Keeping Chickens Free Range

[Chickabee Honey]

I have two beautiful Brahma lite x Gold laced wyandotte cross roos that i "free" range in our goat pen. they are too rough on the hens (big fast boys), but are gentle with each other. loving brothers. i need to get rid of them i cant bear it. but i am bravely going to try to sell them at a show this weekend.
I have two little yard bird chicks that of course will be roos already flapping their not yet feathered out wings to replace them. but i am still sad. It's amazing to me how much i love my chickens.

 

[Chickabee Honey]

The look just like their Dad!

 

[ChickyChickens]

Today, I saw this video on YouTube where this one guy was out in the field when a hawk came and tried to take one of his chickens.(in the video, he just watched

) When it tired again, it got one of his hens and he was just watching that hawk kill the chicken! Then, he lets the thing eat the chicken!!! I was sooo angry, but luckily I kept it inside!
I felt sooo sorry when I saw that chicken, I wish I could have helped it!! I mean, if I was that guy I would have helped the poor hen!! Anyways, just wanted to say this!!

 

[heiditam]

Anyone get nervous at times? My girls always come home, but they are really starting to venture well beyond my personal comfort level. I can usually entice them back with a little cup banging, but the last few days, they have been too far away to hear.

 

[duluthralphie]

Anyone get nervous at times? My girls always come home, but they are really starting to venture well beyond my personal comfort level. I can usually entice them back with a little cup banging, but the last few days, they have been too far away to hear.

Mine will follow me anywhere, I come outside and they run to the door to greet me. That said, I have about a dozen that refuse to go into coops. They live in the trees with the turkeys. While these birds come running to me for food, they would never let me catch them.

I feel sorry for them, because when I have picked my winter flock, and locked it in the coop, they will have to be destroyed. Which means I will have to shoot them and process them. I am not willing to have feral chickens in the trees during the winter. It is too big of a draw for predators. Winter is hard enough without them bringing, wolves, fox, coyotes, hawks, eagles and whatnot around here for a quick snack.

How many chickens do you have? I think the number makes a difference on them all coming in, however, it could just be a few are hard wired to live outdoors.

 

[heiditam]

Mine will follow me anywhere, I come outside and they run to the door to greet me. That said, I have about a dozen that refuse to go into coops. They live in the trees with the turkeys. While these birds come running to me for food, they would never let me catch them.

I feel sorry for them, because when I have picked my winter flock, and locked it in the coop, they will have to be destroyed. Which means I will have to shoot them and process them. I am not willing to have feral chickens in the trees during the winter. It is too big of a draw for predators. Winter is hard enough without them bringing, wolves, fox, coyotes, hawks, eagles and whatnot around here for a quick snack.

How many chickens do you have? I think the number makes a difference on them all coming in, however, it could just be a few are hard wired to live outdoors.

I only have 4, but 4 otw. They always always come home to roost in coop. THey just are starting to venture far during the day. We have 11 acres, and I would say they are ranging within a 5 acre area now.

 

[duluthralphie]

I only have 4, but 4 otw. They always always come home to roost in coop. THey just are starting to venture far during the day. We have 11 acres, and I would say they are ranging within a 5 acre area now.

I have a lot of birds and 13 acres. My birds range within about 5 acres also. I have over 100 chickens, 12 turkeys ( one of my September babies died today) and 15 scoundrels AKA Guinea fowl.

I would like them to range further, but they like to stay under the cover of trees, I seldom see anything in the open field.

 

[dpenning]

Mine stay mostly under trees as well but it is funny to watch them run from one clump of trees to the next,

 

[katatonic123]

A hawk got one of our hens today.

 

[vpatt]

Do most of you let your chickens out as much in the winter? I don't mean in really bad weather.....but just in general. There wont be bugs out for them to eat so I wondered what most people do.

I have gotten braver since I first started letting them out. I love walking outside and hearing them scratching about in the leaves and seeing them around the yard. I love having them!