Our Hens Out in the Pasture this Evening

[benjoycei]

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WOW!!!

How many birds do you have?

 

[EweSheep]

Just beautiful! Do you have roosters in that lot? Wondering who is the on the lookout for hawks, predators.

 

[Mac in Wisco]

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2500, give or take a few.

 

[Mac in Wisco]

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No roosters. They are all on the lookout. There were more hens out before I took the photos, but two geese came over very low to land in the hay field and many ran back inside. That's a big problem out there, the hens run outside, see a pigeon or a noisy killdeer overhead and run back inside, and then there's the vultures, hawks, falcons, owls, bald eagles, sand hill cranes, ducks, herons, etc. We live where a large creek runs into the Mississippi River and it's a major flyway. There is always something flying overhead spooking the hens. We have only lost a few to Great Horned Owls late in the evening, once in a great while, but otherwise nothing really bothers them.

 

[speckledhen]

I remember when you were buying that place. I love to see all those hens out in the green pasture! Nice pics, Mac.

 

[gryeyes]

I am seriously experiencing flock envy. I love my multi-colored, multi-breed flock, but I don't have the space (right now) to see them all out together like that. Wow!

Thanks for sharing the pictures - they are wonderful!

 

[Mac in Wisco]

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Thanks. I started talking about it here three years ago. I bought the place and leased it back to the previous owners for a year before moving in two years ago. We've done a lot of upgrades to the barn since then and expanded the pasture to three times its previous size. The next project is to put in more windows. The four in the photos are all there is. We are going to put eight more on the other side.

 

[speckledhen]

Sounds like a great idea to me!

 

[chickenlickin8]

WOW.....Chickens, Chickens everywhere!

How much feed do you go through a week?

 

[Mac in Wisco]

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We get six tons of feed delivered every 18 or 19 days. At the current organic feed prices that's about $165 a day.