Montana

[karlamaria]

Thankful for the moisture, in whatever form it comes!  I have decided not to plant a garden this year.  We have to haul our water so the garden never pays off anyway for us.  Hope you get enough growing season for yours Karlamaria!

I would like to hear how you all initiate free ranging.  My chickens clearly want out of their run to explore the back yard, but it is not fenced and the chickens could conceivably run for miles.  They have been in their coop and run for about a month, so should know where home is.  Most of the chickens we can easily catch, a couple will fly up on my lap, a few are more skittish, but they will all come up and peck near our feet until we reach down to pick them up, when they usually make a quick dash just out of reach!

If one or more escapes their run, what are some tricks for catching them or herding them back in there?  How close do chickens in an established flock stay together when free ranging?  Would it be a good idea to let them range in the back yard (about 2/3 acre in size with little cover) if supervised?  I am thinking of doing this later this year, when we get our usual horde of grasshoppers.  I don't think I will ever let them free range routinely because my property is not fenced and the neighbor's houses are 150 - 250' away.  Thanks for any input!

Doug

Doug, did you know that you can collect rain water in barrels and then use that water in your garden? Like this...https://www.aquabarrel.com/media/images/solar_pump_rainperfect/RainBarrelInUse.jpg I have five barrels, most for water in case of emergency, but murdocks sells these barrels with spiggets so you can put under your rain gutters and when it does rain you have the water you need.

About the chickens, they will not wander far and if you do it in the evening and teach them to go back to the pen by dark they will go in them selves. Or..., I have taught mine to go back to the pen by giving treats and calling them " where's my girls come girls where is my girls" I used meal worms so they right away learned that if I wanted them in there pen, or in there case if they wanted a goodie then they have to go to the pen. Works every time. I also trained them by a certain sound ( grains in a medicine bottle) to come to me . There so smart, really your chickens will not leave. If its open you will want to watch preditors though. May I sugest trimming one wing so they do not fly, I did that to my girls the first time and all was well. I have never had to do this again, the big girls taught the young ones, but my leg horns are a new problem, there flighty and fly across the yard, I'm going to trim there wing tomorrow so they stay put. Many farms do not have gates or fencing, I sugest letting them out, then siting on a chair and giving them meal worms or another favorite treat. Show them treats come from you not in the pen but in the yard also. They will eat from your hands, walk around giving small treats. When it's time to go back into the pen shake that bottle lightly and call them, show them the same treat you were giving them tastes of, they will learn real quick to follow you right into the pen.
When I let my girls out and need to run to town, I just call them, show them the treat dish and man there right in front of me as we head to the pen. Bam there locked up with a treat and I can go right away. Chickens train very fast. And they love love love grass. They will sit on the spot and eat and eat and eat.

 

[karlamaria]

Doug, you can also grow tomatoes from buckets. I did last year, both buckets and garden and I can tell you they grow wonderful in buckets. Little water and peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, you name it can be grown from buckets. Do not give up, do you have to haul water for the house also?

 

[DuginMT]

Yes, we have water hauled for the house. Costs about $100 per month. Thanks for the ideas about rainwater collection and bucket gardens!! Might try. Sorry for the short' note, my laptop has a virus and I am pecking away wth my boy's tableti

 

[RoyalT]

I'm going to start a new garden this year- based on the "Back to Eden" movie guidelines No watering = My kind of gardening! We're going to get a chipper, but I bet you could get chips from local tree companies for free

I'm going to build enclosures for all my dang birds. Lost a Muscovy duck today to a Bald Eagle. *le sigh* I have had free-ranging chickens and ducks since 2010 and it's just becoming more and more of a problem. They draw predators and attention with the fun colors and quick movements. When I used to read all the old-timers say "Count your chickens every night and use runs. Free-ranging is romantic, but results in unnecessary loss." I thought they were kidding. Nope. Going to re-do my whole system.

At least the lambs are all doing well. 5 of the yak ladies are in my back yard eating the grass for us, and the roads we covered with topsoil and seeded are starting to sprout! Now to enclose the new pen and turn the herd out.

It was a little stormy today, and got a little heavy rain, but just for a few minutes. High of 70* tomorrow! Looking forward to it

 

[karlamaria]

I hear you on free ranging, it's just scary how those preditors lower your chicken count ! I am always thinking how sad it is for my chickens to be in a run so I let them loose, it's fine when you can watch them free range but even in back yards they can get killed. I free range mine during the day and evening from 2:00 to 10:00 in the summer, but I'm going to pen them more since I want a nice back yard and I want to grow veggies, and there pen is nice and it cost me a fortune with its shingled roof for shade. It's so well built and covered all winter and plenty of shade in the summer. They ate my veggies when they could last year and it was a constant battle. and this year I'm growing a lot more so there free ranging is going to be limited. I'm just going to chuck grass into the pen and grow flats of grass to rotate out so they have Fresh' greens to munch on.
Doug, that's got to be hard having wTer brought in, can you not drill for a well where you live?

 

[Azriel]

RoyalT, sorry about the loss of your duck. I've gone to a modified free range. They have their covered run I can lock them in, but also have about 1/4 acre fence 6' high with electric wire near both top and bottom. I have another area about the same size I hope to get fenced this summer in the same way. I see coyote every morning, but they make a big circle around the chicken fence after hitting the electric a few times. I've also seen bobcat stalkng the wild turkys, but they haven't looked at the chickens yet, maybe they have met with the electric also, but I've not seen it, and then my dog chased a black bear out of the yard a few days ago, so maybe time for another electric wire up a little higher so its more bear hight.
I might be getting a small totally free range flock. The lady that has them is moving and she was just going to have someone come and shoot them, so I told her I'd take them if she could catch them. I really don't need more chickns, but I'll put them out by the cow barn where they can get into the rafters to roost, and they will have to make it on their own. She doesn't even feed them over summer, at least they would get fed here.
Hope everyone has a great holiday weekend

 

[DuginMT]

Karla, one guy tried to drill a well here, found seawater at 800'. There are hundreds of families here in Yellowstone County on cisterns. You get used to it, you just can't afford to irrigate with it.
Hava a great Memorial Day!

Doug

 

[karlamaria]

Karla, one guy tried to drill a well here, found seawater at 800'.  There are hundreds of families here in Yellowstone County on cisterns.  You get used to it, you just can't afford to irrigate with it.
Hava a great Memorial Day!

Doug

thanks for explaining, but if you want some veggies, I say catch Water. Get your self a barrel and s screen ( cheese cloth is good) some very fine screen and put it under your rain gutters, you can fill up a barrel so fast with one small rain . Barrels are 45.00 I believe now at murdocks and there old 55 gallon olive barrels. They also come with a spigot on the bottom and you just attach a hose. I have several, but mine are in my basement holding good drinking water that is treated. But plan on getting a few for my yard so I can water my garden. I grew so many tomatoes in buckets ( got them free from restaurants) my chicken girls loved the tomatoes and got some every day as they ripened. This year I'm planting in buckets again, and of course I do tomatoes in my ground, also ,they went wild last year and we had tons of tomatoes from them to. I am doing my bell peppers in buckets, and have so many other things planned. Lettuce planted every few weeks in my raised beds so the chickens get fresh harvests non stop, and my family also, carrots, Anaheim chili, radishes, just to name a few.
I had not really ever grew food before, but last years was awesome and I enjoyed it. I only did tomatoes last year but I outdid the best seasoned garners in my neighborhood and gave my tomatoes to them. So this year trying more things. I hope to do better each year and collect more seeds and try different things.

Well I'm off to bed to try to sleep. I fell today and tore my shoulder up pretty good. I felt it tear. So far not even the hydrocodone is not touching the pain, so off to try ibuprofen along with it . Have a good night

 

[montanachicks]

Urban chickens are a hot topic in town right now -- there is a group called Great Falls Urban Chicken Initiative who are trying to get enough signatures to put the Urban chickens back on the ballot in November. I work with the guy who is heading all of this up, and they are broadcasting an interview with him on KRTV today at 530 & 10.... so I get a text message at 8 this morning from Aaron (the guy I work with) asking if my chickens & my coop would like to be on tv today -- at 9:30 I had a reporter w/camera at my house, along with Aaron, and she spent an hour here taking film, pictures, and asking loads of questions. I am located 2 blocks outside of the city limits so this law banning chickens does not affect me, but I think people who want them, and will care for them, should be able to have them. So that was kind of a fun way to start my day. She got lots of footage of eggs in the nests, chickens sitting on the nests and out in their yard, plus she thought it was great that I compost everything, so got pictures of that also. (thankfully when she got here, every nest had chickens in it, .... )

Have pullets laying eggs everyday, so life is good!

 

[montanachicks]

Where is everyone??? LOL