Keeping Chickens Free Range

[duluthralphie]

I am treating mine in the cold.

I feed them extra sunflower seeds, wild bird seed and yunny scraps from the kitchen, in addition to their normal food...Oh and popcorn.

 

[vpatt]

Today mine had their regular feed plus BOSS and some bones with lots of meat left on them.

 

[gilcamp4]

I have to agree with you, killing 130 chickens was simply play for that dog, but it was so much fun, it will want to do it again. I would rehome it to a non-chicken home.

i have a cooker spaniel who when we are out he is good, in the dark he gets them out from under the coop, but i would never leave him in the yard alone he is a hunting dog and i know would try to play with them but would kill them. if it were me i would not free range the chickens and keep the dog if you have had him awhile or if you love him very much, i love my dog like my kids and let him have run of our three acres, but we do not let him out with out us, we are always with him. the chicken run is long.

 

[duluthralphie]

i have a cooker spaniel who when we are out he is good, in the dark he gets them out from under the coop, but i would never leave him in the yard alone he is a hunting dog and i know would try to play with them but would kill them. if it were me i would not free range the chickens and keep the dog if you have had him awhile or if you love him very much, i love my dog like my kids and let him have run of our three acres, but we do not let him out with out us, we are always with him. the chicken run is long.

So much to be said for knowing the dog and what he/she will do.

I let mine out all the time with the birds, Mine are labs, they go out to eat chicken feed, they do not think I feed them enough. I trust them to never touch a chicken, but I also reinforce this all the time. Chickens are no no,, or leave it's!.


It is funny to watch the chickens and dogs eating from the chicken feeders together. I would never leave my dog out with the chickens for 4-5 hours or more, that would be pushing it. But a45 minutes to an hour I feel save with, of course it could always change. which is something you have to be aware of at all times. Dogs are predators and chickens are prey.

 

[ChickenLady2014]

I am not going to be able to let my chooks free range for a while!!! Our dog killed nearly about 130 chickens...she is still a opuoy and we are sending her to obediant school (there they alos train not to eat other pets e.g chickens)! So when she is a lil older they are going to be allowed to free range again!!!

So sorry for you loss, that's a big loss

 

[HappyChickadee]

 Hi Happy, welcome. I, too, am a cat/animal lover. I have about 2 ferels running around but I leave dry food out for them and my own 3, in/outdoor cats. Less hunger, LESS DESIRE TO HUNT. 
My cats don't like having the chickens come too close, which cracks me up! I've had to chase 5-9 (?) wild birds through out the cabin, hand towel to cover and calm it, in hand, because my cats, AGAIN THEY HAVE FOOD, want to play with that thing 'that moves all by itself...'      
    I thought hawks and owls prefer open areas; won't go under a roof for a prey. So your chickens should be okay, from them, on the porch.  I know someone in the big city who still has ONE neighbor who crabs when one of the chickens gets in her yard, free eggs were declined. Wish you were closer, could cut down some saplings, give you some hog wire, hay string.....      
Good luck!
C.~ 

Haha about your cats! And I like the idea of feeding them so they will be less likely to hunt. Some cats seem to hear tiny wings flapping and go nuts like its instinct but I have only seen that with little birds.

One would think the Hawks would only go for open areas but alas...not Red Tailed Hawks anyway. My neighbor was telling me that last week a hawk took a bird from her feeder. Once when I lived in a different neighborhood I honest to God had my dove outside in a cage with a fairly lousy lock. I was letting her (actually him but I just couldn't ever change his name to a boy name) him have fresh air outside while I cleaned her big cage. There was a this huge hawk on her cage. I have pictures of it somewhere because I felt like she was safe in her cage and ran and go my camera (this was before camera phones) and dang it if that hawk did not jump up and then grabbed the cage and the cage fell open and my dove flew out and quicker than a cat that hawk snatched up my dove. I went outside screaming and he let her go but she was a fibber just from his Talons. I cried for weeks. I was horrified. They are very brazen creatures. Probably because we are honing in on their territory. My neighbor and I discussed it tho and i think my Barred Rocks are too big for the hawk to take off with. However, I don't know. I did notice today that the same crows keep coming back and hanging around in the trees that aren't in my yard and I think the crows would give a hawk a run for its money so maybe the crows can stay. Haha

I'm not too familiar with Owls but I haven't ever see them take something from around here - at least not in the neighborhood. My porch isn't really covered so that stinks but if they are up close to the house then that might deter them because great horned owl needs some major wingspan to maneuver!

 

[mossyroo]

I broke down this morning; chipped off some cheese, crumbs from banana bread, broke up a hard boiled egg and a slice of fancy wheat bread for the girls. Poured warm water over the bread bits.
A dusting of snow but feel sorry for my girls in the windchill.

Any one else spoiling, OR (supplementing, in some circles?) their flock in the weather? Going to extra means to keep things going?

I know. There was a touch of frost on the ground here in N FL yesterday and I felt so bad for them (this is where I would put the cute graphic if I knew how). Anyway I do give them the occasional treat. Threw some leftover chicken and salad from last night in there this morning. Should be a nice surprise when they wake up.

 

[gilcamp4]

I broke down this morning; chipped off some cheese, crumbs from banana bread, broke up a hard boiled egg and a slice of fancy wheat bread for the girls. Poured warm water over the bread bits.

A dusting of snow but feel sorry for my girls in the windchill.

Any one else spoiling, OR (supplementing, in some circles?) their flock in the weather? Going to extra means to keep things going?

here is my babies treat yesterday
i give them something once a mth

 

[duluthralphie]

I broke down this morning; chipped off some cheese, crumbs from banana bread, broke up a hard boiled egg and a slice of fancy wheat bread for the girls. Poured warm water over the bread bits.

A dusting of snow but feel sorry for my girls in the windchill.

Any one else spoiling, OR (supplementing, in some circles?) their flock in the weather? Going to extra means to keep things going?






I know. There was a touch of frost on the ground here in N FL yesterday and I felt so bad for them (this is where I would put the cute graphic if I knew how). Anyway I do give them the occasional treat. Threw some leftover chicken and salad from last night in there this morning. Should be a nice surprise when they wake up.

If my chickens just had a touch of frost they would think they had died and went to chicken heaven. They are grateful for the days above zero.

 

[mossyroo]

Quote:
I grew up in southern MN. Except for a few years in NH and a few in S Korea, military/work has kept me in pretty warm climes. Can't say I have regretted it terribly. FL seems like a good place for me and my critters to retire.