Freerange chicken video

[frustratedearthmother]

But the fact remains, what the egg people at the grocery store call "free range" is NOT free range.

True statement.

 

[Hinotori]

I'd rather have live birds and keep them penned with a large run. Hawks and dogs have taken a big enough toll in the past.

The birds do get let out for a few hours every day as long as a hawk hasn't been hanging around. Silkies do not get out unless I'm there because of the feather blindness.

 

[Chic Rustler]

I'd rather have live birds and keep them penned with a large run. Hawks and dogs have taken a big enough toll in the past.

The birds do get let out for a few hours every day as long as a hawk hasn't been hanging around. Silkies do not get out unless I'm there because of the feather blindness.

And the eggs are still better than anything at the grocery store

 

[Beekissed]

Like I said...there are other alternatives, like having chicken dogs on guard, plenty of hides in the range area, wary stock, electronetting fencing, etc. The right dog can keep the flock safe from most predators for most of the time. Black snakes still can snatch new chicks but that's usually the only predator that can get past a really good dog.

My current dog will not let any aerial preds get the flock...even battled it out with a great horned owl, got cut on his nose in the process. He's very dog aggressive, so no strays are even allowed on the land.

Just takes the right system...free range doesn't always mean constant death of the flock. It's not so narrow that one cannot have free range AND a safe flock. I've seen more stories of dogs and other predators getting into pens and runs than I have of birds being caught on free range. In a pen and run it's like shooting fish in a barrel..the birds have no escape whatsoever.

For me, the benefits of free range far exceed the risks and keeping a proper system in place insures minimal loss over many years. More chickens die an untimely death from the unhealthy environment of stagnant pen and run situations than are ever taken prematurely on range...just read BYC and see how many illnesses and deaths are taking place in static setups. It's overwhelming to read it all.

 

[Chic Rustler]

Like I said...there are other alternatives, like having chicken dogs on guard, plenty of hides in the range area, wary stock, electronetting fencing, etc. The right dog can keep the flock safe from most predators for most of the time. Black snakes still can snatch new chicks but that's usually the only predator that can get past a really good dog.

My current dog will not let any aerial preds get the flock...even battled it out with a great horned owl, got cut on his nose in the process. He's very dog aggressive, so no strays are even allowed on the land.

Just takes the right system...free range doesn't always mean constant death of the flock. It's not so narrow that one cannot have free range AND a safe flock. I've seen more stories of dogs and other predators getting into pens and runs than I have of birds being caught on free range. In a pen and run it's like shooting fish in a barrel..the birds have no escape whatsoever.

For me, the benefits of free range far exceed the risks and keeping a proper system in place insures minimal loss over many years. More chickens die an untimely death from the unhealthy environment of stagnant pen and run situations than are ever taken prematurely on range...just read BYC and see how many illnesses and deaths are taking place in static setups. It's overwhelming to read it all.

I wish i could get my dogs more dog agressive. They see a new dog and want to play with it. That pitbull (mut) in the video wouldnt bite a hot biscuit.

 

[Chic Rustler]

Like I said...there are other alternatives, like having chicken dogs on guard, plenty of hides in the range area, wary stock, electronetting fencing, etc. The right dog can keep the flock safe from most predators for most of the time. Black snakes still can snatch new chicks but that's usually the only predator that can get past a really good dog.

My current dog will not let any aerial preds get the flock...even battled it out with a great horned owl, got cut on his nose in the process. He's very dog aggressive, so no strays are even allowed on the land.

Just takes the right system...free range doesn't always mean constant death of the flock. It's not so narrow that one cannot have free range AND a safe flock. I've seen more stories of dogs and other predators getting into pens and runs than I have of birds being caught on free range. In a pen and run it's like shooting fish in a barrel..the birds have no escape whatsoever.

For me, the benefits of free range far exceed the risks and keeping a proper system in place insures minimal loss over many years. More chickens die an untimely death from the unhealthy environment of stagnant pen and run situations than are ever taken prematurely on range...just read BYC and see how many illnesses and deaths are taking place in static setups. It's overwhelming to read it all.

I wish i could get my dogs more dog agressive. They see a new dog and want to play with it. That pitbull (mut) in the video wouldnt bite a hot biscuit.

 

[Beekissed]

I wish i could get my dogs more dog agressive. They see a new dog and want to play with it. That pitbull (mut) in the video wouldnt bite a hot biscuit.

My last dog was like that. Death on smaller preds, disinterested in aerial preds, LOVED to get visits from other dogs. A good, brave dog on coyotes, bear, fox, coon, possum....killed his first coon and groundhog at 5 mo. of age...but he had gaps in his defense when it came to hawks and strays. Now, he was real handy in a fight if his partner would initiate it...would pitch right in and tear up a stray. But on his own he was too lonely and wanted the companionship of other dogs to ward them off the land.

So, I added Ben...Ben fills in all the gaps. He's a GP/Anatolian/Maremma cross dog...I think they are calling that cross a Colorado Mountain Dog nowadays. Before that, I had Jake paired up with an older female Akbash who was also death on aerial preds and strays. Then she grew old and had to be put down, so Jake worked alone for several years but we had stray dogs come through...none got any birds but it still made me a little nervous about the success of my system.

Ben...and old Jake in the foreground. Raised Jake from a pup, had to put him down this fall at the age of 13. No complaints about him...one of the best.

Ben started warding off strays as a mere pup and has an instinctive guarding nature, guarding anything on this land with equal vigor~the chickens, the garden, and us. He stays vigilant and ready even when called down from a guard...and stays that way all day if necessary.

Jake will be missed forever here.

90 lbs of Don't Mess With Me in a soft coat and a sweet nature towards his pack.

 

[NH Homesteader]

We have a moveable (with a tractor) coop and we move fencing along with it. They aren't free ranging but they don't stay in the same place for long!

One of my dogs is dog aggressive, unfortunately he's also too small to take on much, he'd just end up starting trouble for himself. He tries though , lol

 

[Lazy Gardener]

My dog is NOT a guard dog. The older she gets, the more fearful she gets. Not so much outside, but inside, she is scared of her own shadow, as well as any other shadows. I can't free range b/c we live too close to neighbors. My flock just loves to go visit Bob, who lives across the street. Luckily, he doesn't mind, but I would mind it a whole lot if they got into his un-fenced garden. We also have horrid issues with hawk predation. They will hang out on the top of the run, or pace in front of the grow out pen, trying to send the birds into a panic. Other predators abound, as well. I got away with free range for 3 years, till the hawks found me, and my flock size grew bigger than what my lawn and flower gardens could tolerate.

Have done electronet. It worked well until they figured out they could fly over it. Since then, it's been chewed up by an amorous porcupine. I don't know if I can repair it or not. Current system is 500 s.f. run which is covered with bird net in the summer. Smaller un-covered run for the bachelor pad. Birds occasionally allowed to free range when I am present. Garden is fenced in to keep birds out except for early spring/late fall.

 

[Lazy Gardener]

But the fact remains, what the egg people at the grocery store call "free range" is NOT free range. And honestly id rather have eggs from bird who are cage free and allowed to run the property when supervised.

Agreed. And, IMO such a statement is false advertising. I find such falsehood to be infuriating. But, over time, I've learned that it's a waste of time to attempt to educate people. When I've tried, their eyes glaze over, and it's very evident that they simply don't want to hear it. So... they continue to pay exorbitant price for a dozen eggs that "make them feel good". In the mean time, they could buy local eggs from ANY small back yard flock owner for less money than the "feel good" eggs at the grocer.