Raising Chickens

[nate379]

Wondering, do chickens pretty much stick around if they aren't penned in?

We had chickens when I was a kid, but I can't really remember how it was setup (was 15-20 years ago). I know sometimes they would be roaming around though.

I can buy fertile eggs $40 per dozen. I could build a little "house" for them to go lay eggs but otherwise was thinking just letting them go wherever. My yard is about 3/4 acre or so and it's backed to several acres of woods.

 

[eclecticcottage]

It's called free ranging, and yes, mostly anyway. Your biggest problem with this won't be the chickens "wandering away", but predators taking them. A good compromise is allowing them to free range during the day, but closing them in a safe structure/area at night. It won't help with hawks and some others, but will cut back on many of the noctural ones.

Another consideration with hatching you own is what you will do with the roosters. You will probably end up with more than one 'roo per dozen.

 

[nate379]

Dunno how roosters would go over making noise all day. At least chickens are pretty quiet mostly. Might just raise some for meat.

 

[Delta-T]

the residence next to my shop has "free range" chickens that usually just "free range" at our store. they are out in front right now. Fairly large black chickens. I dont mind them but they chase the customers into the store (funny). Neighbors have a large yard, so I'm not sure what they like about our yard. They dont go very far ever, so that might answer your question. Raise some for meat, some for stunt birds for hollywood action films, chickens have many talents.

 

[Jags]

Raise some for meat, some for stunt birds for hollywood action films, chickens have many talents.

Chickens - testing aircraft windshields since 1945.

 

[Delta-T]

Chickens - testing aircraft windshields since 1945.

have you by chance seen the "myth busters" episode where they fired frozen chickens at an aircraft windscreen? I'm glad frozen chickens can't fly so good.

 

[Jags]

have you by chance seen the "myth busters" episode where they fired frozen chickens at an aircraft windscreen? I'm glad frozen chickens can't fly so good.

Yes, I have. I'll bet the chickens are glad that they are frozen first.

 

[Seasoned Oak]

Check with your local ordinances ,My township just banned all farm type animals ,it has a lot of people with laying hens PO ed and 1 with a pot belly pig.

 

[Mrs. Krabappel]

My chickens would stay relatively close, but not on my one acre. They made a lot of friends around the neighborhood. After two blissful years, I've had to fence them due to wandering dogs. Your situation would be fine. They never stray too far, but it's helpful to have a dog out with them.

Hatching eggs around here are cheep. Maybe ten bucks a dozen if that. I never thought I'd want a rooster, but I love my roosters. They don't bother my neighbors either. And they don't crow all day. They really help keep the flock safe and keep the hens from wandering too far.

 

[nate379]

I think my dog would turn them into chew dogs given the chance. He did with a rooster that wandered over into my yard a while back.

 

[PapaDave]

We were losing ours almost nightly. They were in a fenced area, but the raccoon must have had "special ops" training. He/she beheaded, dewinged, de-justabouteverythinged a few until we caught the little/big menace. He was summarily ......uh, relieved of his coon type duties.
Our astralops (sp) would roost in the spruce nearby every night, well, most of 'em anyway. Been thinking of doing the same thing to help depopulate the tick population.

 

[Mrs. Krabappel]

You can train your dog not to. Mine killed my chicks until he understood the expectations. I agree that a nightime coop is in order unless you want to feed the nocturnal/crepuscular wildlife.

 

[PapaDave]

"crepuscular wildlife"
Uh, please type more slowly, so us mere mortals can comprendo. Google, here I come.
OOOHHHH, THAT crepuscular. My vocabulary just took a bit of a leap. Thank you.
I concur.

 

[coaly]

Nate,
Chickens don't go far. Adding new ones to the flock takes about 2 weeks for them to accept each other. So we keep the new ones in a cage a couple days close to the coop while the others are out all day. This allows them to be around each other and get used to each other. This also gets them laying in their cage, so when left out, the new ones go back there to lay. They will go in at dusk on their own, then lock them up. After about 2 weeks, introduce them to the coop with the others, but stay nearby in case they don't accept them right away. Some take longer than others.
BEWARE Whatever latch you can open with your hand, so can a racoon. Lock and key is the best. They need a floor, not screen wire on the ground that a night preditor can dig under.
Tractor Supply (in the lower 48) has Chick Days every spring around Easter for $2.00 each. Ducks too.
I personally like ducks better. They lay most everyday without a light on a timer over the winter. They don't scratch and dig up grass to make "dust holes", and they are quieter. Eggs are much larger, but richer. They don't require water, but like it. Their care is about the same. Probably better with cold since they don't mind swimming in ice water. Look into cold climate breeds for whatever you choose.

 

[nate379]

I got about a dozen ducks coming.. quak quak quak

 

[Ehouse]

People around here who raise free range meat chickens use a movable cage made from PVC and netting and just slide it around the yard. You could put a small door in it to slide it in and out of the coop. Meat birds are ready for butcher in about 8 weeks.

 

[btuser]

Cheep cheep.

Have you got a lot of chipmunks? That's a good sign how well your chickens are going to fare vs local predators. We have a den of foxes less than 75' from the house and I haven't seen a chippie or a squirrel all Spring. The dogs are freaking out.

 

[BrotherBart]

We are up to our ears in foxes. Those Virginia elites that have been chasing them with horses and dogs for a couple of hundred years mostly didn't catch them. And the bazillon squirrels on this place just sit up in the trees and yap at them.

If you haven't heard that blood curdling scream a fox makes while it is looking for love, you ain't gonna believe it when you hear it the first time. Sounds like a bobcat just moved into your territory and something just clamped down on an important part of its anatomy.

 

[nate379]

Some squirrels, but I do a pretty good job of target shooting them

Cheep cheep.

Have you got a lot of chipmunks? That's a good sign how well your chickens are going to fare vs local predators. We have a den of foxes less than 75' from the house and I haven't seen a chippie or a squirrel all Spring. The dogs are freaking out.

 

[btuser]

If you haven't heard that blood curdling scream a fox makes while it is looking for love, you ain't gonna believe it when you hear it the first time.

Every night. A couple times I woke up thinking I was back in the frat house. We've got a couple of reject mutts that have a little hound dog in them. About 3am for a few weeks now our dogs have been voicing their objection in regards to the degenerative state of the neighborhood. We've seen the mother a few times and she's already got 3 kids in tow so I don't know what all the booty call is about. I'd rather have the coyotes that come through every Winter. The dogs hide under the bed when they hear them.

We've got a shortage of local fresh eggs this year. I don't know if it's a typical yearly production bottleneck or because it's catching on but I can't find them right now.

 

[Jags]

If you haven't heard that blood curdling scream a fox makes while it is looking for love, you ain't gonna believe it when you hear it the first time. Sounds like a bobcat just moved into your territory and something just clamped down on an important part of its anatomy.

If THAT doesn't make the hair on the back of your neck stand up, I don't know what will. Freaky.

 

[btuser]

I've learned it's the vixen calling for males, for once.

 

[MishMouse]

Last year we lost 6 laying hens leaving us only 1 left, whatever was going after them didn't touch the 2 roosters.
My original thought was the roosters would protect the hens, turned out they were chickens and run and hid anytime anything threatens the hens. But, have one of my young children out and they act all tuff.

I have an 8x8 shed that I buildt to hold the chickens with a main door and a side chicken door.
This sits inside a 20x12 chicken fence. Everytime we left the coop open for the chickens to roam if we did not close it up before 7:00PM we lost a chicken.
I do have a catch-release trap that I was using, last year I caught 2 cats and 1 coon. The cats were my neighbor's barn cats so we let them go and the coon we left out about 9 miles from where we live. At the time I bought the trap we lost 1 chicken, by winter we lost 6. This year anything that enters the trap assumes room temp before I allow it to leave. A 22 shell between the eyes at close range seems to stop the repeat offenders.

 

[nate379]

Ok for the ducks will they stick around if I keep food out? Think I will bring them at night, I have 2 of those big plastic dog crate deals, I'd imagine they would hold 5-6 ducks each with some spare room?
Got 10 ducks coming and picked up a 50lber of duck food as well. Looks like sawdust and oatmeal mixed up.

Raised animals growing up but I was pretty young when we had chickens and I didn't mess with them too much.

Not supposed to have livestock where I live but they are my pets (wink wink). If push comes to shove, I have a friend that can take them too.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

Last year we lost 6 laying hens leaving us only 1 left, whatever was going after them didn't touch the 2 roosters.
My original thought was the roosters would protect the hens, turned out they were chickens and run and hid anytime anything threatens the hens. But, have one of my young children out and they act all tuff.

I have an 8x8 shed that I buildt to hold the chickens with a main door and a side chicken door.
This sits inside a 20x12 chicken fence. Everytime we left the coop open for the chickens to roam if we did not close it up before 7:00PM we lost a chicken.
I do have a catch-release trap that I was using, last year I caught 2 cats and 1 coon. The cats were my neighbor's barn cats so we let them go and the coon we left out about 9 miles from where we live. At the time I bought the trap we lost 1 chicken, by winter we lost 6. This year anything that enters the trap assumes room temp before I allow it to leave. A 22 shell between the eyes at close range seems to stop the repeat offenders.

That raccoon likely found its way back without any trouble at all. Then where there is one raccoon there are more.

I have a no release policy on other than domestic animals if it goes in the trap it doesn't exit the trap still breathing. It definitely is not relocated which in most states is illegal.