Keeping Chickens Free Range

[OrganicFarmWife]

No free range does not mean Organic. I do not certify my chickens, so I do not know the specific rules for Organic eggs.

However one large problem I foresee with organic free range birds is you cannot control the insects. It is the same problem faced by beekeepers. Bees have a range of three miles, so unless you havea giant swath of organic land there is no such thing as organic honey.

I do not know the range of each insect but I imagine most have a large enough range to make organic free range impossible. I have a fully organic farm, so for my own use I am confident in my own eggs and chicken meat that freerange is not a issue for me. That said I do have commercial farmers as neighbors.

I feed my birds (in the winter) left over grains, organ meat, and they always have a non GMO feed available. I buy the feed from the guy we buy our organic seed from, i think it is the gleanings. He sells it for $18 a bag.

free range chickens-- do you still need to provide them feed ?  or they will get enough food just from foraging already ?

 

free range chickens-- do you still need to provide them feed ?  or they will get enough food just from foraging already ?

I do not  feed mine much, I have a feeder in the coop, however I do not have to add feed more than once a month during summer time. Winter it is  every couple days.

Agreed, summer it is available (my layers, meat birds get some feed every evening) but not necessary to refill very often. Winter is when I really need to feed.
The insect pop is just now getting great enough to sustain my birds, as soon as grasshopper season comes I will barely need to feed them at all. But then they begin needing more and more feed.

 

[BruceAZ]

Agreed, summer it is available (my layers, meat birds get some feed every evening) but not necessary to refill very often. Winter is when I really need to feed.
The insect pop is just now getting great enough to sustain my birds, as soon as grasshopper season comes I will barely need to feed them at all. But then they begin needing more and more feed.

chickens can eat most insects right?

i saw them eat caterpillar and roaches before..i'm in arizona so i heard of it.. but no scorpion yet..

how's the egg quality by the way ? if your chickens had insects around with their main feed ?

 

[OrganicFarmWife]

Lovely dark yellow eggs, which is why I do not mind the risks of freeranging. As far as I know yes a chicken can eat any insect, worm, snake, frog, carcass, it chooses too. There are some vegetables that are bad for chickens, avocados being the one that comes to mind. It would not surprise me to hear they eat scorpions.

 

[BruceAZ]

Lovely dark yellow eggs, which is why I do not mind the risks of freeranging. As far as I know yes a chicken can eat any insect, worm, snake, frog, carcass, it chooses too. There are some vegetables that are bad for chickens, avocados being the one that comes to mind. It would not surprise me to hear they eat scorpions.

dark yellow? no orange color yolk?

i wonder what they ate to get that orange color yolk in some youtube videos..organic feed?

 

[OrganicFarmWife]

Lovely dark yellow eggs, which is why I do not mind the risks of freeranging. As far as I know yes a chicken can eat any insect, worm, snake, frog, carcass, it chooses too. There are some vegetables that are bad for chickens, avocados being the one that comes to mind. It would not surprise me to hear they eat scorpions.

dark yellow?  no orange color yolk?

i wonder what they ate to get that orange color yolk in some youtube videos..organic feed?

Marigolds. If they eat Marigolds they will get that orange color. Or perhaps any vegetable with a lot of vitamin A like carrots or pumpkin. Most of my eggs have a deep yellow.

 

[BruceAZ]

Marigolds. If they eat Marigolds they will get that orange color. Or perhaps any vegetable with a lot of vitamin A like carrots or pumpkin. Most of my eggs have a deep yellow.

i gave my chickens carrot pulp before ..i have to try it when they start laying..

 

[AllynTal]

.... We don't have a run. They are out all day until bedtime, when they are locked up in the coop.

This is my situation, too. No run, they're just out on the property all day and they put themselves to bed in the coop at night and we secure the doors. I have seen this called "partial free-ranging." "Free-ranging" is no coop at all. The chickens roost at night in trees or wherever. With partial free-ranging, they are housed in a coop at night. I don't know what it would be called if you let them out of the run for a just couple of hours each day. Casual ranging, maybe?

free range chickens-- do you still need to provide them feed ? or they will get enough food just from foraging already ?

Yes. A balanced commercial feed should be available to them, but they do eat less of it because they get more food on their own. I have feeders available, but honestly, when I open the doors in the morning, they run right by the feeders to get to the good stuff first. Later in the day, they'll wander over and peck at the feeder, but they do seem to prefer foraging. Keep in mind also that the breed of chickens I have, one of the breed traits are that they are hardy foragers so the experience you have with yours may vary.

 

[OrganicFarmWife]

Marigolds. If they eat Marigolds they will get that orange color. Or perhaps any vegetable with a lot of vitamin A like carrots or pumpkin. Most of my eggs have a deep yellow.

i gave my chickens carrot pulp before ..i have to try it when they start laying..

Yes, and I feed mine pumpkins in the winter

 

[OrganicFarmWife]

I do have a broiler pen I use while the birds are still small. I have some fierce farm cats and lost most of my first batch of layers to them. So now I keep my chicks in a pen until large enough to not be vulnerable to the cats.

 

[BruceAZ]

This is my situation, too. No run, they're just out on the property all day and they put themselves to bed in the coop at night and we secure the doors. I have seen this called "partial free-ranging." "Free-ranging" is no coop at all. The chickens roost at night in trees or wherever. With partial free-ranging, they are housed in a coop at night. I don't know what it would be called if you let them out of the run for a just couple of hours each day. Casual ranging, maybe?

Yes. A balanced commercial feed should be available to them, but they do eat less of it because they get more food on their own. I have feeders available, but honestly, when I open the doors in the morning, they run right by the feeders to get to the good stuff first. Later in the day, they'll wander over and peck at the feeder, but they do seem to prefer foraging. Keep in mind also that the breed of chickens I have, one of the breed traits are that they are hardy foragers so the experience you have with yours may vary.

so free ranging is only possible if you have ACRE of land pretty much?