Successful 100% forage diet experiment (long post)

[Florida Bullfrog]

Wild turkeys have definitely left my property as my flock has matured and grown. I can’t speculate whether it’s disease or whether it’s my free range dogs keeping them repelled back. It may simply be the lack of supplemental feed out in the woods that previously kept the turkeys baited on property. I have state issued deprecation permits for deer in my blueberries that let me hunt 24/7 all year. But one of the terms is that I not use supplemental feeders for wild game. Therefore I no longer bait wildlife (a common practice in Florida). Turkeys can be baited here so long as they aren’t hunted over the bait.

 

[Stephanie8806]

You should have seen the consternation from the “Unpopular Opinions” thread where I talked about free ranging, letting the chickens outmaneuver predators, and whatnot. People rent their shirts and cried blasphemy like imps dowsed with holy water.

I feel ya on that, and that thread sounds like it could be a fun read! I let my birds free range and have spoken many times about just being resigned to the fact that some losses will likely happen(it’s just nature), and I can literally feel faces recoil from their screens with a sharp inhale and a scowl

 

[AccidentalFarm]

You’re welcome! I’m definitely all for big flocks, and please know I wasn’t trying to dissuade or lecture you. I don’t think game birds would die or anything, just move elsewhere... I was thinking about winter here and thinking, “well, if quail and grouse and the like can survive a winter and find food when there’s a lot of snow, a chicken would likely also!” And then I thought, “oh crap, wild chickens are definitely bigger than both of those birds and might bully them out of feeding grounds”.

I’m sure theyd move up onto National Forest or over to a neighbors property(we all have 20 acre lots that back up to NF), but since we like to hunt the game birds, it’s cool to have them on our property! Just something I was thinking ❤

I didn't feel lectured! I'm glad for any and all points of view shared here.

 

[AccidentalFarm]

I feel ya on that, and that thread sounds like it could be a fun read! I let my birds free range and have spoken many times about just being resigned to the fact that some losses will likely happen(it’s just nature), and I can literally feel faces recoil from their screens with a sharp inhale and a scowl

Yup, losses will happen. It's a trade-off between keeping birds confined in a Fort Knox situation, or allowing them the freedom to live like they were meant to, or as close to that as possible.

 

[Jtodd99]

Yup, losses will happen. It's a trade-off between keeping birds confined in a Fort Knox situation, or allowing them the freedom to live like they were meant to, or as close to that as possible.

Yup, mine get to free range 24/7 on about seven
Acres. I lost one a few months ago to a hawk, and lost two a few weeks ago to something at night. The birds start to wise up, and having two very good roosters, I haven’t lost any to hawks, and they’re everywhere. I’m trying an experiment where I bred my roosters, mix breed mutts, to hatchery raised purebred hens. The boys were hatched and raised by a hen on my friends farm. He never fed them other than what they could find around the farm, and they’re both descendants of other chickens who lived like that on the farm. As a result they handle free ranging extremely well, and are the best roosters I’ve had. I just hatched out the first generation of chicks, and I’m waiting to see how their traits will influence their foraging abilities.

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

Yup, losses will happen. It's a trade-off between keeping birds confined in a Fort Knox situation, or allowing them the freedom to live like they were meant to, or as close to that as possible.

AccidentalFarm, do you want this thread to stay just focused on free-range foraging/food, or are you ok with us talking about other aspects of free-range survival as well? Today I saw a thread about nightime behavior in chickens and it got me thinking about how that factors into myths we believe about a chicken’s night vision, roosting, and predator avoidance at night.

 

[AccidentalFarm]

Yup, mine get to free range 24/7 on about seven
Acres. I lost one a few months ago to a hawk, and lost two a few weeks ago to something at night. The birds start to wise up, and having two very good roosters, I haven’t lost any to hawks, and they’re everywhere. I’m trying an experiment where I bred my roosters, mix breed mutts, to hatchery raised purebred hens. The boys were hatched and raised by a hen on my friends farm. He never fed them other than what they could find around the farm, and they’re both descendants of other chickens who lived like that on the farm. As a result they handle free ranging extremely well, and are the best roosters I’ve had. I just hatched out the first generation of chicks, and I’m waiting to see how their traits will influence their foraging abilities.

This is really interesting! I'd love to hear how the new chicks do.

 

[Jtodd99]

This is really interesting! I'd love to hear how the new chicks do.

I plan to start a thread and keep it updated the rooster in my avatar is the head honcho, I’m hoping he’s the father to most of the chicks. He’s such a good rooster, does everything perfectly and no human aggression.

 

[AccidentalFarm]

AccidentalFarm, do you want this thread to stay just focused on free-range foraging/food, or are you ok with us talking about other aspects of free-range survival as well? Today I saw a thread about nightime behavior in chickens and it got me thinking about how that factors into myths we believe about a chicken’s night vision, roosting, and predator avoidance at night.

Anything that adds to the learning experience on foraging/free-ranging is perfectly fine with me.

 

[WallyG74]

I understand 'impossible to count' lol
I'm hoping to see chicks hopping along behind a momma hen this spring. I can't imagine how they'd survive out there though.

When I was an installer/repairman at my job I went to many, many houses. I saw everything and some things I wish I could forget. People had chickens roaming all over at some houses and not a coop in sight or a barn for that matter. And out of nowhere a hen pops out of the bushes with a line of tiny chicks following along. They’re built for it. We’re the only ones that have a hard time with it, not the chickens. I really enjoyed reading about your experiment. Unfortunately I’m one of those people that’s scared to risk my investment of time and money to predators. Who knows, I may loosen up one of these days.