Nutrition in free range food

[Ridgerunner]

It does depend on the quality of forage they have, but if they have a variety of grasses and weeds to eat, if some of the grass and weeds are allowed to go to seed, and if they have some good places to scratch for creepy crawlies, I think they will be very healthy. Do you consider an obese couch potato/electronic game child really healthy. Or would you prefer one that is out getting exercise and enjoying what I consider more of the joys of life? They may look slimmer but I don't consider that unhealthy.

The commercial feed does contain all they need to remain healthy, but the commercial operations limit how much they eat so they get just the right amount for utmost efficiency. That efficiency is partly from a cost-per-egg viewpoint but also a let's-keep-them-healthy viewpoint. An unhealthy chicken is not very cost effective. But a free ranging chicken will have more of a variety if nutrients in its eggs and will probably hatch better because of the additional vitamins, minerals and amino acids they are finding in their forage.

Of course they prefer to be in the bushes hiding from hawks than out in the open, plus they probably have better dead leaves and such to scratch in. And they are out of the hot sun, at least here. Just think of the delicious creepy crawlies they are finding! Any time you free range, you take a chance that you will lose some to predators. Some of us go years between predator attacks, but with some of us it is more frequent. I've lost two in three years. I may lose my third today. I don't know. But with my goals, I'm willing to take that chance. Not everyone feels that way. It is very much a personal preference call.

Good luck!

 

[Judy]

You mentioned "a bit slim." I just read a comment made by an experienced, highly regarded breeder of gorgeous birds, that 95% of the chickens on here are too fat. Of course, part of it is age, they tend to be slim at those juvenile ages, anyway.

I agree with the trend here: good, varied forage = healthy, happy chickens.

 

[Slotred]

Thank you all very much for the wonderful responses to my questions. I'm comforted to know that my girls are doing just about what all your hens are doing. I am with the girls whenever they are out of the coop, and they respond very well to my herding them around. Some of the yard is not fenced, and they are learning to stay at home pretty well. We have a raccoon in the neighborhood, but he hasn't been able to penetrate the fort at night. He's too smart for the trap (I caught his buddy a few weeks ago) so I may pull an all-night vigil with some well placed cat food and marshmallows. Some disagree with the idea of killing predators, but as I see it, I have a duty to protect that which has been given to me, even if that means sending Mr. Raccoon to the big frog pond in the sky.
I agree with your responses, especially about having happy birds rather than "maximized" egg layers.

 

[sonew123]

Id would like to add though..if ur birds appear skinny for a long period of time to please check for lice and mites..blood suckers they are!

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

I got to play mother hen to a clutch of 11 that lost their mom to a coon at 2 weeks old. I set up a temporary play pen in the yard under shade so they could get out in the sun and grass, want to see 11 chicks scramble and tumble to get out and play! They love it. Pretty quick they out grew and got bored with the 25' pen and started flying out, now I've given up on herding them back into it and justs left the gate open...it was mostly to keep the other chickens off them, and make it easy for me to round them up. Watched them off and on, they are as happy as can be, visit the food bowl once in a while, then off again...their croups are full. The grass is tall where they go and they are mostly black, so almost impossible to see. They are flying longer distances now, and considerably stronger and more able to evade a predator. Then they found their own way back into the coop at sundown and nested into a pile in the straw, what good kids, I didn't even have to tell them what to do. So all that worry for nothing, they grow up fast don't they. They don't mind the rain at all, but duck under something in a downpour, for about a minute.
Of course they still have chick starter and scratch available, I think the feed stores spend alot of time and money to develope the best nutitional food possible and it will keep chickens healthy and productive, not every chicken is lucky enough to live in the country, but even city critters need to get as much of nature as possible, even if it means picking through a manicured yard and scratching though the landscaping, it's actually good for a yard. win win, less bugs!
it's easy to see they are very healthy. As for predators, I may loose one or two, but there are about 14 more on the way. Coons are a nuisance and breed almost as fast as chickens, they do love sardines though...there are also some good articles on line on how to tan hides..I have several on my lodge pole

 

[yinzerchick]

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Donkeys have worked really good for us as far as keeping preditors out.