Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[Shadrach]

It will be interesting to see how the vegitation in the allotment run recovers with the chickens foraging free rangish. In one year 20 or so chickens have pretty much stripped the allotment run of anything interesting. There is still stuff growing at the edges but even that is looking sparse. Of course, it's winter and that has an impact as well.
I've read what I could find on the size of the territories. The rough estimate from these studies is an acre per group; the group usually being a rooster, a hen, maybe two and chicks/juveniles.
I think my uncles free range field was 3 acres on which he kept 3 or 4 tribes.
An acre per tribe was what happened in Catalonia and other free range keepers estimated the same.
Whatever changes modern day chickens have undergone with regard to territory it's been quite apparent that 20 chickens in the allotment run only a couple of hours a day has stripped it in a year. I wonder what it would look like should they have been on it all day.

 

[Perris]

It will be interesting to see how the vegitation in the allotment run recovers with the chickens foraging free rangish. In one year 20 or so chickens have pretty much stripped the allotment run of anything interesting. There is still stuff growing at the edges but even that is looking sparse. Of course, it's winter and that has an impact as well.
I've read what I could find on the size of the territories. The rough estimate from these studies is an acre per group; the group usually being a rooster, a hen, maybe two and chicks/juveniles.
I think my uncles free range field was 3 acres on which he kept 3 or 4 tribes.
An acre per tribe was what happened in Catalonia and other free range keepers estimated the same.
Whatever changes modern day chickens have undergone with regard to territory it's been quite apparent that 20 chickens in the allotment run only a couple of hours a day has stripped it in a year. I wonder what it would look like should they have been on it all day.

Can you tell us a bit on the methodology bit in these studies? Are those birds fed at all? what does the range consist of?

My flock of about 20 have access dawn till dusk 24/7, 365/365 to about an acre and a bit, which they range on as they will. They get breakfast on emergence from the coops at dawn and tea an hour before going to roost at dusk. They spend very little time on the lawn, most of that browsing the grass and weeds immediately after eating what I supply. They may pass across doing the same once or twice a day. We are approaching end of winter, the grass is starting to grow again now and while some areas are very short, there are no bare patches on the lawn; they like some grasses more than others and the favoured ones are browsed close to the ground, but not to destruction.

They spend most of the day foraging in the borders or rest-and-digesting in the borders. I do not have to weed the borders, because the soil surface there has only dead leaves, which arrive naturally from above and are regularly kicked over and around by the chickens until taken underground by worms. They rotate their foraging area, so though they can access everywhere all the time, they concentrate their focus on a certain part of it for a few days, then I won't see them there again for a while. As for the whole garden, so for individual plants. Very few get eaten to destruction. (Seedlings need protection though, or they get scratched out before they get established.)

 

[ManueB]

Can you tell us a bit on the methodology bit in these studies? Are those birds fed at all? what does the range consist of?

My flock of about 20 have access dawn till dusk 24/7, 365/365 to about an acre and a bit, which they range on as they will. They get breakfast on emergence from the coops at dawn and tea an hour before going to roost at dusk. They spend very little time on the lawn, most of that browsing the grass and weeds immediately after eating what I supply. They may pass across doing the same once or twice a day. We are approaching end of winter, the grass is starting to grow again now and while some areas are very short, there are no bare patches on the lawn; they like some grasses more than others are the favoured ones are browsed close to the ground, but not to destruction.

They spend most of the day foraging in the borders or rest-and-digesting in the borders. I do not have to weed the borders, because the soil surface there has only dead leaves, which arrive naturally from above and are regularly kicked over and around by the chickens until taken underground by worms. They rotate their foraging area, so though they can access everywhere all the time, they concentrate their focus on a certain part of it for a few days, then I won't see them there again for a while. As for the whole garden, so for individual plants. Very few get eaten to destruction. (Seedlings need protection though, or they get scratched out before they get established.)

I think it depends very much on climate.
My chicken netted yard is only 500 m2 so about 5000 square feet (0.12 acres I think) and it held up really well the first two years when we had normal rain, but it's getting stripped now that we are being in a draught for more than a year.

The four free rangers chickens have theoretical access to the 7 acres of the whole property but they certainly don't use it. Now that it's winter with not much vegetation for shelter and lot of raptors, they don't wander far at all and use maybe at most a third of an acre, and there are places where they spend most of their time. I don't think they have damaged vegetation yet but they have had an impact , there are holes and moved soil everywhere they go, even though they have been here only since summer.
They will not go further on their own. If I take them they come with me but when I leave they follow me back to the house.

 

[Perris]

I think it depends very much on climate.
My chicken netted yard is only 500 m2 so about 5000 square feet (0.12 acres I think) and it held up really well the first two years when we had normal rain, but it's getting stripped now that we are being in a draught for more than a year.

The four free rangers chickens have theoretical access to the 7 acres of the whole property but they certainly don't use it. Now that it's winter with not much vegetation for shelter and lot of raptors, they don't wander far at all and use maybe at most a third of an acre, and there are places where they spend most of their time. I don't think they have damaged vegetation yet but they have had an impact , there are holes and moved soil everywhere they go, even though they have been here only since summer.
They will not go further on their own. If I take them they come with me but when I leave they follow me back to the house.

Good points; weather and predation definitely have a big influence on their behaviour. Please include those from the studies' methods sections Shad!

 

[ManueB]

My organic feed doesn’t contain soy at all. Probably too expensive to grow soy without the help of Monsanto/Bayer. They put more peas in it for proteins.

Most soy products and especially Edamame beans for human consumption are expensive.

Depends where you live, here there is no such thing as a soy free organic layer feed. Organic soy is grown in France or Italy whereas most standard layer feed have soy from Brazil.

 

[Iluveggers]

Well, it’s -14F (-25C) this morning. I put a towel over the run ramp since there was heavy frost buildup everywhere. My heated waterer has ice crystals along the outer edge, but thankfully has the water thawed still. All sides of the run are wind blocked except the side next to the house sunroom (where I stood to take the pic).

Man, it’s cold! I wore multiple layers & 2 pairs of gloves to open up & let them out today. I had to stand by the fire as I couldn’t feel my fingers when I came back in. The girls, I’m sure we’re not happy, but did not seem in distress. Luckily it should go up to positive 15F (-9C) by mid afternoon, and tomorrow 41F (5C) which will feel like a heat wave. We’ve been very fortunate to have these low temsp for only short periods. This 24 hour negative stretch will last only 24 hours total. I am glad I am off of work today so I can grab eggs as laid so they don’t freeze, and even more thankful I have a window to peek out to see when someone comes off the nest to run out there.

Terrible pic I know, but this is a view of a corner of the run from the window. They are all now in the back of the run perched in the sun that is peeking in, and preening.

 

[saysfaa]

Tax in advance

They like boot snow and a fresh bag of leaves

 

[Ladies-Eight]

Ex Batts good morning one andall!

49 sunny 90% humidity feels like 42 rain 3%.

Have a great day!

 

[BDutch]

Well, it’s -14F (-25C) this morning. I put a towel over the run ramp since there was heavy frost buildup everywhere. My heated waterer has ice crystals along the outer edge, but thankfully has the water thawed still. All sides of the run are wind blocked except the side next to the house sunroom (where I stood to take the pic).

Man, it’s cold! I wore multiple layers & 2 pairs of gloves to open up & let them out today. I had to stand by the fire as I couldn’t feel my fingers when I came back in. The girls, I’m sure we’re not happy, but did not seem in distress. Luckily it should go up to positive 15F (-9C) by mid afternoon, and tomorrow 41F (5C) which will feel like a heat wave. We’ve been very fortunate to have these low temsp for only short periods. This 24 hour negative stretch will last only 24 hours total. I am glad I am off of work today so I can grab eggs as laid so they don’t freeze, and even more thankful I have a window to peek out to see when someone comes off the nest to run out there.

Terrible pic I know, but this is a view of a corner of the run from the window. They are all now in the back of the run perched in the sun that is peeking in, and preening.

View attachment 3395221

Not jealous about your temps.
Wanted to add a icon instead of a like.
But the bar doesn’t work properly.

Today feels like spring here. Sunny and still 10C at 15.45. The chickens were pleased too.

 

[Shadrach]

Can you tell us a bit on the methodology bit in these studies? Are those birds fed at all? what does the range consist of?

Two that I can recall were studies of jungle fowl. Not fed or interfered with in any way. Just an attempt to estimate how much room a group used.
Domesticated chickens may behave differently but so far from what I've seen, if there is more than one group an acre has been about what they'll use.