenBubbles]

My layer bag doesn't have age info. I set some out today and they at least tried it.
My littles are 16 weeks now - they are the adventurous eaters. The 21 weekers hang back to see if the littles like whatever I'm offering, then bully their way in.
It is interesting how much just a little difference in raising the 2 sets makes a huge difference later. The littles were really free ranged in my un-fenced front yard since their first week. I checked every couple hours, calling them to eat and drink. I thought I might be neglecting them but it developed a much stronger bond than just hanging out with them a lot like I did with the biggies.
So, lots of good advice - I have multiple feeders so will continue with the 2 kinds of grower and add another plate for the layer feed. They shouldn't get too much calcium with 3 free choice options.
Thank you all for the input. So nice to hear what others do and think!
Here are my girls, eating of course:

 

[JessicaThistle]

My layer bag doesn't have age info. I set some out today and they at least tried it.
My littles are 16 weeks now - they are the adventurous eaters. The 21 weekers hang back to see if the littles like whatever I'm offering, then bully their way in.
It is interesting how much just a little difference in raising the 2 sets makes a huge difference later. The littles were really free ranged in my un-fenced front yard since their first week. I checked every couple hours, calling them to eat and drink. I thought I might be neglecting them but it developed a much stronger bond than just hanging out with them a lot like I did with the biggies.
So, lots of good advice - I have multiple feeders so will continue with the 2 kinds of grower and add another plate for the layer feed. They shouldn't get too much calcium with 3 free choice options.
Thank you all for the input. So nice to hear what others do and think!
Here are my girls, eating of course:

They are lovely!

When it comes down to it, you need to do what feels right for you. I am not one that lives by fear and the what ifs. I worked in the medical field too long and can accept that things just happen or they don't. That way of thinking doesn't work for some and they worry about every little thing that could possibly happen. My children also have never been to the ER or ever went to the doctor for a sniffle or a fever. Guess what? They are still alive!

Your chickens will most likely be fine at this point feeding them the layer. They are no longer chicks. As I said, my first started laying at 16 weeks so naturally after the chick starter ran out around that time, they all switched to layer. They are all happy and healthy. I also raise happy, healthy free ranged Cornish X chickens. I don't claim to know everything but I do take one day at a time and tackle things as they come. I don't spend my life worrying about what may possibly happen anymore. It is a very freeing way to live. Glad that I'm not too old to enjoy it!

Oh, and every egg shell goes into the chicken bucket and is fed back to my chickens.

 

[cehasz]

I don't free range per se, but my flock has a HUGE run and they get out now and then. They have about half of our yard. I keep them fenced with 36inch poultry netting. Basically it's to keep them in the area and laying in the best boxes. Also, my property is surrounded by woods so I want to keep them out of there.

The run is probably 500 sq feet and encompasses our wood pile and compost pile. Needless to say, they have no desire to leave it! The coop has a small opening so they have continual access to the outside, even the the too is excellent about getting everyone in by dusk. My flock loves their little shelter so much that some of them actually freak out if they find themselves out of it lol.

 

[duluthralphie]

So many questions and answers, my poor head is spinning!

I use two different lights for candling, I use the light on my IPhone and I use the candling light that came with my Incubator. Neither is perfect, I keep seeing ads for those candling lights that look kind of like a microscope. I have been thinking of buying one of them. BUT again MUM is the word, my wife thinks I spend too much time and money on my chickens, so I find it safer and better for domestic tranquility to have these things just show up. Then I can say, oh I have had that a while.....


I feed a mix of things to all my chickens.

I have oyster shells, which I fed to Ethel and Myrtle when they were laying. If my chicks ever start laying I will feed that.

We feed our chickens "House Hold scraps" and this is a large group of things, peelings, fruit scraps, meat, bones, bread, almost anything edible they will pick apart.

I buy a 18 percent grower mash at the semi-local mill ( feed store for you suburbanites). I also have some 28% game bird feed, I use on baby turkeys. I do not feed my meat birds (CX's) high protein like the hatcheries say to.

My birds free range all day and get assorted bugs, and seeds. However, they are so spoiled they are not foraging as much as they were. I am getting close to Freezer Camp day and am feeding free will mash as much as they want right now to put on the last little bit of fat I want.

The colored egg layers have become lazy with the free food. The CX's are still foraging some. IN defense of the lazy birds, we have had a killing frost and bugs are not plentiful after a summer of being snacked on. Life is good if you are a chicken here right now.

To all having hatches, good luck. I love the pictures keep them up.

I am thinking I need to get something done now, My wife just "mentioned" if you are not with your chickens, making something for your chickens, you are online talking about your chickens. "Are you ever going to finish the bathroom?"

I am thinking she wants me to do something different, I just wish I could understand what it is. Why are women never clear in what they want?

 

[lazy gardener]

I use two different lights for candling, I use the light on my IPhone and I use the candling light that came with my Incubator. Neither is perfect, I keep seeing ads for those candling lights that look kind of like a microscope. I have been thinking of buying one of them. BUT again MUM is the word, my wife thinks I spend too much time and money on my chickens, so I find it safer and better for domestic tranquility to have these things just show up. Then I can say, oh I have had that a while.....
I feed a mix of things to all my chickens.
I have oyster shells, which I fed to Ethel and Myrtle when they were laying. If my chicks ever start laying I will feed that.
We feed our chickens "House Hold scraps" and this is a large group of things, peelings, fruit scraps, meat, bones, bread, almost anything edible they will pick apart.
I buy a 18 percent grower mash at the semi-local mill ( feed store for you suburbanites). I also have some 28% game bird feed, I use on baby turkeys. I do not feed my meat birds (CX's) high protein like the hatcheries say to.
My birds free range all day and get assorted bugs, and seeds. However, they are so spoiled they are not foraging as much as they were. I am getting close to Freezer Camp day and am feeding free will mash as much as they want right now to put on the last little bit of fat I want.
The colored egg layers have become lazy with the free food. The CX's are still foraging some. IN defense of the lazy birds, we have had a killing frost and bugs are not plentiful after a summer of being snacked on. Life is good if you are a chicken here right now.
I am thinking I need to get something done now, My wife just "mentioned" if you are not with your chickens, making something for your chickens, you are online talking about your chickens. "Are you ever going to finish the bathroom?"

I am thinking she wants me to do something different, I just wish I could understand what it is. Why are women never clear in what they want?

duluthralphie: You crack me up! My hubby keeps telling me : "I don't do hints." So I'm very blunt when I want something. However, when I open my mouth and start telling him something important, especially if it's something on the "honey-do" list, I swear that my words come out of my mouth quite intelligible. How ever, when they reach his ears, they turn into: "Blah, blah, blah." Remember the teacher on Charlie Brown? Yeah, like that! On the other hand, your days are numbered regarding having something you've ordered "just show up!" That once happened in our house... hasn't happened since. A guitar showed up. Mind you, I can barely fit a pair of shoes under the bed, because that is where guitars reside, as well as in every other closet. Any how, I signed for the delivery, and hid the guitar. He had to beg for it. I told him that I was going to get a cat, and name it "Gibson" in retribution for the guitar incident.

Your birds are truly lucky. Free range, chicken scraps as well as balanced feed.
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To the folks who are discussing the issue of layer feed compared to starter or grower, and the concern about calcium in the non layer. I can understand the concern about putting newly hatched chicks on layer, BUT, IMO, the worries about calcium in the non laying bird are blown way out of proportion. Roosters do fine on layer. And any bird that is allowed to free range is already getting a very healthy dose of calcium from their foraging, which is probably more readily absorbed than the sludge in chicken feed. They eat a variety of greens and insects, which, if the calcium content were analyzed would probably be higher than that in layer feed. Given the health benefits seen in free ranging chickens, and their eggs, the extra calcium in their diets seems to be a benefit. So, my advice: relax. Don't worry about which week to start your flock on layer, if you even do start them on layer. A perfectly acceptable option is to offer extra calcium free choice while keeping them on the starter or grower, or multi-flock. IMO, the only benefit to layer is that it is less expensive. But you get what you pay for. In the winter, my girls will be switching to multi-flock for the extra protein, and getting free feed oyster on the side.

 

[aoxa]

Our free range is usually all over.. but during high predation times - it's mostly electric fenced in. Something like 7,000 square feet. We have 70 birds in this area. 100 square feet per chicken.

 

[Tatubela]

Question - I'd love to let my five (18 week old) Chickens free to run around our back yard, however, there are a couple of falcons in the vicinity, and I've seen them stalking the coop. I'm hoping at one point the chickens will be big enough to trick the falcons into thinking they cannot pick them up. Am I dreaming over here? what deters falcons?

 

[duluthralphie]

Question - I'd love to let my five (18 week old) Chickens free to run around our back yard, however, there are a couple of falcons in the vicinity, and I've seen them stalking the coop. I'm hoping at one point the chickens will be big enough to trick the falcons into thinking they cannot pick them up. Am I dreaming over here? what deters falcons?

Bigger falcons, Eagles and then the list goes to more questionably legal items, flares, hand grenades, rocket launchers and shotguns. All of which are illegal to use on any bird of prey...

I was told by a guy in Pa, chickens high in lead content will stop them from future killings....

Birds of prey scare the crap out of me because there is no good way to protect your chickens from them in a Free range setting.....

 

[islandgirl82]

Question - I'd love to let my five (18 week old) Chickens free to run around our back yard, however, there are a couple of falcons in the vicinity, and I've seen them stalking the coop. I'm hoping at one point the chickens will be big enough to trick the falcons into thinking they cannot pick them up. Am I dreaming over here? what deters falcons? 

There isn't much you can do but provide plenty of places for your flock to take cover and let them out only when you can supervise.