Restricting food

[nuthatched]

Wow beautiful lately we’ve had a lot of losses and I feel like maybe consistently upping the protein might solve some health issues as well. So you feed a 21% layer usually?

18% is the minimum I feed, I can usually get gamebird layer at 18% protein but I prefer Country Companion Hi-pro layer at 21%, which I have to get from Calranch

 

[Phillyndilly]

18% is the minimum I feed, I can usually get gamebird layer at 18% protein but I prefer Country Companion Hi-pro layer at 21%, which I have to get from Calranch

Oh ok thank you I’ve never even heard of Calranch so I guess we don’t have any here and I’ve never even seen that high of layer around here anywhere. You have convinced me to switch to higher protein but now I’m worried I can’t find it lol. We’re going to we if the bill feed can make or get anything thank you!

 

[Shadrach]

Wow really that much to make a difference that’s interesting what do you base that off of?

A couple of decades of looking after free range chickens.
More seriously...
The chickens ancestors the jungle fowl lay claim to approximately one acre of jungle per breeding pair according to the few studies there are on the subject.
Bear in mind the Jungle fowl are smaller and may only lay 20 eggs a year. Generally due to the diversity of the vegitaton jungle forage is likely to be of better quality than most cultivated land.
Todays appropriately chosen free range breeds may lay one hundred and fifty to two hundred eggs a year. That's a large increase in nutrition demand and consequently a larger area is likely to be needed to support them.
The tribes I looked after in Catalonia occupied roughly an acre per tribe and as a new tribe became established their territory increased by a about an acre. These tribes did get fed commercial feed twice a day and in the spring and summer months the impact on how much commercial feed they consumed was roughly measurable.
Differing keeping arrangements will have an impact on these estimated areas even with free range chickens (technically yours are not free range if they are fenced)
So, as an estimate to make a noticable impact on commercial feed consumption I think half an acre per breeding pair is a reasonable estimate.

 

[Acre4Me]

technically yours are not free range if they are fenced)

Respectfully disagree with this concept.

My chickens are *technically* free-range bc they freely go in/out of coop into a large and varied run. However, I don’t refer to them as free range bc I’m not letting them into pasture or forest or lawn where they would be foraging for a time.

A person may fence in an acre or more for their chickens, and according to your statement, they would not be free range. But, the chickens are free ranging in a large and varied natural area…I say they are “free ranged”

My chickens get to free range some times. I open the run gates and they go here and there, scratching, picking, running, eating various greens. But, it’s limited. More often, I’m tossing garden greens or grass or flowers to them during active garden season (otherwise the chickens destroy the smaller garden plants).

Fences do not take away the free range aspect of chicken keeping. Often it is a smart way to manage things.

 

[Shadrach]

Respectfully disagree with this concept.

My chickens are *technically* free-range bc they freely go in/out of coop into a large and varied run. However, I don’t refer to them as free range bc I’m not letting them into pasture or forest or lawn where they would be foraging for a time.

A person may fence in an acre or more for their chickens, and according to your statement, they would not be free range. But, the chickens are free ranging in a large and varied natural area…I say they are “free ranged”

My chickens get to free range some times. I open the run gates and they go here and there, scratching, picking, running, eating various greens. But, it’s limited. More often, I’m tossing garden greens or grass or flowers to them during active garden season (otherwise the chickens destroy the smaller garden plants).

Fences do not take away the free range aspect of chicken keeping. Often it is a smart way to manage things.

Due to Bird Flu in the UK, DEFRA issued a directive that chickens must no longer free range in certain affected regions.
What exactly does that mean?
What size does an enclosure need to be before the chickens are considered free range?
Say the chickens have a 1000 metre square fenced enclosure.

Some commercial concerns have torn the arse out of the term free range in an effort to look like they are chicken friendly meat and egg producers.

Imo it would be simpler if some kind of definition was applied to the term.
In a conversation with a DEFRA rep I pointed out that the chickens I look after are never free range because I am out there with them and am more effective at controling their movements than any fence. Also, there are three stages of fencing at the allotments where the chickens live; there is the coop extension, then there is the coop run fence, and then there is the allotment fencing, each area being larger than the the one before. In which area are they considered free range?
In contrast, a small holding in the next county has a fence surrounding it, but it doesn't stop the chickens from leaving the property.

People like to describe their keeping arrangements as free range for various reasons but most are in fact confined keeping conditions and there is a perfectly adequate term for this and that is ranging.

I wouldn't argue with your point but some concrete definition of free range might be helpful.

 

[NanaK]

Not saying I completely agree but..

For industry in the US

The USDA’s (and industry standard) definition for “Free Range” is that birds must have “outdoor access” or “access to the outdoors.” In some cases, this can mean access only through a “pop hole,” with no full-body access to the outdoors and no minimum space requirement.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I mean I for one do have a strong reaction to soy but I don’t necessarily mind it for the chickens as long as it keeps them healthy. My husband knows more about nutrition science and he told me soy has a lot of ( forgot the name) and that mimics estrogen so apparently it affects your hormones in some type of way which would make sense in my case because I get painful cystic welts if I have anything soy.

Phytoestrogens.

Yes, soy has lots of phytoestrogens.

So does:
Flax, sesame, wheat, oats, barley and most beans.

But if you have a medical condition sensative to it, then yes, you should make the diet adjustment in consultations w/ your Dr - a diet that should not stop at simply eliminating soy. Unlike your chickens, you can economically switch to a diet that gets your needed Met levels from animal proteins.

 

[Acre4Me]

Not saying I completely agree but..

For industry in the US

The USDA’s (and industry standard) definition for “Free Range” is that birds must have “outdoor access” or “access to the outdoors.” In some cases, this can mean access only through a “pop hole,” with no full-body access to the outdoors and no minimum space requirement.

I don’t think so. Here is a recent USDA article from USDA website.

So, according to feds, the entire body of animal has access…not just through a pop hole.

 

[NanaK]

I don’t think so. Here is a recent USDA article from USDA website.

View attachment 3461081

So, according to feds, the entire body of animal has access…not just through a pop hole.

Sorry I didn't comment further as I was agreeing with your previous comment and only saying in the US there is a definition of "free range".

For larger animals a pop door would not suffice. For chickens a pop door or two on a large barn does give "free range" access whether they all physically go outside or not.

My area if full of commercial houses some are free range some are not. The free range flocks are huge and most of them only have 2 or so small pop type doors on the sides of the barns that allow them out into a fenced (most hot wired) area.

My point being the US allows free ranged flocks to be fenced somewhat for safety.

Sorry for any confusion and thank you for that updated definition. So much new stuff these days.

 

[nuthatched]

Oh ok thank you I’ve never even heard of Calranch so I guess we don’t have any here and I’ve never even seen that high of layer around here anywhere. You have convinced me to switch to higher protein but now I’m worried I can’t find it lol. We’re going to we if the bill feed can make or get anything thank you!

Youre welcome, I'm happy to help. Tractor supply might be able to order in Nutrena Egg Producer, which is great but my local one stopped carrying it or Purina game bird layer, theory website usually lists what can be shipped to store if you look up specific items