Newbie question regarding free range...

[Jambruins]

I am thinking of getting some chickens. I have about a 1.5 acres yard I mow and about a 15-20 acres hayfield that gets cut 1 or 2 times a year. If I let my chickens free range will I need to feed them anything else or will they find all the food they need? Thanks.

 

[The Chicken People]

Yes you will need to keep food starter /grower available to them..layer when they start to lay...and dont forget the fresh water at all times! Are you gonna have a coop for at night?

 

[Jambruins]

Yes, I have an old barn that I need to fix up a little but that is where they will stay at night. How much food will a chicken go through a week or month? I will probably only get 5-10 chickens to start with.

 

[gritsar]

My 14 free range chickens go thru a 50 lb. bag of layer feed about every 10 - 14 days right now while there is plenty for them to eat while ranging. In winter, it's about one bag a week.

 

[AmyRey]

I'm glad you posted this thread! I was about to ask the same thing.

I've been looking at feeding options for four days now and it all seems about 10x more complicated than it should be.

My four BO ladies are 15-16 weeks old. Hopefully, they'll be laying soon.
*** fingers crossed ***

I'm SO confused as to what to feed them. The lady we bought them from had already started them on layer pellets. I got a bit from her to last until I figured it all out. Well, that day has arrived.

Ya'll help me out.

They should be free ranging a lot (at least 3-4 hours a day) by the end of the week. And they're in our tractor the rest of the time. They go to be sometime around 9ish and I let them back into bottom of the tractor around 7am. Right now, I don't have water upstairs, since all they really have room to do up there is sleep. But I do throw a tiny bit of cracked corn into the pine shavings so they'll keep it stirred up.

I also feed them pellets and corn each morning and evening along with whatever scraps we've collected.

Do I need to put water upstairs?

What kind of food should they be on? Should this be downstairs (available only during the day)? Or should I put some upstairs too? Floorspace is at a premium up there, which is why I haven't added any food or water bowls. Plus, I can't see how they wouldn't make a huge mess with it.

And we have a rooster too. Can he eat whatever the girls are eating? Or does he need his own food? All the time? Or at scheduled feedings?

Does all this matter so much that I should be worrying about it as much as I am? I mean, God gade them the ability to scratch for bugs and grass and rocks and whatever else they want/need. Is there such a thing as too much human intervention? Will they overeat?

Edited to add: I'm sorry that I have totally butted in on your thread.

 

[MammaHen]

I have about 100 completely free range layers on 4.5 hectares. I have all different ages so I give them grower pellets and then supply crushed oyster shells for the layers.

I don't know acreage so I can't tell if you have enough space etc, but what I do know is that chickens deplete the protein supply of any given area pretty quickly. I was told that the average non free range layer eats about 110g of food a day. A completely free range chicken should have access to about 70% of that. I measure my feed out every morning and its pretty accurate for their needs. If I put any more, there is always left over.

With regard towhat to feed them, all I can offer is what I've tried and whats worked for me.

I started out giving 50% layers pellets mixed with 50% other grain made up of 2 parts crushed maize, 1 part barley and one part crushed oats. I did this for two reasons. The first is the pellets here are very expensive and the grain alot cheaper and the 2nd reason is that we are only able to get medicated feed and I felt if I substituted it would 'dilute' all the nasty stuff (well it made sense in my little head anyway) Although they really enjoyed the different grain I noticed that the egg dept was looking really bleak! I thought that it could be they were going into moult. I changed them onto 100% growers pellets with oyster shell available and my eggs almost doubled in a week.

It always seems to come back to the same point. Those feed people know what they're doing...best leave it to them.

Hope this helps. x

 

[tackyrama]

Wow AmyRay, You are making too much work out of this. One place for the food & water, they'll find it. The roo can eat what the hens are. Some people might tell you they get too much calcium from the hens egg mash. Mine eat all the same and the roo is doing just fine.
How much you have to feed them depends on how much room they have to roam and how many are free ranging in a given area AND what kind of habitat it is. I have 20 acres mostly wooded but with 74 free range chickens (right now). I give them about 50 lbs of scratch a week cuz they've pretty much eat out all the bugs, seeds etc. A chickens natural range is up to about 200 yards. That's as far as I've seen mine go out. They also get all kinds of kitchen scraps. As far as I know they will not overeat. Mine don't. Cornish Xs are the only breed I know of that WILL overeat. Chickens seem to like to be on a schedule. I really don't think it's a big issue unless your a major egg producer. Hope this helps. Chickens have been around a long time and can pretty much take care of themselves. They are much more work of course if they are penned up all the time.

 

[gritsar]

Whether they are free ranging or not you should have food available to them at all times. If space is at a premium, I would make sure they at least have water available to them upstairs and are able to get down to their feed as early as possible in the mornings.
I can't stress water enough with summer heating up.
My roo eats the same layer feed my hens eat.
Yes it's true they eat less of their feed while free ranging, but the feed is there so they have the option. It's easier on me to just fill the feeder full and then refill as needed; every couple of days.

 

[AmyRey]

Fortunately, they'll have access to... ohhh.... 300 acres or so to forage in. Of course, they won't choose that much but they'll have access to a large enough area that I don't think them eating up all the bugs will be an issue. Ever.

Ideally, the plan is to let them out first thing in the morning, leave them out all day and then let them put themselves to bed at night. All I'd have to do is change the water and open/close a door each morning and night.

Of course, I guess I could just wait and see what happens with the eggs, right? And supplement/feed as needed for maximum results?

 

[Jambruins]

Amy, it sounds like we are in the same situation. I plan on letting mine out in the morning and putting them back in the coop at night. During the day they could free range and fend for themselves and I would give them water and supplement/feed in the coop. I will also have water outside the coop for the.