Keeping Chickens Free Range

[gander007]

I started letting the gang free range about three weeks ago. They are 12 weeks old now and seem to be doing great. They nieghbors called a couple days ago and said they were in her (dirt) driveway about 200 feet from the coop. She was unconcerned and shoo'd them back our way. I'd like to teach them to stay closer to home. I know what "free-range" means but the gang is taking it too literally for me! And ideas?

Ya mine would do that when they were small enough to get past the fencing but as they grew up and got bigger the problem stopped but ya defently need some kind of fence to stop them from leaving the yard .

 

[SmColorInDaPan]

WELL, I'm not sure if I missed a day when the hen laid, & I THOUGHT the pullets had. We're at 15 weeks. One of the RIR maybe a Roo. Mini Bantam Roo chases after him/her quite a bit.
Any opinions on which, below, maybe a Roo?? One on the ground is the one getting run off. A RIOT considering the size difference!!

This little Girl is the PRETTIEST:


There is a small white one, THINK she's a Cornish Rock. A Solo. I KNOW better, but may name her Ivory..

 

[plm6846]

Don't worry, if it's a roo...it will most assuredly crow! Won't be pretty at first but they will crow...usually waddle and crown larger than all others..however, we had 7 leghorns all developed large head gear so we thought they were all Roos! Nope they all began laying...so wait for the crow!

 

[SmColorInDaPan]

Don't worry, if it's a roo...it will most assuredly crow! Won't be pretty at first but they will crow...usually waddle and crown larger than all others..however, we had 7 leghorns all developed large head gear so we thought they were all Roos! Nope they all began laying...so wait for the crow!

Gads Zooks, I must be asleep at the wheel! Didn't even dawn on me..When the Mini Bantams were Young, I'm pretty sure they crowed about this time. Hope, hope, hope! Maybe get a pic of Mini chasing Big RIR! Funny to no end.....
Thanks, 6846!!

 

[Tikkijane]

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I am thinking you should talk to your neighbor and convince them of the good the guineas will do by roaming their property,  killing bugs and ticks.    If you think you will ever train them to stay within 200 ft of the coop, I have a bridge I would like to sell you..



I went to town one day and saw some guineas  about 3/8ths of a mile down the road.  I though who got guineas?   One the way home I came across the same guineas headed back to my place..  Luckily I am a long ways from the neighbors.

Yep. I've had people contact me to let me know they were in the road. Ya think?

And yeppers on the trees, too. The only way to keep them home, imo, is in a covered run.

 

[SmColorInDaPan]

Tikki,
***Just a suggestion***
Can you put up a sign that says,
YES, THE CHICKENS ARE LOOSE,
YES, the eggs are Extra good because they are Loose,
Yes, they get enough to eat,
Yes, they usually get out of the way of traffic.


I CAN be a smart ***, but it MAY work to not only deter those that 'NEED to BE NEEDED' But also encourage the selling of Eggs?

 

[duluthralphie]

Yep. I've had people contact me to let me know they were in the road. Ya think?

And yeppers on the trees, too. The only way to keep them home, imo, is in a covered run.

I had a guy pull in here yesterday and tell me 'You have some birds on the road". Then he said " I am afraid they will get hit, I nearly hit one"...

I said, " yep some of them will".

He looked at me weirdly, So I asked him where he was from, he said he lived in Minneapolis. Then I explained Guineas always go to the road, they are like mosquitoes being attracted to light.

He asked what I did about them getting hit.


I told him I bring in 30 new ones every year to replace the dumb ones that get hit.

I am thinking he did not understand me. I was speaking "farm" he was speaking "City".

 

[SueT]

Sometimes our hens go in the road, there's not much traffic, but some people drive too fast. I am thinking of putting up a sign like this....

 

[SueT]

I saw a nature show on camouflage in animals and why it works --such as in zebras, etc. So I considered that when picking out my two latest chicks for my free range flock, and got a Barred Rock and a Speckled Sussex. That being said, our one Buff Orpington especially stands out like a sore thumb but like the others, she's been safe for the past year.

 

[Beekissed]

I saw a nature show on camouflage in animals and why it works --such as in zebras, etc. So I considered that when picking out my two latest chicks for my free range flock, and got a Barred Rock and a Speckled Sussex. That being said, our one Buff Orpington especially stands out like a sore thumb but like the others, she's been safe for the past year.

I'm going to burst your bubble here.....every single bird that I have that has been taken by an aerial predator has been a barred rock. Ranging right next to White Rock of the same age and size, the hawk consistently took the barred birds.

Consider this....aerial preds seek out what looks most like its natural prey and those barred, speckled, flecked and otherwise patterned birds are such as these. Been free ranging white birds in every single flock over 40 yrs time and the hawks never even attempt to nab the white birds or any of the solid colored birds, for that matter.....always, always the barred pattern birds. When the birds duck and freeze, the white birds are just a white blob and you can't even see them breathing, as their "pattern" is all white...could be a rock for all they know and if they ducked under leaves of the underbrush, they are even more invisible. The barred birds, however, show fine movements BECAUSE of their patterns....when vision is black and white and shades of grey, the movement of the breathing of the patterned birds is enough to draw their eye.