Quality of free-ranging in winter? Little to none?

[Beekissed]

WOW! What are you going to do with them all? Eat them, raise to sell, keep collecting?

 

[shelleyd2008]

Quote:
Sakes alive, Beak, just how many chickens do you have?

I don't go through 100 lbs of feed in a month and a half, if that! I have 31 chickens.

Yeah I was wondering the same thing. Between (now) 8 ducks, (now) 8 guineas, and (now) 80 chickens, I feed maybe 50# a week, if that!! (need to update my siggy!)

 

[BeakSanctuary]

Well, I'll keep a counter then. Just bought 2 bags of 24% and 2 bags of scratch grains this morning - all 50 pound bags. Had empty storage bins when I went to the store. Spent $57 and some change on this. I'll post when I have to buy something else to refill my bins again. I think it will be about 10 days, but I could be wrong. That would be Sept 30th - easy to remember. I think it'll be gone before that.

I realize I forgot some of my additions, too: 5 golden laced wyandottes, 2 blue andalusians, 1 black maran ( I think).

I don't think I can keep collecting without selling - I don't have unlimited space for housing them all. Getting ready to build another ladder-style roost of about 6 2x2x8s to put next to the first one, which is about half full every night. Some guys sleep on the floor in a corner and I don't know exactly why - they're the younger bunch. Maybe the others don't want them on the lower levels of the roost - not sure. Maybe it's to be closer to the feed

 

[Leah-yes I know I'm crazy]

needmorechickens! :

Collect some bags of leaves or pine needles...people are bagging them up and putting them out for trash about now...or rake up some of your own. You can even stack the bags around the outside your coop or run for insulation.
Then every once in a while, when all you have is snow, open a bag and dump those leaves in the run and throw some scratch in it...the chickens love to hunt thru those!

~Rebecca

What I've done is to put up a fence line 2feet around my run area and am dumping leaves and needles in that area. essentially, their run area is surrounded by a compost pile 3' x 2' x 60'. Allready they love it and it isn't even full yet. My neighbors are thrilled that they can bring over their bags of leaves, dump them and reuse them. I'm hoping that it will serve the purpose of a wind break, attract a few bugs, and break down the compost for the garden next year. DH wasn't impressed when I said I wanted a sixty foot compost pile but when I said it might lower the food bill he started unrolling the wire.​

 

[BeakSanctuary]

That's a really cool idea! I think the wind barrier will be perfect, especially. Along the same lines, I'm thinking how handy it would be to block in the higher sides, that is, the off-the-ground sides, of my chicken shed with some small bales of straw for the winter. Leaves would be OK too, depending on what I can find.

I know if could be dangerous under the chicken house with predators and such, but the chickens hang out there during the days when they're free-ranging and I suspect it will be kind of cozy there when it's cold, too - not sure on that.

So, I said I'd post when I needed more food and today was the day -- 100 pounds layer, 50 pounds cracked corn, 50 pounds 24% starter, $62 counting a bit of 2-cycle oil.

But hey, they're worth it. I also bought them 10 plastic crate nest boxes like someone mentioned doing and installed them today. Have probably gotten 15 eggs so far; they just started laying.

 

[Beekissed]

I have a large compost bin, and today I looked out the window and had to laugh.....they looked like buzzards perched all over the bin, some perched out on the pitch fork that the boys had left hanging out of the bin! I think they will probably keep that compost turned as much as possible once its sunk down a little...its really full with all my garden leftovers. They've also taken over the dog's lounging shed, perching on the lawn tractor and my chicken-watching-chair...left little presents all over the seat!

Last year they were out every day, even in the snow, scratching and searching. I think you will be surprised at what they find to eat out there. I think your sunflower seeds will come in handy to keep them busy. I buy the BOSS and throw them hand fulls in the empty garden plot to keep them tilling up the soil for me.

 

[BeakSanctuary]

Beekissed, ya have to love a resourceful critter - need no 700B bailout, eh?

Mine love sitting on the back of my chicken-watching park bench, too - sometimes it's "eeeew" to sit down on it.

I think I have about 12 big sunflower heads still atop their stalks- I hope you're right they like them. When some fell over during the green stage, they kind of turned up their noses. Maybe it's an acquired taste, as eventually they were eaten - frankly, mostly everything was in the garden adjoining the run except the hot pepper plants. They now have full access to that area when I'm not home to let them out to free-range. Of course lots of birds can fit under the garden gate and go free-range whenever they want.

Oh, such fun this is and yet, when not feeling well, quite a big responsibility, too. Let's me know I'm not as young as I was once when everything was pretty easy.