Great content. I have free free range chickens and turkeys. I am on a farm. Your comment about roosters is right on. The roosters are always watching over the hens and will defend them or distract a predator. The eagles could be an issue in the spring but they don't seem to mess with the bigger chickens. The turkeys are great protectors too. The turkeys and Guineas are very vocal and will sound the alarm if anything is not right, and then the enforcers (the dogs) come running. One of the strangest things I noticed about my Great Pyrenees is they watch the sky for predators, at least mine do. We have turkey buzzards (which are not a threat to chickens) and whenever they are flying overhead, the Great Pyrenees start barking at them giving the alarm. Anyway, great piece. It's amazing how all of the animals on a farm can work together once they get use to each other.
Such good information for those trying to figure out what to do with their backyard chicks. We ended up free ranging by accident. 😄 The coop door got propped open by one of the kids a few months ago - I woke up the next day and saw the chickens out scratching around in the garden. At first I worried, but they did so well. So now, I let them out every day. And we immediately started seeing an increase in egg production. We only have 5, so every egg counts! We bought our property and the previous owners didn’t want to take the chickens so they offered them to us. It was my dream to have chickens, so we kept them! They really are so very happy now. And so social! They like to sit on the back patio steps and tap the glass door in the morning while I make my coffee. (But it does mean I’m cleaning poop up more often 🥴) I just absolutely love them though.
We free range all day on our farm. They love it and seem very happy. So far we've only lost one bird to a hawk/eagle (maybe it went rogue!). I did chase two hawks away today but we've been very lucky. Great video!
We lost 14 newly laying hens to a coyote in a few hours. But honestly I’d rather put up a better fence around our property than to coop them up! They’re just so much happier running around! And we’re so much happier seeing them everywhere lol
I’ve lost two white chickens to foxes. It hadn’t occurred to me that they were at higher risk than the darker ones… but of course they are! Totally makes sense!! Thanks for this video.
I have a total black flock. First time out, with me and my border collie with them, a hawk dive bombed and tried to get one. I fell for the “black are safer” misinformation because we have so many hawks and owls here. Isn’t true.
I just seeded grass, so my chickens can only free range when I’m outside defending my new grass. But they love it. I have noticed a change in their laying when they don’t get a chance to get out of the run. Blessings!
I just started my flock. First time chicken care taker and I found your channel and love it. You make me feel okay with not knowing everything! Thank you for taking the time to teach us!
I've had a backyard urban flock now for about 4 years and have always free ranged them. Starting this year I am only keeping them in the run for the winter due to two separate hawk attacks, one in January and one in November. Hawk attacks in urban areas increase during the winter months due to scarcity of food. Both times my little ladies were extremely lucky in that they survived the attack. Hawks will typically dive bomb a target, use one or both feet/talons to "snatch" the hen on the back, then use their beak to cut their throats. The first attack opened up the throat area completely but did not damage the muscle. The second attack stripped all the flesh away in the tail feather area and rear right flank. Believe it or not but she is recovering well but still has a way to go. In both instances I separated the wounded birds from the rest of the flock since the other birds will zero in on the wound and peck it till it becomes infected and eventually kill the bird. Things to do to help mitigate hawk/owl attacks are to put up decoy birds (they don't like what they perceive to be competition), preferably one with a spring loaded head that moves in the wind. Second would be to put up sparkly diversions that reflect sunlight since hawks have such keen eyes, it messes with them. And lastly, if in a confined run or small back yard, install twine in uneven, criss-crossed patterns over the run/yard since the hawk needs open space to make his attack and to make off with his prey and the twine is an obstacle to that and they will look for easier pickings elsewhere. Otherwise I have had no problems with coons, possums, skunks, or other predators.
Your tangents are actually super useful! I’m very close to getting some pullets and avoiding lighter colors is good to know since I plan on free ranging!
This is an excellent and balanced guide for anyone considering free-ranging their chickens! I love how you clearly explain the pros and cons, as well as practical tips for training and caring for backyard poultry. The information on egg-laying hens is especially helpful, and the video really helps build confidence for anyone looking to free-range their flock. Great work!
We have only had chickens for 6 months, but we free range on a half acre suburban lot on mountain foothills. We have not lost one yet ( fingers crossed) I have seen a hawk and our Pyrenees/Anatolian mix barked and leaped at it while our two roosters led them under shelter. It was amazing to watch!
How do you keep them from crossing your property over to the neighbor’s flower bed? We have a smaller lot (1.5 acres) and my chickens went next door to the neighbor’s flower bed and started digging it up! She was upset with us and now I’m so paranoid to let them out to free range in the afternoons.
I have a Polish chicken. She couldn’t see and kept being bullied. I trimmed her crest around her eyes. It been much better since. She can see the other hen coming and moves away.
I came to say the same thing, I've always kept the feathers around my Polish’s eyes trimmed and doesn't seem to have any trouble. It's funny but she also bosses one of the other chickens around who is much bigger than her.
I have silkies and I have done the same with mine. It makes a world of a difference, from staying under the coop to exploring with the rest of the flock.
We free range in a subdivision in NH that is rated for agriculture. We are secluded enough not to bother neighbors. We typically let them out at lunch time and they go in by themselves at dusk. The chicken poop in the yard is a bit of a pain, but typically the rain breaks it down and hey free fertilizer! We let them out at lunch time so that egg laying is done first. We let them free range because they are so happy to have freedom. And frankly they are relaxing to watch roam the yard.
I used to free range my backyard chickens and I have now confined them to one corner of the yard with a short fence purely because we didn't like stepping in poop all the time. Poop was EVERYWHERE! It got to the point where the kids didn't want to go outside and play which was a deal breaker. Also, the poop on the concrete patio leaves stains if you don't have a power washer.
@Grace Asher that could be cecal movements- if you do some research, it refers to a specific type of poop which cleanses the cecal organ(?), meaning it’s pretty… ripe. A weird thing to have in your search history, but worth a quick research
How do you confine them? As in, what kind of fencing/how tall? We are looking into doing this. Small lot in a neighborhood, but don’t want to ruin our yard… also, both neighbors have pit bulls, so how high to keep them from escaping the backyard?
My fiancé and I have been debating very much about free ranging our flock!! I’m excited to watch this and learn what you’ve got to say! I hope everything is going GREAT with the pregnancy!
Spot on when you said they take chunks out of your crops LOL. I yell at my chickens all the time when I find one bite taken out of a brand new tomato. Just eat the whole thing!!! Lol. They get it anyway. Maybe they know. Another predator prevention tip- Our turkey chased off a falcon yesterday. Turkeys for the win.
We live on a river. Hawks, owls, eagles, snakes, coyotes,opossum and of course lots of raccoons. I built a chicken tractor and a chicken tunnel and can move both around the property. Happy chickens, Happy me! Good video, Susan NW Georgia
Excellent list, well done. We started out free ranging, then got cold feet because we lost 2 to predators. But, now we are back to free ranging because of an excessive feather picking situation. So we're going to give free ranging a try again.
I kind of prefer the pasture rotation method, myself, having the chickens in a large fenced-in area, and then move them every so often to a new area. It's basically free range but ground predators are presumably kept at bay. I trust my birds to keep an eye on the sky and I like many of the larger, darker birds that maybe aerial predators won't try to pick off as much. There's goats and a livestock guardian dog around anyway, which hopefully acts as more of a deterrent. Keeping chickens fenced, and then rotating them to a new pasture periodically also cuts down on some of the other cons. Their waste doesn't build up too much before they're moved. They can do less damage as well. It's also more of a natural way for them to live. In the wild, their ancestor the red junglefowl didn't just stay in one area forever, but moved around as they ran low on food in a particular spot, and the land had time to heal and their manure had time to break down and feed new plants. Breed really matters. Not just for color, but for good chicken instincts. Heritage breeds that do better at foraging anyway are better at keeping themselves safe from predators, too. I find the heritage breeds are just smarter all around, more social, and I enjoy watching them more.
I’ve been watching lots of permaculture videos on doing that. But I’m trying to find out if there’s a way to simulate this in a 1/4 acre suburban backyard Do you have any ideas?
@@jenbear8652 That’s not a lot of space but you could do it with a chicken tractor (build or buy a small coop with wheels) and some temporary electric netting. You just move the coop every so often, in the morning while they’re still inside it. Then set up the fence in the new area around the coop and let them out after.
Congratulations on your Baby! Great resource for us chicken folk! My experience living with a small flock in predator country is to make a really large covered run by using portable carports( those structures with the aluminum poles). Instead of using the tarps, cover the entire thing with poultry netting and bury some in the ground. Then you make some kind of secure door. ( My door was hokey looking but worked for 15 years). This whole structure then attached ( more poultry netting) to the henhouse so they come and go at will. You can still let the chickens out sometimes, and also control the areas that get too trampled. Not quite as good as free-range but successful especially for people gone all day at work.
We love free ranging our chickens ❤️ they have made friends with a couple of our neighbors and the eggs are massive! We have lost one rooster to a car but since then they seem to have learned to avoid the street
Free ranging for life! 😆 my hens and 1 roo are so happy and healthy that it's worth the risk to me. Yes over the last 4 years we have lost a hand full...3 to a dog, 1 to a eagle, 4 to a fox and 1 just dropped dead in the winter 🤷♀️ This year we even hatched chicks and it's been the best to watch the little babes run around.
You could probably do a whole video on breed choice when it comes to free-ranging. Some have more streets smarts and are more well-behaved than others. We keep two free-range flocks: one roams in the woods near our house and the other stays near a large fenced-in pond. Our neighbor complained about our chickens coming into her yard and congregating/pooping on her steps and porches. I observed that the Rhode Island Reds and Red Sexlinks were leading the way. So I moved them to the other coop where they had more space, and the rest of the girls stopped visiting my neighbor. If you are free-ranging chickens, be aware that some breeds are "aggressive foragers" and are more likely to push their boundaries, jump fences, etc. Also, avoid breeds that are prone to broodiness, because they may make a nest away from the coop and become easy prey for a predator. Thanks for the great video!
I lost a chicken to a hawk, one to a neighbors dog, and (when they refused to roost in their coop at night) lost a couple to raccoons and a coyote. (They loved roosting in my apple trees.). After those nights, I went to more effort to get them cooped at night. Sadly, I had a raccoon fall through the roof of the coop (from an adjoining roof), and he decimated my flock. (And I learned that corrugated plastic can get brittle quickly in sunlight.)
My neighbors chickens free range mine and his property which helps with bugs. Plus we feed them table scraps. I split his firewood and he keeps us supplied with eggs. Thanks and I’m blessed to have had your wonderful video pop up.
We used to free range but because of predators, the chicken poop on our porch and because they destroy our veg garden we built a very large pen around our coop. They are under trees for protection from full sun and we provide kitchen scraps, grass clippings and weeds that they love. They are safer from predators, don’t destroy our garden and still give us delicious eggs.
Very informative video. Learnt so much. I have 180 hens and 23 roosters. I love when I free range them and some of them are always roaming around me asking to feed some thing tasty (spinach/ breads etc) other than commercial feed they eat in coop. Though you have smaller in number but You are a very good observer of their behaviours. Best wishes for your coop and lovely guest coming to giggle with hens 😊
I love this video! Everything you go into when you elaborate on related subjects is great! Not too much, but enough to address other questions I didn’t know I had! Thank you I ‘ve learned so much from you
I don't free range mine, that said I have a snow fence that I move every so often so they have more room to be free. The main reason for not free ranging is my neighbor is very close to the coop and I have corn fields the other sides of the lot. Thank you for sharing your experience. I live in Wisconsin and love my chickens very much.
Great video…. I recently changed a vegans view on farm fresh eggs when she seen how well mine are kept and treated so another pro of free ranging chickens lol
Fact, free range backyard chickens have the tastiest eggs to eat.. Thankyou. And the meat is way better when you get it fresh. HANDS DOWN. THE very best fried chicken is a fresh kill then clean prep & seasoning & fry.. First dip in Budweiser beer and flour, fry 8 mins, 2nd dip in butter milk then roll in a mix of flour & crushed saltine crackers, then finish frying till golden brown. Thankyou , from a real baker & pastry maker from the back country farm. Go ahead and add a little salt & table pepper to flour mix in both dips.
I am brand new to chicken keeping. I ordered heritage breed chickens. If I get some roos which is likely I plan to keep one and free range them. Like you said yes there is risk but I think they will have a happier life overall. Thank you for the informative video!
I’ve been lucky with predators so I’m loving free range. The girls love it. They mainly do bugs working constantly. They do the neighbor’s yard too along with free feed in the winter. The difference in flies and mosquitoes around the barn is astounding. Love the birds. Barred rock chickens best workers I’ve ever seen.
I free range part of the time we have a lot of predators.we had a big problem with Coyotes.we now have a few mini horses they chase them out of of the pasture . The raccoons are bad here in Oklahoma. So next week we are moving our large coop closer to the house so they can free range in the day , and at night let our dogs in the fenced in yard at night that will keep all the night predators from trying to get them.
I am a total novice - just exploring the idea of raising hens in my backyard to improve my garden (hooray for free uncontaminated manure!) and as hen-laying pets. But I grew up in a rural town and I recall the locals keeping geese (large, territorial, and very aggressive) to ward off the hawks. I would think that still works.
Garden destroyers, absolutely! And what is with polystyrene? Mine have a part time, semi supervised free range time, the best balance I can come up with to keep them safe(r) from eagles and foxes. And a lot of finger crossing.
Mine are pasture raised 99.99% of the year. The first year I experienced a sky hit. Since constructing a scarecrow, I've had no sky hits. The backyard is secure, but they do hop the fence on occasion. My neighbors do not mind them feasting on bugs in their yards. I live on the edge of a small town and many here understand the benefits of my visiting flock. On a more rare occasion, they will go into the thicket across the street and have a feast. Usually once spring has really sprung and again near fall before the leaves fall. Chickens aren't as dumb as one might think...infact, mine have learned to come back over without any issue. (But I do get the fence issue, they were at first confused how to come back over).They have routines throughout their day. Mine have what I call- a natural run. I keep the border of my fence over grown (pokeweed, beautyberry, wild vines of various kinds, muscadine grape) boxwood hedges- all here when I purchased my house. They have plenty of spots to dust bathe- usually under the canopy of my huge pine tree. Some may get mad, but I'd rather take a risk of losing a chicken to a sky hit or other animal, than have an undetected illness that makes them suffer- especially since some diseases aren't easily detected). Jmho. Loved the video.
Very good video! I have had chickens for years, I knew all these things, but u r very enjoyable to listen to so I listened to the whole thing and subscribed 😊
I love this video. You are a fantastic presenter,. And you can do that so fast . It is so interesting and appalling at thjs same time. So many great information as well ..
Thank you for the information. I just got 10 chicken's. 4 are Icelandic chicken Land race. I hope you get some of them. Great for free range and should lay all winter long. Not many but no need for light. My first time with chicken as an adult.
I really miss having chickens! I hope one day we can have a house where we can have them again 🥰 I just discovered your videos and I love them (I’ve subscribed ☺️)!! Thank you for posting all of this amazing information! 💖💖💖
Question...We have roughly 1 acre that is fenced in with 5' fence, we have 2 armenian gamprs to protect from predators be it 4 legged and flying kind. The dogs are combined 300lbs of amazing guards. The property has weeds, lots of scrub oak, (cover) and some grass. We recently got 6 chicks (they are still inside now 4 weeks) My question is I know they can fly over a 5' fence, I don't know if they would or not, the fence has hot wire on top so dogs can't get over but would they be prone to fly over the fence? The other side of the fence has a road, mountain lion, bear, and fox. I just dont know if they would just hang out in the yard or be prone to fly over the fence. Is it a better idea to proactively clip the wings? Raven and crows are common up here so we don't get allot of hawks, and our dogs are constantly watching the sky, its cool to see.
Yes they can fly over but if there content they won’t but you get that one that still does but as they get older there less likely to. Hope that helps.
Love the Video. Ready to start free ranging more on my Ranch. 3 yrs in now but my coop was a 13x17 and I got 2 Roosters for my 13 girls. Respect and Salute
I just got started. They are still in cages waiting for the coop to get here. An enclosed pen and possible free range or a larger fences area. There are those portable pens, not tractors. I have several thAt seem to come up to me. And one that likes to bite me. Or peck me. I keep moving them cause first the heat, then they get too big for the space. so much poop but they would jump on each other. They are now in two extra big big crates. And the Guinea at in the rabbit hutch. 6 per container, and they are 5 weeks now. Lots of feathers but small. I got Orpington and austrolorps and guineas. I don’t know what kind of guineas but they are wild. I’m going to leave the door open when the coop comes and I move the chickens. They are all still alive, that surprised me. They are supposed to be black. One has mottled feathers like the Guinness , the others black with white marks on the head, but again, they are only 5 weeks. They do go thru the food. I’m looking forward to them getting free food. I have lots of grass. A pasture that’s got no herbivores. So I’m mowing that so that will be interesting. The coop is going on the barn apron. Think prefab buildings. I made a apron with railroad ties secured with rebar. Stone dust to make it level and horse mats on top. I can put bedding down and it will all cleanup easily. I’m worried about colder temps and what they do in winter. One day at a time! The whole thing is on a hillside. The worst land that couldn’t be easily farmed. That’s the field.
Pretty exhaustive and detailed one on the pros and cons of free range chicken. We lost more than 20 chicken including 17 chics to dogs( including our dogs). Luckily we have one dog who keeps the others away and don't attack the chicken. So the latest few chics are surviving till now. I can relate to many things you said especially about places that have vast areas of farms or forests. We have wildlife around including elephants, mongoose, civet cat etc. but they don't trouble us much. In fact our chicken live on the trees in our coffee estate and we have not lost any chicken to any predators on the trees. We have only one small coop for the small ones. The big ones all live on the trees and free range during the day. So we are hoping things would get better if we're able to contain the dogs. Thank you for the video, extremely good one.
Our four hens, all new layers as they approach 6 months old, have about 80sf of run and a nice sized coop with three nest boxes. They really prefer to get out into the full back yard as often as possible, though, and seem much happier when they're not cooped up. It's a suburban back yard in Seattle, and even though it's fully fenced, they could get out if they were so inclined. One hen decided to go over the shorter back fence into the neighbor's yard once, and was probably over there for a short while before we went looking and found her under a fern. I do worry about raccoons, or the outdoor cat(s) some neighbors have. NE Seattle does sometimes get coyotes, but I don't think they often show up in fully fenced back yards. We get Merlin falcons in the spring, and I don't know if they're a real danger. Or the occasional Barred Owl. Anyway, five+ months in so far, and we haven't lost one yet. But they do seem happier being able to tear up the back yard, the raised beds, even the planter pots. When we go away for a few days and leave them in the run/coop structure, they're fine (I put a webcam on while away). But always eager to get out and about. No bullying or feather picking yet, either. They seem pretty okay being around each other. And humans.
Very interesting about the light colored chickens possibly being more at risk to air predators. We do free range our chickens but only when we are outside with them. We added an electric fence but they need to get to the whole yard to be happy. Interestingly we had a very large gathering and they were very good and friendly guests.
I lost my 1 of my easter egger, my sussex, and my road island red to a racoon recently... I was sad, but it has also showed me that we didn't have it as secure as we though we did. Lesson learned. I now have two Guinea's that I can't wait to get bigger as they make good alarm systems as anything they don't like gets anywhere near them, they sound the alarm. Now I am on the hunt to get the same type of chickens I lost as those where the chickens we bought for my daughter. This video is very helpful in helping me know to keep an eye on my light colored chickens if we do decide to start free ranging the ducks and chickens.
I love your videos. I started watching them after I got chickens myself. Thank you for all the great info. We live on a farm and we free range our chickens. I think you forgot one con, and it probably because you haven’t experienced it yet. I have two little kiddos, 3&2, and we hatched our first chickens this last spring for Easter. We ended up with a few cockerels, 5 of 23 which is really good percentage wise. We re-homed two so far, still have 3 (one is a bantam). They haven’t been aggressive yet, but now that they are reaching maturity I’m losing my mind keeping my kids away from them. I’m scared of those roosters and even a few chickens who are not the nicest. It’s sad because they Roos I’m now nervous around we’re my kids favorite to cuddle when they were little chicks. With the free ranging I feel less connected to them than when we had them confined because they have massive acres to roam if they want. They feel more wild and that’s fine, except suddenly I am nervous when my kids are outside. So that would be my probably one and only con to free ranging.... less connection and loss of control, possibly leading to aggression. Best of luck to you with your baby! Being a mother is life changing! You will do great!
Yeah roosters can be jerks. My Favourite chicken was also one of our roosters until he bit me on the back of the knee! Now that we have no roosters our hens are so much more friendly and will let me pet them every morning 🥰
I've got 6 hens for my suburban backyard. They have a good size run/pen, but this is excellent info. My girls are happy and healthy, but I love watching these kinds of videos for more knowledge!
We surrounded our run and coop with crushed stone over the predator skirt. I noticed the stone also had chunks of shredded plastic in it. I take out what I can find but they are much better at finding it than I am! It has been a challenge to keep the girls from scarfing down the plastic chunks when they are outside of the run free ranging. They have chaperoned free range time because of stuff like this. Letting them out is easy. Getting them back in the run is work!
13:41 you said everything people don't understand the difference when you respect mother nature and not give space to animal and they will give to you the same
I want to give chickens an environment that I would want to live in IF I were a chicken… some protection but lots of fresh air and sunshine, lots of fresh grass, weeds and bugs. I really like her thinking, give them what makes them happy.
Thanks for this list! We free range our three hens on a suburban lot. The only major con is the poop but I’ve noticed they love mulch! I have a few areas of Landscaping that I really don’t want them to dig up so I’ve switched milk out for large rocks and it seems to be helping.
This is a great video. I free range mine some because they are so happy running free. I'm always concerned about predictors. We have 3 roosters that run with them and they are good at guarding the hens.
I've built a set up for my chickens I call the Fort Knox, it's a large fenced enclosure with an fenced in chicken run and coop, Russian Doll of fencing. Had someone come by to fix something inside and he left the gate open for a couple hours, my chickens never left even though they had the ability to. Tried to give them a free range chance before, they don't seem interested. They're Rhode Island Reds, I've been wondering if they're more nervous than other chickens breeds? My neighbor free ranges, 5 have been killed within 2 weeks, she doesn't lock her free ranging chickens at night. Finding headless chickens I loved so much, who hung out with us in the garage and chatted on the other side of the fence to my chickens has me kinda happy my chickens don't have an interest in it. Mine are pets though, my neighbors roamers were food, so the loss would be different. Those chickens were beautiful and seemed so happy, I know at least a little time free ranging is good for them, healthier, and would give a break to cleaning and the costs, so what do you do if the chickens don't want to leave for even 5 minutes? I would be there and watch them during the recess from Fort Knox, these chickens are afraid of everything though. Glad you said they aren't the smartest animals, I kept reading how smart they are, but mine still get confused on how to get out/in their coop. That they live in. For months.
One idea I have seen is to give the chickens something to run beneath in case they feel threatened from hawks/eagles. This can give them more confidence out in the world.
We free-range our flock of 12 hens and 1 roo. And our 20 Guineas as well our 6 dogs protect all of them. We have 340 acres but they mostly stay in our fenced in yard (4 acres)
@@katdawg6766 we have anitolian shepherds. We love them because unlike great Pyrenees they don't roam far. And Pyrenees can be hard to train to Poultry (not impossible but can be a bit more difficult than with the anatolians)
We free ranged our chickens on our suburban lot and enjoyed aspects of it for sure. However the poop on the yard (which is also shared by our kids to play) was a big issue. Would love to try a chicken tunnel around the perimeter of the property!
I have 6 polish chickens and I trim their crest. Some have smaller crests so I don’t worry about them, they do just fine. I trim the crests every few weeks sometimes I’m lazy an it’s a month. They are a flighty breed, so I have to bring treats to give them feather cuts. Furthermore, when they got older about 5 months old they got better about where the coop/safety was, and more importantly the door to the coop. Also, I only partially free range my chickens when I’m gardening or putzing around the yard they’re out roaming. They love it so I go outside a lot to let them out for a few hours each day about twice a day. I do this so my garden isn’t completely decimated.
Thank you for sharing your experience and practical knowledge, stay blessed and best wishes for your coming babby and live healthy happy and wealthy stay blessed 😊😊😊
Predator proofing is no joke! in my area we have hawks, owls, skunks, racoons, fox coyotes and MINK! We live in town....and the racoons, hawks and mink take the most birds and mink are so hard because they burrow and they can fit in tiny holes!
During grasshopper 🦗 season our eggs are the orangest and tastiest.... Oh and I too fell for the cuteness of Polish, one little rooster did not like me but wanted to protect honey
I free range them because I haven't built a run so I take them out. I did this because I felt it made them happy 😊 and my 3 girls appreciate it I hope lol. But yes I spend at least an hour fixing my yard...covering their holes and everything else they destroy lol, but to me it's worth it. All 3 lay small to medium eggs and that helps us to not buy any more eggs. They are my sweet girls. Great video thank you so much!!
I heard a lady say how she deals with Ariel predators is having a few black chickens in the flock. She said it's because raptors think they are Crows and they don't wanna deal with crows. Idk how valid that is though.
we had a white crested black polish like yours. Axel was awesome and charming. The hens really liked him too...way too much. They would preen him and groom him to the point where they pulled every single feather off his head. This happened in one afternoon. Unfortunately we had to rehome him. I miss him every day. As far as the Polish girls not seeing, you can trim their feathers around their eyes so they can see just as well as the others. We even used orthodontic elastic bands to tie Axel's feathers up out of his eyes. You could immediately see how much more alert and happy he was. You just gently pull their head feathers together on top and put the bands around it. Then clip the odd feathers obstructing their vision. We have a Buff Cochin rooster (Doc) who is an amazing guardian. He's Johnny on the spot whenever there is a problem. We also have cats and dogs that are buddies with the chickens and routinely walk around outside with the chickens. Dogs will dissuade most predators.
I collect hostas and they decimate the beds so they only free range when I can supervise. They do have a large area they can go into and dig, scratch forage in to their hearts delight!
Raise them in there run where their coop is. They will naturally come home at night. Or work with then when they are small, and help them understand their surroundings. That's what I do. I have 3 coops within 1 big run and 20 chickens, 3 Guinea fowl and 2 roosters. They work it out, but start really young.
I meant to leave this comment on someone else's comment lol Thanks, hope you have a very successful pregnancy. My significant other gave birth 6 months ago and it went so smooth. It was the most intense moment in my life, but just have faith in God and everything will be perfect.
this reminded me of my very happy,idyllic childhood--when we had chickens a few times. . i wish time machines erxisted so that i could return to then..we lived in maine--so i,m sure that the climate is similar to wisconsin''s
I've been looking at these videos for some months and thinking that having a good size wheeled chicken tractor would give the best of both worlds. Then in the winter - Minnesota temps, we have a large coop and a fenced yard to protect from our abundant wildlife.
When you had chickens in town with a small yard. Did you have a problem with your dogs "Cleaning" up after the chickens in the yard??? Also I do a lot of container gardening in 5 gallon buckets. Do you think the chickens will destroy the tomato and pepper plants in their containers?
This is off subject but I’m wondering what’s the best way or at least a good way to combine two flocks. I have six hens that are 14 weeks old and a new flock that’s about 4 weeks old. I’m concerned about putting these two together. Any suggestions?
We combined two flocks. Just wait til they get to about the same size. There will always be some pecking to establish order, but it wasn't very long with our groups. Good luck!
Really enjoyed your video! It is about to become my third year of keeping chickens, and my experiences have been much the same. I live out in the country, and raccoons decimated my flock the first year. The best trap I have found for a raccoon is something called a dog-proof trap. You can Google it. Anyway, although I love getting fresh eggs, I really enjoy chickens that are fun to look at, and have tried a few Silkies, Jungle Fowl (which were not very smart and couldn't figure out how to fly back over a fence) and Yokohamas, but have had the best luck with Golden Phoenix chickens. The rooster from the first flock grew a tail two feet long! I have had much better luck with my second flock that is almost a year old now. I started out with too many roosters and had to give some away, so now I have one rooster and five hens, partly because my coop is small and I don't want to overcrowd them. The rooster is extremely alert, and seems really smart for a chicken 😉 and the hens stay close to him. They are allowed to completely free range during the day, seem to have an instinct to stay near cover, and are amazing flyers! The biggest challenge is trying to get them to lay in the nesting box, but they always come running when I get home, and I know why the chicken crossed the road...to find out what the treat is today!! 😁
I have semi free-range birds (chicken and duck). We're urban but have a big yard. Basically if I'm home they're out. My biggest issue outside of flying preds is the chicken going over/under the fences. Which then there are cars, cats, dogs, coyotes.... Which is why I only let them out supervised. I have noticed though a big reduction in feed and waste.
I keep my Polish hens' crests trimmed so they CAN see. It doesn’t hurt them, and they're less jumpy and friendlier because of it. Well, because they can see! Yay! 😊
we have a flock of 10 about 14 weeks old, want to free range in a large 8ft high fence area.. with our young fruit trees.. do you think the chickens will damage out fruit trees???
That's a good question... I would be wary of them digging around the base of the trees and hurting the roots. They especially love dirt that has been recently disturbed. They did that with our young blackberry plants and the blackberries died 😢
I could watch this woman for hours. Really good presentation style and delivery.
her smile is contagious
Yes she is good
Yes! She is awesome
Saaaame. And also- I have! Lol spent a few hours today binge watching.
she's beautiful
Great content. I have free free range chickens and turkeys. I am on a farm. Your comment about roosters is right on. The roosters are always watching over the hens and will defend them or distract a predator. The eagles could be an issue in the spring but they don't seem to mess with the bigger chickens. The turkeys are great protectors too. The turkeys and Guineas are very vocal and will sound the alarm if anything is not right, and then the enforcers (the dogs) come running. One of the strangest things I noticed about my Great Pyrenees is they watch the sky for predators, at least mine do. We have turkey buzzards (which are not a threat to chickens) and whenever they are flying overhead, the Great Pyrenees start barking at them giving the alarm. Anyway, great piece. It's amazing how all of the animals on a farm can work together once they get use to each other.
Such good information for those trying to figure out what to do with their backyard chicks. We ended up free ranging by accident. 😄 The coop door got propped open by one of the kids a few months ago - I woke up the next day and saw the chickens out scratching around in the garden. At first I worried, but they did so well. So now, I let them out every day. And we immediately started seeing an increase in egg production. We only have 5, so every egg counts! We bought our property and the previous owners didn’t want to take the chickens so they offered them to us. It was my dream to have chickens, so we kept them! They really are so very happy now. And so social! They like to sit on the back patio steps and tap the glass door in the morning while I make my coffee. (But it does mean I’m cleaning poop up more often 🥴) I just absolutely love them though.
Mine are about 11 weeks do you think that is a good age to let them out.
We free range all day on our farm. They love it and seem very happy. So far we've only lost one bird to a hawk/eagle (maybe it went rogue!). I did chase two hawks away today but we've been very lucky. Great video!
We lost 14 newly laying hens to a coyote in a few hours. But honestly I’d rather put up a better fence around our property than to coop them up! They’re just so much happier running around! And we’re so much happier seeing them everywhere lol
Lost 5 of our first 7 to raccoons. Shored up the coop defenses and now we are almost up to 20.
Traps and a 22 pistol, just one Avenue to explore. Have fox in the compost as we speak.
@@kellysiefkas9595 Buy a livestock guardian puppy as an extra consideration.
@@justinxiaoproject6980 got two pits already they will tear one up IF THEY CATCH IT. Traps and 22. A good hunter will have the prey come to him.
You’re just making a bigger coop, they are not free
I’ve lost two white chickens to foxes. It hadn’t occurred to me that they were at higher risk than the darker ones… but of course they are! Totally makes sense!! Thanks for this video.
I have a total black flock. First time out, with me and my border collie with them, a hawk dive bombed and tried to get one. I fell for the “black are safer” misinformation because we have so many hawks and owls here. Isn’t true.
I just seeded grass, so my chickens can only free range when I’m outside defending my new grass. But they love it. I have noticed a change in their laying when they don’t get a chance to get out of the run. Blessings!
I just started my flock. First time chicken care taker and I found your channel and love it. You make me feel okay with not knowing everything! Thank you for taking the time to teach us!
0:35
Wow! I was trying to figure out why she was glowing!
Congrats!
I've had a backyard urban flock now for about 4 years and have always free ranged them. Starting this year I am only keeping them in the run for the winter due to two separate hawk attacks, one in January and one in November. Hawk attacks in urban areas increase during the winter months due to scarcity of food. Both times my little ladies were extremely lucky in that they survived the attack. Hawks will typically dive bomb a target, use one or both feet/talons to "snatch" the hen on the back, then use their beak to cut their throats. The first attack opened up the throat area completely but did not damage the muscle. The second attack stripped all the flesh away in the tail feather area and rear right flank. Believe it or not but she is recovering well but still has a way to go. In both instances I separated the wounded birds from the rest of the flock since the other birds will zero in on the wound and peck it till it becomes infected and eventually kill the bird. Things to do to help mitigate hawk/owl attacks are to put up decoy birds (they don't like what they perceive to be competition), preferably one with a spring loaded head that moves in the wind. Second would be to put up sparkly diversions that reflect sunlight since hawks have such keen eyes, it messes with them. And lastly, if in a confined run or small back yard, install twine in uneven, criss-crossed patterns over the run/yard since the hawk needs open space to make his attack and to make off with his prey and the twine is an obstacle to that and they will look for easier pickings elsewhere. Otherwise I have had no problems with coons, possums, skunks, or other predators.
Your tangents are actually super useful! I’m very close to getting some pullets and avoiding lighter colors is good to know since I plan on free ranging!
This is an excellent and balanced guide for anyone considering free-ranging their chickens! I love how you clearly explain the pros and cons, as well as practical tips for training and caring for backyard poultry. The information on egg-laying hens is especially helpful, and the video really helps build confidence for anyone looking to free-range their flock. Great work!
We have only had chickens for 6 months, but we free range on a half acre suburban lot on mountain foothills. We have not lost one yet ( fingers crossed) I have seen a hawk and our Pyrenees/Anatolian mix barked and leaped at it while our two roosters led them under shelter. It was amazing to watch!
How do you keep them from crossing your property over to the neighbor’s flower bed? We have a smaller lot (1.5 acres) and my chickens went next door to the neighbor’s flower bed and started digging it up! She was upset with us and now I’m so paranoid to let them out to free range in the afternoons.
I have a Polish chicken. She couldn’t see and kept being bullied. I trimmed her crest around her eyes. It been much better since. She can see the other hen coming and moves away.
So glad to hear this helped!
This is what I came to suggest!
I came to say the same thing, I've always kept the feathers around my Polish’s eyes trimmed and doesn't seem to have any trouble. It's funny but she also bosses one of the other chickens around who is much bigger than her.
I have silkies and I have done the same with mine. It makes a world of a difference, from staying under the coop to exploring with the rest of the flock.
We free range in a subdivision in NH that is rated for agriculture. We are secluded enough not to bother neighbors. We typically let them out at lunch time and they go in by themselves at dusk. The chicken poop in the yard is a bit of a pain, but typically the rain breaks it down and hey free fertilizer! We let them out at lunch time so that egg laying is done first. We let them free range because they are so happy to have freedom. And frankly they are relaxing to watch roam the yard.
I put a dusk light controller with 2 hour timer in the coop with the auto door. Works like a charm they always go in before door close even turkeys.
I used to free range my backyard chickens and I have now confined them to one corner of the yard with a short fence purely because we didn't like stepping in poop all the time. Poop was EVERYWHERE! It got to the point where the kids didn't want to go outside and play which was a deal breaker. Also, the poop on the concrete patio leaves stains if you don't have a power washer.
@Grace Asher that could be cecal movements- if you do some research, it refers to a specific type of poop which cleanses the cecal organ(?), meaning it’s pretty… ripe. A weird thing to have in your search history, but worth a quick research
How do you confine them? As in, what kind of fencing/how tall? We are looking into doing this. Small lot in a neighborhood, but don’t want to ruin our yard… also, both neighbors have pit bulls, so how high to keep them from escaping the backyard?
@@katiesnow396 Chain link fence? You might have to ask your neighbors to fence THEM.
My fiancé and I have been debating very much about free ranging our flock!! I’m excited to watch this and learn what you’ve got to say! I hope everything is going GREAT with the pregnancy!
Spot on when you said they take chunks out of your crops LOL. I yell at my chickens all the time when I find one bite taken out of a brand new tomato. Just eat the whole thing!!! Lol. They get it anyway. Maybe they know. Another predator prevention tip- Our turkey chased off a falcon yesterday. Turkeys for the win.
We live on a river. Hawks, owls, eagles, snakes, coyotes,opossum and of course
lots of raccoons. I built a chicken tractor and a chicken tunnel and can move both around the property. Happy chickens, Happy me!
Good video,
Susan
NW Georgia
Excellent list, well done. We started out free ranging, then got cold feet because we lost 2 to predators. But, now we are back to free ranging because of an excessive feather picking situation. So we're going to give free ranging a try again.
I kind of prefer the pasture rotation method, myself, having the chickens in a large fenced-in area, and then move them every so often to a new area. It's basically free range but ground predators are presumably kept at bay. I trust my birds to keep an eye on the sky and I like many of the larger, darker birds that maybe aerial predators won't try to pick off as much. There's goats and a livestock guardian dog around anyway, which hopefully acts as more of a deterrent.
Keeping chickens fenced, and then rotating them to a new pasture periodically also cuts down on some of the other cons. Their waste doesn't build up too much before they're moved. They can do less damage as well. It's also more of a natural way for them to live. In the wild, their ancestor the red junglefowl didn't just stay in one area forever, but moved around as they ran low on food in a particular spot, and the land had time to heal and their manure had time to break down and feed new plants.
Breed really matters. Not just for color, but for good chicken instincts. Heritage breeds that do better at foraging anyway are better at keeping themselves safe from predators, too. I find the heritage breeds are just smarter all around, more social, and I enjoy watching them more.
I’ve been watching lots of permaculture videos on doing that. But I’m trying to find out if there’s a way to simulate this in a 1/4 acre suburban backyard Do you have any ideas?
@@jenbear8652 That’s not a lot of space but you could do it with a chicken tractor (build or buy a small coop with wheels) and some temporary electric netting. You just move the coop every so often, in the morning while they’re still inside it. Then set up the fence in the new area around the coop and let them out after.
Do you have a coop on wheels that you move around?
Congratulations on your Baby! Great resource for us chicken folk! My experience living with a small flock in predator country is to make a really large covered run by using portable carports( those structures with the aluminum poles). Instead of using the tarps, cover the entire thing with poultry netting and bury some in the ground. Then you make some kind of secure door. ( My door was hokey looking but worked for 15 years). This whole structure then attached ( more poultry netting) to the henhouse so they come and go at will. You can still let the chickens out sometimes, and also control the areas that get too trampled. Not quite as good as free-range but successful especially for people gone all day at work.
We love free ranging our chickens ❤️ they have made friends with a couple of our neighbors and the eggs are massive! We have lost one rooster to a car but since then they seem to have learned to avoid the street
You are a ray of sunshine! I love your honesty. It’s refreshing. I love this channel!! Congratulations on the little one.
Free ranging for life! 😆 my hens and 1 roo are so happy and healthy that it's worth the risk to me.
Yes over the last 4 years we have lost a hand full...3 to a dog, 1 to a eagle, 4 to a fox and 1 just dropped dead in the winter 🤷♀️
This year we even hatched chicks and it's been the best to watch the little babes run around.
hope you and the baby are doing well as this video is11 months ago.
love the video's you make, thanks for your time and effort ❤️
You could probably do a whole video on breed choice when it comes to free-ranging. Some have more streets smarts and are more well-behaved than others. We keep two free-range flocks: one roams in the woods near our house and the other stays near a large fenced-in pond. Our neighbor complained about our chickens coming into her yard and congregating/pooping on her steps and porches. I observed that the Rhode Island Reds and Red Sexlinks were leading the way. So I moved them to the other coop where they had more space, and the rest of the girls stopped visiting my neighbor. If you are free-ranging chickens, be aware that some breeds are "aggressive foragers" and are more likely to push their boundaries, jump fences, etc. Also, avoid breeds that are prone to broodiness, because they may make a nest away from the coop and become easy prey for a predator. Thanks for the great video!
11:57
What are your chicken predatory stories?
And what do you do to mitigate it moving forward?
This may be a good tangent video.
I lost a chicken to a hawk, one to a neighbors dog, and (when they refused to roost in their coop at night) lost a couple to raccoons and a coyote. (They loved roosting in my apple trees.). After those nights, I went to more effort to get them cooped at night. Sadly, I had a raccoon fall through the roof of the coop (from an adjoining roof), and he decimated my flock. (And I learned that corrugated plastic can get brittle quickly in sunlight.)
Good job,and you’re going to be a great mother. It was pleasant watching you explain how you’ve experienced your chicken lifestyle.
My neighbors chickens free range mine and his property which helps with bugs. Plus we feed them table scraps. I split his firewood and he keeps us supplied with eggs. Thanks and I’m blessed to have had your wonderful video pop up.
Depending on where you live, some hawks may only be around at certain times of the year. They have flyways like other migratory birds.
We used to free range but because of predators, the chicken poop on our porch and because they destroy our veg garden we built a very large pen around our coop. They are under trees for protection from full sun and we provide kitchen scraps, grass clippings and weeds that they love. They are safer from predators, don’t destroy our garden and still give us delicious eggs.
Very informative video. Learnt so much. I have 180 hens and 23 roosters. I love when I free range them and some of them are always roaming around me asking to feed some thing tasty (spinach/ breads etc) other than commercial feed they eat in coop.
Though you have smaller in number but You are a very good observer of their behaviours. Best wishes for your coop and lovely guest coming to giggle with hens 😊
I love this video! Everything you go into when you elaborate on related subjects is great! Not too much, but enough to address other questions I didn’t know I had! Thank you I ‘ve learned so much from you
Thank you so much for this video as I’m in the very beginning stage of research. Congratulations on your new arrival!!
I don't free range mine, that said I have a snow fence that I move every so often so they have more room to be free. The main reason for not free ranging is my neighbor is very close to the coop and I have corn fields the other sides of the lot. Thank you for sharing your experience. I live in Wisconsin and love my chickens very much.
I am in love with seeing your chickens trotting in the background! It does my heart good.
My mom and I are trying to get chickens I love watching your videos it's super helpful
Just because you used "fewer" correctly I had to like this. That and I'm a huge fan of range chicken... Love the yolks!!!
Great video…. I recently changed a vegans view on farm fresh eggs when she seen how well mine are kept and treated so another pro of free ranging chickens lol
Fact, free range backyard chickens have the tastiest eggs to eat.. Thankyou. And the meat is way better when you get it fresh.
HANDS DOWN.
THE very best fried chicken is a fresh kill then clean prep & seasoning & fry..
First dip in Budweiser beer and flour, fry 8 mins, 2nd dip in butter milk then roll in a mix of flour & crushed saltine crackers, then finish frying till golden brown.
Thankyou , from a real baker & pastry maker from the back country farm. Go ahead and add a little salt & table pepper to flour mix in both dips.
I am brand new to chicken keeping. I ordered heritage breed chickens. If I get some roos which is likely I plan to keep one and free range them. Like you said yes there is risk but I think they will have a happier life overall. Thank you for the informative video!
I’ve been lucky with predators so I’m loving free range. The girls love it. They mainly do bugs working constantly. They do the neighbor’s yard too along with free feed in the winter. The difference in flies and mosquitoes around the barn is astounding. Love the birds. Barred rock chickens best workers I’ve ever seen.
I free range part of the time we have a lot of predators.we had a big problem with Coyotes.we now have a few mini horses they chase them out of of the pasture . The raccoons are bad here in Oklahoma. So next week we are moving our large coop closer to the house so they can free range in the day , and at night let our dogs in the fenced in yard at night that will keep all the night predators from trying to get them.
I am a total novice - just exploring the idea of raising hens in my backyard to improve my garden (hooray for free uncontaminated manure!) and as hen-laying pets. But I grew up in a rural town and I recall the locals keeping geese (large, territorial, and very aggressive) to ward off the hawks. I would think that still works.
Garden destroyers, absolutely! And what is with polystyrene?
Mine have a part time, semi supervised free range time, the best balance I can come up with to keep them safe(r) from eagles and foxes. And a lot of finger crossing.
Mine are pasture raised 99.99% of the year. The first year I experienced a sky hit. Since constructing a scarecrow, I've had no sky hits. The backyard is secure, but they do hop the fence on occasion. My neighbors do not mind them feasting on bugs in their yards. I live on the edge of a small town and many here understand the benefits of my visiting flock. On a more rare occasion, they will go into the thicket across the street and have a feast. Usually once spring has really sprung and again near fall before the leaves fall. Chickens aren't as dumb as one might think...infact, mine have learned to come back over without any issue. (But I do get the fence issue, they were at first confused how to come back over).They have routines throughout their day. Mine have what I call- a natural run. I keep the border of my fence over grown (pokeweed, beautyberry, wild vines of various kinds, muscadine grape) boxwood hedges- all here when I purchased my house. They have plenty of spots to dust bathe- usually under the canopy of my huge pine tree.
Some may get mad, but I'd rather take a risk of losing a chicken to a sky hit or other animal, than have an undetected illness that makes them suffer- especially since some diseases aren't easily detected). Jmho.
Loved the video.
Very good video! I have had chickens for years, I knew all these things, but u r very enjoyable to listen to so I listened to the whole thing and subscribed 😊
I love this video.
You are a fantastic presenter,. And you can do that so fast . It is so interesting and appalling at thjs same time. So many great information as well ..
Thank you for the information. I just got 10 chicken's. 4 are Icelandic chicken Land race. I hope you get some of them. Great for free range and should lay all winter long. Not many but no need for light. My first time with chicken as an adult.
I would love some Icelandic chickens!
I really miss having chickens! I hope one day we can have a house where we can have them again 🥰 I just discovered your videos and I love them (I’ve subscribed ☺️)!! Thank you for posting all of this amazing information! 💖💖💖
Question...We have roughly 1 acre that is fenced in with 5' fence, we have 2 armenian gamprs to protect from predators be it 4 legged and flying kind. The dogs are combined 300lbs of amazing guards. The property has weeds, lots of scrub oak, (cover) and some grass. We recently got 6 chicks (they are still inside now 4 weeks) My question is I know they can fly over a 5' fence, I don't know if they would or not, the fence has hot wire on top so dogs can't get over but would they be prone to fly over the fence? The other side of the fence has a road, mountain lion, bear, and fox. I just dont know if they would just hang out in the yard or be prone to fly over the fence. Is it a better idea to proactively clip the wings?
Raven and crows are common up here so we don't get allot of hawks, and our dogs are constantly watching the sky, its cool to see.
Yes they can fly over but if there content they won’t but you get that one that still does but as they get older there less likely to. Hope that helps.
Love the Video. Ready to start free ranging more on my Ranch. 3 yrs in now but my coop was a 13x17 and I got 2 Roosters for my 13 girls. Respect and Salute
I just got started. They are still in cages waiting for the coop to get here. An enclosed pen and possible free range or a larger fences area. There are those portable pens, not tractors. I have several thAt seem to come up to me. And one that likes to bite me. Or peck me. I keep moving them cause first the heat, then they get too big for the space. so much poop but they would jump on each other. They are now in two extra big big crates. And the Guinea at in the rabbit hutch. 6 per container, and they are 5 weeks now. Lots of feathers but small. I got Orpington and austrolorps and guineas. I don’t know what kind of guineas but they are wild. I’m going to leave the door open when the coop comes and I move the chickens. They are all still alive, that surprised me. They are supposed to be black. One has mottled feathers like the Guinness , the others black with white marks on the head, but again, they are only 5 weeks. They do go thru the food. I’m looking forward to them getting free food. I have lots of grass. A pasture that’s got no herbivores. So I’m mowing that so that will be interesting. The coop is going on the barn apron. Think prefab buildings. I made a apron with railroad ties secured with rebar. Stone dust to make it level and horse mats on top. I can put bedding down and it will all cleanup easily. I’m worried about colder temps and what they do in winter. One day at a time! The whole thing is on a hillside. The worst land that couldn’t be easily farmed. That’s the field.
Pretty exhaustive and detailed one on the pros and cons of free range chicken. We lost more than 20 chicken including 17 chics to dogs( including our dogs). Luckily we have one dog who keeps the others away and don't attack the chicken. So the latest few chics are surviving till now.
I can relate to many things you said especially about places that have vast areas of farms or forests. We have wildlife around including elephants, mongoose, civet cat etc. but they don't trouble us much.
In fact our chicken live on the trees in our coffee estate and we have not lost any chicken to any predators on the trees. We have only one small coop for the small ones. The big ones all live on the trees and free range during the day.
So we are hoping things would get better if we're able to contain the dogs. Thank you for the video, extremely good one.
Our four hens, all new layers as they approach 6 months old, have about 80sf of run and a nice sized coop with three nest boxes. They really prefer to get out into the full back yard as often as possible, though, and seem much happier when they're not cooped up. It's a suburban back yard in Seattle, and even though it's fully fenced, they could get out if they were so inclined. One hen decided to go over the shorter back fence into the neighbor's yard once, and was probably over there for a short while before we went looking and found her under a fern. I do worry about raccoons, or the outdoor cat(s) some neighbors have. NE Seattle does sometimes get coyotes, but I don't think they often show up in fully fenced back yards. We get Merlin falcons in the spring, and I don't know if they're a real danger. Or the occasional Barred Owl. Anyway, five+ months in so far, and we haven't lost one yet. But they do seem happier being able to tear up the back yard, the raised beds, even the planter pots. When we go away for a few days and leave them in the run/coop structure, they're fine (I put a webcam on while away). But always eager to get out and about. No bullying or feather picking yet, either. They seem pretty okay being around each other. And humans.
Very interesting about the light colored chickens possibly being more at risk to air predators. We do free range our chickens but only when we are outside with them. We added an electric fence but they need to get to the whole yard to be happy. Interestingly we had a very large gathering and they were very good and friendly guests.
I lost my 1 of my easter egger, my sussex, and my road island red to a racoon recently... I was sad, but it has also showed me that we didn't have it as secure as we though we did. Lesson learned. I now have two Guinea's that I can't wait to get bigger as they make good alarm systems as anything they don't like gets anywhere near them, they sound the alarm. Now I am on the hunt to get the same type of chickens I lost as those where the chickens we bought for my daughter.
This video is very helpful in helping me know to keep an eye on my light colored chickens if we do decide to start free ranging the ducks and chickens.
I love your videos. I started watching them after I got chickens myself. Thank you for all the great info. We live on a farm and we free range our chickens. I think you forgot one con, and it probably because you haven’t experienced it yet. I have two little kiddos, 3&2, and we hatched our first chickens this last spring for Easter. We ended up with a few cockerels, 5 of 23 which is really good percentage wise. We re-homed two so far, still have 3 (one is a bantam). They haven’t been aggressive yet, but now that they are reaching maturity I’m losing my mind keeping my kids away from them. I’m scared of those roosters and even a few chickens who are not the nicest. It’s sad because they Roos I’m now nervous around we’re my kids favorite to cuddle when they were little chicks. With the free ranging I feel less connected to them than when we had them confined because they have massive acres to roam if they want. They feel more wild and that’s fine, except suddenly I am nervous when my kids are outside. So that would be my probably one and only con to free ranging.... less connection and loss of control, possibly leading to aggression. Best of luck to you with your baby! Being a mother is life changing! You will do great!
Yeah roosters can be jerks. My Favourite chicken was also one of our roosters until he bit me on the back of the knee! Now that we have no roosters our hens are so much more friendly and will let me pet them every morning 🥰
Thank you so much for helping me raise healthy, happy laying chickens 🐓! I am a rookie, but so far so good.
You are a very good chicken educator. Thanks for the help. I’m a new chicken farmer. Out in the forest. Free range sounds good!!😊
I've got 6 hens for my suburban backyard. They have a good size run/pen, but this is excellent info. My girls are happy and healthy, but I love watching these kinds of videos for more knowledge!
We surrounded our run and coop with crushed stone over the predator skirt. I noticed the stone also had chunks of shredded plastic in it. I take out what I can find but they are much better at finding it than I am! It has been a challenge to keep the girls from scarfing down the plastic chunks when they are outside of the run free ranging. They have chaperoned free range time because of stuff like this. Letting them out is easy. Getting them back in the run is work!
We have a Polish hen. I trim her feathers so she can see. She is a big pet and seems to be really happy when she gets a trim
13:41 you said everything people don't understand the difference when you respect mother nature and not give space to animal and they will give to you the same
I want to give chickens an environment that I would want to live in IF I were a chicken… some protection but lots of fresh air and sunshine, lots of fresh grass, weeds and bugs. I really like her thinking, give them what makes them happy.
Thanks for this list! We free range our three hens on a suburban lot. The only major con is the poop but I’ve noticed they love mulch! I have a few areas of Landscaping that I really don’t want them to dig up so I’ve switched milk out for large rocks and it seems to be helping.
This is a great video. I free range mine some because they are so happy running free. I'm always concerned about predictors. We have 3 roosters that run with them and they are good at guarding the hens.
I've built a set up for my chickens I call the Fort Knox, it's a large fenced enclosure with an fenced in chicken run and coop, Russian Doll of fencing. Had someone come by to fix something inside and he left the gate open for a couple hours, my chickens never left even though they had the ability to. Tried to give them a free range chance before, they don't seem interested. They're Rhode Island Reds, I've been wondering if they're more nervous than other chickens breeds? My neighbor free ranges, 5 have been killed within 2 weeks, she doesn't lock her free ranging chickens at night. Finding headless chickens I loved so much, who hung out with us in the garage and chatted on the other side of the fence to my chickens has me kinda happy my chickens don't have an interest in it. Mine are pets though, my neighbors roamers were food, so the loss would be different. Those chickens were beautiful and seemed so happy, I know at least a little time free ranging is good for them, healthier, and would give a break to cleaning and the costs, so what do you do if the chickens don't want to leave for even 5 minutes? I would be there and watch them during the recess from Fort Knox, these chickens are afraid of everything though. Glad you said they aren't the smartest animals, I kept reading how smart they are, but mine still get confused on how to get out/in their coop. That they live in. For months.
One idea I have seen is to give the chickens something to run beneath in case they feel threatened from hawks/eagles. This can give them more confidence out in the world.
We free-range our flock of 12 hens and 1 roo. And our 20 Guineas as well our 6 dogs protect all of them. We have 340 acres but they mostly stay in our fenced in yard (4 acres)
What kind of dogs do you have?? Been contemplating what breed(s) I should get for my flock
@@katdawg6766 we have anitolian shepherds. We love them because unlike great Pyrenees they don't roam far. And Pyrenees can be hard to train to Poultry (not impossible but can be a bit more difficult than with the anatolians)
@@sophiabultena6781 very helpful. Thank you!
Ordered me Grubterra Black shoulder fly larvae. Thanks for the code.
We free ranged our chickens on our suburban lot and enjoyed aspects of it for sure. However the poop on the yard (which is also shared by our kids to play) was a big issue. Would love to try a chicken tunnel around the perimeter of the property!
I have 1 acre fenced. Is that enough space for them?
Yes unless you have more than 100 chickens..
Great video very informative. Please show some of the chicken on your next videos audience wants to see them when you're talking about them. Thank you
amazing how MANY people are interested in CHICKENS :) ... superb -- thank you --- hopefully we can have chickens on our small farm here soon --
You can trim the feathers around the eyes. Of your Polish chicken's . That works 😁
Yes, we will have to do this!
I have 6 polish chickens and I trim their crest. Some have smaller crests so I don’t worry about them, they do just fine. I trim the crests every few weeks sometimes I’m lazy an it’s a month. They are a flighty breed, so I have to bring treats to give them feather cuts. Furthermore, when they got older about 5 months old they got better about where the coop/safety was, and more importantly the door to the coop. Also, I only partially free range my chickens when I’m gardening or putzing around the yard they’re out roaming. They love it so I go outside a lot to let them out for a few hours each day about twice a day. I do this so my garden isn’t completely decimated.
Thank you for sharing your experience and practical knowledge, stay blessed and best wishes for your coming babby and live healthy happy and wealthy stay blessed 😊😊😊
Predator proofing is no joke! in my area we have hawks, owls, skunks, racoons, fox coyotes and MINK! We live in town....and the racoons, hawks and mink take the most birds and mink are so hard because they burrow and they can fit in tiny holes!
During grasshopper 🦗 season our eggs are the orangest and tastiest....
Oh and I too fell for the cuteness of Polish, one little rooster did not like me but wanted to protect honey
We have learned so much from watching your videos! Keep creating content! Cheers from the Bulldog 🍻
I free range them because I haven't built a run so I take them out. I did this because I felt it made them happy 😊 and my 3 girls appreciate it I hope lol. But yes I spend at least an hour fixing my yard...covering their holes and everything else they destroy lol, but to me it's worth it. All 3 lay small to medium eggs and that helps us to not buy any more eggs. They are my sweet girls.
Great video thank you so much!!
I heard a lady say how she deals with Ariel predators is having a few black chickens in the flock. She said it's because raptors think they are Crows and they don't wanna deal with crows. Idk how valid that is though.
Would you consider adding Guinea hens to your flock for the protection they provide?
we had a white crested black polish like yours. Axel was awesome and charming. The hens really liked him too...way too much. They would preen him and groom him to the point where they pulled every single feather off his head. This happened in one afternoon. Unfortunately we had to rehome him. I miss him every day. As far as the Polish girls not seeing, you can trim their feathers around their eyes so they can see just as well as the others. We even used orthodontic elastic bands to tie Axel's feathers up out of his eyes. You could immediately see how much more alert and happy he was. You just gently pull their head feathers together on top and put the bands around it. Then clip the odd feathers obstructing their vision. We have a Buff Cochin rooster (Doc) who is an amazing guardian. He's Johnny on the spot whenever there is a problem. We also have cats and dogs that are buddies with the chickens and routinely walk around outside with the chickens. Dogs will dissuade most predators.
I collect hostas and they decimate the beds so they only free range when I can supervise. They do have a large area they can go into and dig, scratch forage in to their hearts delight!
Raise them in there run where their coop is. They will naturally come home at night.
Or work with then when they are small, and help them understand their surroundings. That's what I do.
I have 3 coops within 1 big run and 20 chickens, 3 Guinea fowl and 2 roosters.
They work it out, but start really young.
Very good advice right here!
I meant to leave this comment on someone else's comment lol
Thanks, hope you have a very successful pregnancy. My significant other gave birth 6 months ago and it went so smooth. It was the most intense moment in my life, but just have faith in God and everything will be perfect.
Thank you!! We are so ready to rock & roll 😊
this reminded me of my very happy,idyllic childhood--when we had chickens a few times. . i wish time machines erxisted so that i could return to then..we lived in maine--so i,m sure that the climate is similar to wisconsin''s
I've been looking at these videos for some months and thinking that having a good size wheeled chicken tractor would give the best of both worlds. Then in the winter - Minnesota temps, we have a large coop and a fenced yard to protect from our abundant wildlife.
I’m very rural. I’ve seen cougar in my yard, bear down by the road, and eagles often in our trees. How do I keep them out of my coup?😬
Electric fence..
the best advice so far for my two chicks thnks a lot
When you had chickens in town with a small yard. Did you have a problem with your dogs "Cleaning" up after the chickens in the yard??? Also I do a lot of container gardening in 5 gallon buckets. Do you think the chickens will destroy the tomato and pepper plants in their containers?
This is off subject but I’m wondering what’s the best way or at least a good way to combine two flocks.
I have six hens that are 14 weeks old and a new flock that’s about 4 weeks old. I’m concerned about putting these two together. Any suggestions?
I just posted a video about this a few weeks ago -- I hope this helps! th-cam.com/video/HfoQNnK2Xog/w-d-xo.html
We combined two flocks. Just wait til they get to about the same size. There will always be some pecking to establish order, but it wasn't very long with our groups. Good luck!
Really enjoyed your video! It is about to become my third year of keeping chickens, and my experiences have been much the same. I live out in the country, and raccoons decimated my flock the first year. The best trap I have found for a raccoon is something called a dog-proof trap. You can Google it. Anyway, although I love getting fresh eggs, I really enjoy chickens that are fun to look at, and have tried a few Silkies, Jungle Fowl (which were not very smart and couldn't figure out how to fly back over a fence) and Yokohamas, but have had the best luck with Golden Phoenix chickens. The rooster from the first flock grew a tail two feet long! I have had much better luck with my second flock that is almost a year old now. I started out with too many roosters and had to give some away, so now I have one rooster and five hens, partly because my coop is small and I don't want to overcrowd them. The rooster is extremely alert, and seems really smart for a chicken 😉 and the hens stay close to him. They are allowed to completely free range during the day, seem to have an instinct to stay near cover, and are amazing flyers! The biggest challenge is trying to get them to lay in the nesting box, but they always come running when I get home, and I know why the chicken crossed the road...to find out what the treat is today!! 😁
at what age do you let them free range?
I have semi free-range birds (chicken and duck). We're urban but have a big yard. Basically if I'm home they're out. My biggest issue outside of flying preds is the chicken going over/under the fences. Which then there are cars, cats, dogs, coyotes.... Which is why I only let them out supervised. I have noticed though a big reduction in feed and waste.
I keep my Polish hens' crests trimmed so they CAN see. It doesn’t hurt them, and they're less jumpy and friendlier because of it. Well, because they can see! Yay! 😊
we have a flock of 10 about 14 weeks old,
want to free range in a large 8ft high fence area.. with our young fruit trees..
do you think the chickens will damage out fruit trees???
That's a good question... I would be wary of them digging around the base of the trees and hurting the roots. They especially love dirt that has been recently disturbed. They did that with our young blackberry plants and the blackberries died 😢