A little bottle of blue food coloring is useful for injured chickens. Chickens are naturally drawn to pecking blood ( red color) because it is so nutritious. If a bird gets a red peck mark, just drop some blue food coloring on it and the other chickens won't keep attacking it. This is also the reason water and food containers are red, like the ones in your videos, chickens are preprogammed to peck red things.
This video is so similar to my situation, I have been raising birds since 96" and I had a rough summer with the damn raccoons as well. They typically cannot get into the pen but as it has aged the wire welds have weakened and they broke in and wiped out all my birds. I caught two raccoons and installed an electric chicken door which works with daylight. I have 6 new birds about 10 weeks old now and they are doing well. I hope to renovate my coop this spring as well. Great video was fun to watch
I'm a first time chicken owner have 2 roosters and 4 hens they just started laying eggs me and my kids love it when the run around the yard it's like a fast waddel run it's too cute.
In Arizona, we have Harris hawks. They hunt in family groups. The parents and one or two chicks rear before. They will take adult chickens. Give them enough cover and they can’t get in to attack. I have a mama and four baby chicks. Unfortunately planning didn’t work out right. 20 days ago I got eggs from a friend of mine. I’m supposed to pick up baby chicks on the second..... unfortunately, apparently one of his hands already started incubating the eggs. They hatched exactly 7 days ago. Usually my timing is good. The him is part silky and is in her glory when she is broody. I Have lost very few chicks when I have a mother hen. Do usually know which chickens they can trust and which chickens they can’t.
And the last chick was no chicken, turn out it was a rooster .. with no experience with our grown up rooster, he tried to take it on and lost the fight .. and that, little children, is how you lose the entire shipment of chicks.
This video is very helpful, it told me everything I needed to know in a practical manner. I feel like I am watching a public television show about woodworking or land keeping. Thank you so much I appreciate this video.
I have absolutely nowhere to raise chickens but for some strange reason, I love these videos. Chickens just look like they would be fun to raise and watch.
I’m in the same predicament. It also snows heavily in Minnesota. With nowhere to house the chickens indoors during the winter. But oh boy would I love to raise chickens for the experience.
I will be sure to make my hubby watch. It our first time having our OWN chickens. We have cared for lots of others. He assumes I'm over doing the security aspect. Losing 5 out of 6 will teach him how easy it is to underestimate the predators. T Th hanks 🌻🐥🌻🐥🌻🐥🌻
I saw another video where a farmer had tall poles around his open chicken pen. He then tied large string from one pole, across the pen to another pole until there were crossing strings all across the pen. That stopped the hawks. You can also use electric fencing on your outside pens to keep out predators. It won't harm the chickens.
Free range chickens are definitely tough but I wouldn’t have it any other way. There’s always a risk. We usually don’t lose that many birds, but unfortunately freedom comes at a price. I love looking up in the woods and seeing the chickens happily pecking for bugs.
Here in quarentene with insomnia at 330am.😐 What a nice video! I'm not planning on raising chickens but I still enjoy learning about it. Sorry about your 5 chicks loss.
How lucky chicken are they are in the warmer and protective cage.Seemingly they are ready soon to laying eggs .Amazingly the chicks looks very healthier. You do your good works Sir. Anton London
Very helpful for understand the introduction of the young to the grown. Like the mesh bottom for the feed to fall out and help promote positive reinforcement for the grown chickens
The grown chickens get pretty excited when that food gets kicked out from underneath. The hope is that a little chicks and the big chicks will get along together
Some people have commented that the chickens can get their feet caught in the cage. So far I have not experienced any problems. The cage is very small grid I think it’s called rabbit cage. Chicken fence would absolutely be too wide of a hole. It sure beats cleaning the coop out because it drop straight down. In the winter time you might need to put some hay in to insulate a little bit. Chickens handle the cold really well. On really cold nights I do have a light in the coop, are usually have a light right above the water so the water doesn’t freeze. Anyway thanks for the encouraging words
@@livefree6878 well I'm lucky to not have very cold winters in Louisiana, and I assumed the wire mesh was small. Just enough for things to fall out, other than the chicks lol. Thanks for.the good content. I'm also a persons who dabbles in slot of hobby's such as 3d printing, wood working ect.. and I'm an automotive tech for VW. It's nice to see some Lazer engraving and other odd ball things on your channel. Will be following.
My hens were free ranged, they found a tree and they slept in it, which is probably the reason they survived so long. They had a perfectly good coop but they loved their tree. They passed away suddenly so now we have chicks and plan on having them be free ranged.
Always a challenge free ranging. This year seems like the hawk population has grow plus we have raccoons, coyotes, fox & my neighbor filmed a mountain lion roaming in our area. The mountain lion was news to me. I even lost one to an owl. I keep mine in the chicken run for most of the day & let them out for a couple of hours. But it is always a gamble. Stay well, Joe Z
Great video, thanks! We've got 40 acres, and we're infested with tics. I think some free range birds are the way to go, but like you, we have every predator in the book, so I've held off for fear of wasting my time. This helped a lot. Thanks again.
@@geraldlong4607 Introducing pets into a "wild" habitat is not justification for killing things like hawks, sir. It is always the steward's responsibility to provide a coop, fences, netting, and guardians where necessary.
@@Towardrisk You are right, and in most cases, it is against the law to kill a hawk. As to the other predators, in my state it is against the law to trap and release so I have to hire a licensed wild animal trapper to do it for me!
I really enjoyed this video! We had free range chickens growing up and I loved all of them got to know their personalities I even named them. Great video sad ending 🥺😟
That was a nice how to video with real chicken life chicken experiences. We live in the city but we did see a raccoon on our security cam. And now we know it can happen to our yet to hatch chicks . They are on lockdown 1st day now
U answered my questions! I'm starting this year with chickens hopefully and I was wondering where/how I was gonna do it.. trying to figure out how to find the space to choose the different stages of growth
We sure have enjoyed our chickens over the years. It’s just part of every day seeing those little guys all over the yard eating bugs. You’ll really enjoy your chickens
Thank you for sharing this video! I really appreciate you! It really came in handy...it’s my first time raising chicks and I think I also just lost one to a predator:”(...I learned my lesson and learned a lot from this video;)
My chickens have a large run attached to their coop, and we move it every week or so, so they have fresh grass and bugs. Personally, I am not willing to go free range (even though I live in the country) at the expense of my chickens lives. They are very happy in their large run, get many worms and other bugs, find grit in the soil, etc. and they are also very safe. I have the Omlet chicken coop which I really recommend.
Raising chickens is definitely a great experience. We have a small fence at the chicken coop just in case a predator is giving us a problem. In order to keep them in Vince we need to clip their wings so they don’t fly out. As far as the garden goes, chickens can be a bit of an issue. We actually put a fence around the garden to protect what’s in the garden from the chickens. We almost never fence in the chickens, just when the chickens are in danger. Enjoy those chickens
Sure, if you don’t mind stepping in chicken poop. We had an over grown garden this fall. Brought our chickens home, fenced off the garden and let them go at it. Garden is grown up no more. They eat whatever is coming up as soon as they can. We’ve now fenced off a portion of the lawn to reduce the chicken pressure on the garden. I’ve let them into other gardens where there’s leaves and such from winter. In short order, they cleared the leaves into the paths and made it easier for me to clean up. Need for feed has been reduced greatly. Just beware of the chicken poop...great garden fertilizer, though.
Mine live in my garden and just wander free. I don’t have any fences but they have a good solid coop that they go in at night. The babies live in a chicken tractor (pen on wheels) until big enough. I only keep one rooster and five hens max. I have a good dog that protects the chickens and we have a wonderful balance going on. I have one enclosed area where I can isolate a couple of chickens for setting eggs, or isolating for an injury etc. My hens are very tame and come when they are called and are fine to be picked up etc.
Sooooo, you made this video to show us how to raise free range chickens and what really happened is you showed how little you know about chickens. Out of six you lost 5. GREAT JOB!!
Henlo! You are taking such wonderful care of your chcickens! In their coop there is wire bottom mesh and you should put something over it or your chickens could get bumble foot.
stretch fishing lines up in the air, between the trees, across some poles. The hawk eyes are very sharp, they can see the almost invisible lines, but they do not know how to negotiate around them, and they will stay out.
Wow! That is so interesting that they can see it but won’t make an attempt. I’m trying to think how I can use this fishing line to cover the top of the chicken run that would be a lot easier than chicken wire.👍👍
Glad you enjoyed the video, typically we don’t lose this many birds, having free range chickens you’re so worth it. Watching them out in the yard scratching at bugs is very satisfying. Thanks for your encouraging comment 👍👍
I have three big dogs pit cross with lab the forth big dog is pit and pyranese cross. My chickens 24 to start as chicks now I'm getting more eggs than I can use but we have friends. Anyway my chickens go to bed at night but during the day they roam and I've only lost one chicken to a weasel my dogs hate skunks or anything else that would hurt the chickens they're awsome.
Very informative, I am start a chicken coop but I will be fencing mine in because of predators and I live in a subdivision. My coop is 6x8and fence all around is 10 x20 I want my chickens to have a lot of room .
have you tried running strings over your "chicken yard" I understand that you are free ranging, but some strings over head wil slow the hawks down. plus its cheaper than nets, and constantly replacing chicks. its up to you to make sure your girls are safe at night.
I bought a rabbit cage. ...its great feeder and put small water bottle and wood chips work ...till they get big enough Works for in town raising ..8 to 10 chicks
I found a very hurt baby Robin smaller then a chick with a broken leg and wing and because I had chicks I new how to hold it and give it food and water.
8:56 Would've loved to see the birds take that first jump in action but I guess you couldn't hold the camera long enough to capture it (man, if it was in slo-mo...epic) ;) Still, big thanks for sharing; good info and the educational tips are truly appreciated.
Wow, I just learned so much. I want to get some nice chink of land soon, and I just wanted chickens -- maybe for meat, but definitely for eggs. But you just showed me how many other amazing purposes they have, and also I can see why you emphasized the "challenge" aspect of raising em. At first, I was like "jeesh, debbie downer, saying how hard it is," but after i saw four were eaten, I have a brand new concept of how careful you have to be. Alright, thanks man, happy chicken raising!
Things sometimes go wrong and it's good to see that in a video. Usually, videos on the subject don't address how things can go bad. This is definitely a learning experience. Shame on the idiots who make ignorant comments. Zachary sees the value and so do I.
We really enjoyed having chickens, and of course it’s nice in the summertime when the eggs come through. Not having bugs everywhere is kind of nice. It’s a journey we’ve continued to stay on for years. Enjoy your chickens
Yeah. Thats why I dont free range. Not until i can afford one of those huge guard dogs and some geese AND or emus (im in Australia, they are wonderful for this too!). lol I own Japanese bantams, so they are prey for almost everything in my neighbourhood... :'(
I had chicks and they got to the similar size when you only had 2 and a fox got in the cage because the lock had slipped and had got 2 of them and then we got two more of the same breed and waited until they got to the same size to intraduce them and in total I had 10 chickens but they were in different flocks
This is a very honest but terribly sad video. I would be devastated! I have free range chickens but I wait much longer before I let new chicks out on their own. Our family keeps them on our patio with daily outings for a couple hours a day until they're almost as large as our full grown hens and then we put them in the yard and coop. Sorry you lost the majority of your chicks, I know that's not what you expected or intended. I hope the next time you were more successful!
I had a raccoon take 5 full grown hens over a week’s time, and a bear take the remaining 5 by tearing the doors off my Rubbermaid 8x8 shed retrofitted as a chicken house. Turns out The electric fence was shorting out. That is fixed, it is a new year, the shed has new doors, and I’m going to get chicks in a couple days. My question is, if I have no grown hens to pick on the little ones, how young can I move them from the brooder to the coop? I can leave them inside the electric fence until they are fully grown, but would like to get them outside as soon as it is safe for them. Ps the county killed the bear (it was aggressive to humans too) and the raccoon was trapped and removed. They only attacked at night, and with the coop inside a now functioning electric fence, I’m sure it is safe at night. My hens always roamed our 60 acres during the day and went home at night. So if there are no grown hens, can I put them in the coop at 2 months?
Well atleast you don't have to worry about the bear(thank you county) we only have foxes, skunks, raccoons hawks etc over here. I simply bought those strong black dog cages, added straw and close it shut at night and haven't lost anything for 4 years now. But for bears I would look for strong iron fencing for back up if the electric was to malfunction....goodluck though!
I have an answer, if you ask anybody else it’s going to be different. Most people would probably say something like five hens to one rooster. I have only one rooster and typically have about 12 to 15 hens. I’ve learned that if I don’t have a rooster at all we lose chickens to the neighbor that does have a rooster. I also find that if you have two roosters, then they’re always fighting. A rooster is always going down to the neighbors to give a bit of a challenge. So again my answer would be different from other people you may ask, but that’s my experience. I hope this answer helps.
We have lost Many of our Free Range Chickens....Now we keep them in the coop with an attached run. This is NOT healthy way.....but we get to keep our Flock. Your video was very interesting and educational Thanks Aria
Glad you enjoyed the video, we typically don’t lose this many birds. Unfortunately the group of chickens that I decided to film all these things happened. We have a lot of happy birds and the experience of raising free range chickens is extremely enjoyable. Thanks again for the encouraging comment
I’m not sure exactly what months old the birds would be, at some point they start wanting to fly around the room. When you have to cover the top of the chick container in order to keep them in that’s when I like to put them outside. Hopefully it’s warm enough. That’s why I cover the cage outside and have a light in there. I watch them pretty closely and I am prepared to bring them back in if I feel it would be dangerous for them. It’s kind of like y’all know that they’re ready to go out. You’re acting as mama bird, there depending upon you to make sure you’ve got their needs met. It was unfortunate in this video that we lost so many birds. Usually this is not the case. The birds I’ve got now I’ve had for quite a time now. However free range gives the birds the freedom to round the land eat as many bugs as they want. This freedom however comes at a cost. Hopefully this answers your questions. Let me know if there’s anything else I can help with
West is a barred rock, best rooster we’ve ever had, hard rock has a really nice temperament, and if you give them food out of your hand while he’s young, chances are you won’t have any problems when he’s full-grown. I’ve had some roosters that can be pretty mean. If I have a choice I would go barred rock next time too.
i live in hawaii so there’s really no predators except for humans and cats. kids come by and steal our chicks and chase them around. most cats like ours don’t like chickens and are afraid, while most prey on the small chicks. none have been killed so far, however one our chicks had its wing pulled off. she lived for a long time before her deaths. free range chickens in hawaii are great cause there’s no predators.
Get a huge Kangal dog and those kids will never bother your chickens again especially if one was stupid enough to be stubborn and gets mauled...if they're still alive they sure won't be doing that again but if they're dead they definitely won't be doing that again.....
One thing we found that helps with birds of prey is if you have a big rooster with coloration close to a hawk. Ameraucana or Easter Egger mixes with Amberlinks will sometimes come out like this, although they don't run particularly large unless you have a bigger than average Amberlink as the father. (We even had one that looked like a cross between a bald eagle and a red-tail hawk.) Of course, that won't stop a good size raccoon or even a big oppossum. For that you need a good dog who'll ignore the chickens, or you need traps and a .22 rifle. (The "dog proof" traps work well, are inexpensive, and won't trap your chickens, the cat, the dog, etc.) (Be aware a good size 'coon can seriously hurt a dog.) If you don't want to eat the 'coon or 'possum, cook it for the chickens! We also don't let our chicks free range unsupervised (by us) until they are at least 2/3 grown and will "flock" with other chickens and a rooster. Free running dogs are another problem. For those you need a bigger (but chicken-friendly) dog, or, if you can catch them actually going after your chickens, shoot 'em.
A little bottle of blue food coloring is useful for injured chickens. Chickens are naturally drawn to pecking blood ( red color) because it is so nutritious. If a bird gets a red peck mark, just drop some blue food coloring on it and the other chickens won't keep attacking it. This is also the reason water and food containers are red, like the ones in your videos, chickens are preprogammed to peck red things.
F that racoon and that hawk dawg. I was too emotionally invested in those chicks 😭😭
RIGHT LIKE I JUST WANTED TO WATCH A CUTE VIDEO
This video is so similar to my situation, I have been raising birds since 96" and I had a rough summer with the damn raccoons as well. They typically cannot get into the pen but as it has aged the wire welds have weakened and they broke in and wiped out all my birds. I caught two raccoons and installed an electric chicken door which works with daylight. I have 6 new birds about 10 weeks old now and they are doing well. I hope to renovate my coop this spring as well. Great video was fun to watch
I'm a first time chicken owner have 2 roosters and 4 hens they just started laying eggs me and my kids love it when the run around the yard it's like a fast waddel run it's too cute.
I know you guys are old pros, but definitely consider some big geese. The big birds on the ground seem to keep Hawks away.
She's right.
Yup, one guard goose would do, with bird netting, and proper protection from raccoons!
In Arizona, we have Harris hawks. They hunt in family groups. The parents and one or two chicks rear before. They will take adult chickens. Give them enough cover and they can’t get in to attack.
I have a mama and four baby chicks. Unfortunately planning didn’t work out right. 20 days ago I got eggs from a friend of mine. I’m supposed to pick up baby chicks on the second..... unfortunately, apparently one of his hands already started incubating the eggs. They hatched exactly 7 days ago. Usually my timing is good. The him is part silky and is in her glory when she is broody. I Have lost very few chicks when I have a mother hen. Do usually know which chickens they can trust and which chickens they can’t.
Legend has it the remaining chick is out for revenge.
And the last chick was no chicken, turn out it was a rooster .. with no experience with our grown up rooster, he tried to take it on and lost the fight .. and that, little children, is how you lose the entire shipment of chicks.
Nathaniel Smith and the legend was true. I heard the last chick killed the entire raccoons family. Including newborns.
Last seen driving a big yellow dually truck with "Pussywagon" painted across the tailgate
This video is very helpful, it told me everything I needed to know in a practical manner. I feel like I am watching a public television show about woodworking or land keeping. Thank you so much I appreciate this video.
I have absolutely nowhere to raise chickens but for some strange reason, I love these videos. Chickens just look like they would be fun to raise and watch.
I’m in the same predicament. It also snows heavily in Minnesota. With nowhere to house the chickens indoors during the winter. But oh boy would I love to raise chickens for the experience.
I call it "watching Chicken TV". Much more interesting than anything on the tube.
@@SinisterSmiles maybe time to move ?
Don't do it
XY Gaming Chief why?
I will be sure to make my hubby watch. It our first time having our OWN chickens. We have cared for lots of others. He assumes I'm over doing the security aspect. Losing 5 out of 6 will teach him how easy it is to underestimate the predators. T Th hanks 🌻🐥🌻🐥🌻🐥🌻
I saw another video where a farmer had tall poles around his open chicken pen. He then tied large string from one pole, across the pen to another pole until there were crossing strings all across the pen. That stopped the hawks. You can also use electric fencing on your outside pens to keep out predators. It won't harm the chickens.
Love this honest video
Free range chickens are definitely tough but I wouldn’t have it any other way. There’s always a risk. We usually don’t lose that many birds, but unfortunately freedom comes at a price. I love looking up in the woods and seeing the chickens happily pecking for bugs.
I was going to say the same thing!
@@livefree6878 Where are you from?
Working on it. Food? Parsley and the greens fern the Cobb??
Here in quarentene with insomnia at 330am.😐
What a nice video! I'm not planning on raising chickens but I still enjoy learning about it. Sorry about your 5 chicks loss.
How lucky chicken are they are in the warmer and protective cage.Seemingly they are ready soon to laying eggs .Amazingly the chicks looks very healthier.
You do your good works Sir.
Anton London
I am so sorry about your chickens. They had a good life.
bruh its nature its gonna happen
@@gracelyn7563 I know. All I said was sorry! You don't have to tell me.
Great video! Good sound and volume. Better than average camera quality and lighting. Also extremely informative and honest.
Very helpful for understand the introduction of the young to the grown. Like the mesh bottom for the feed to fall out and help promote positive reinforcement for the grown chickens
The grown chickens get pretty excited when that food gets kicked out from underneath. The hope is that a little chicks and the big chicks will get along together
@@livefree6878 definitely a smart idea I will be incorporating in the years to come.
Some people have commented that the chickens can get their feet caught in the cage. So far I have not experienced any problems. The cage is very small grid I think it’s called rabbit cage. Chicken fence would absolutely be too wide of a hole. It sure beats cleaning the coop out because it drop straight down. In the winter time you might need to put some hay in to insulate a little bit. Chickens handle the cold really well. On really cold nights I do have a light in the coop, are usually have a light right above the water so the water doesn’t freeze. Anyway thanks for the encouraging words
@@livefree6878 well I'm lucky to not have very cold winters in Louisiana, and I assumed the wire mesh was small. Just enough for things to fall out, other than the chicks lol. Thanks for.the good content. I'm also a persons who dabbles in slot of hobby's such as 3d printing, wood working ect.. and I'm an automotive tech for VW. It's nice to see some Lazer engraving and other odd ball things on your channel. Will be following.
Video very well done. Your easy-going, natural style make this program very watchable!
My hens were free ranged, they found a tree and they slept in it, which is probably the reason they survived so long. They had a perfectly good coop but they loved their tree. They passed away suddenly so now we have chicks and plan on having them be free ranged.
Great video! Adjusting to the idea that loss is part of the process was a hard thing for me.
Should try to sleep with this on, He has such a relaxing voice
He's tom bodett, and he'll leave a light on for ya.
you’re*
@@clintonchildress522 what
I love hens,and love when they go outside and do what they are suppose to do.
Ameraucana hens lay blue eggs/ you get Easter eagers from mixing a blue egg layer with a rooster from a brown layer line such as a rhode island red
Always a challenge free ranging. This year seems like the hawk population has grow plus we have raccoons, coyotes, fox & my neighbor filmed a mountain lion roaming in our area. The mountain lion was news to me. I even lost one to an owl. I keep mine in the chicken run for most of the day & let them out for a couple of hours. But it is always a gamble. Stay well, Joe Z
@Billy Cain Thank you. Will look into it with next additions.
I made my coop and chicken run around my three cherry trees. That provided cover and protection for my little hens until they were full grown
Great video, thanks! We've got 40 acres, and we're infested with tics. I think some free range birds are the way to go, but like you, we have every predator in the book, so I've held off for fear of wasting my time. This helped a lot. Thanks again.
👍
I've heard guinea fowl are the best for ticks
You want Guinea hens...
I recommend a livestock guardian dog. They'll bond with the flock and protect them.
Great Video! Nice narration. Happy you did this man, thanks.
👍
i love the narrative...simple, clear but informative ... subscribed!
"How to feed and take care of your local predators."
haha
😣
@@lorraine9242 not funny, lives were lost here, please have some empathy!! 😢😢😭😭
Didi Bolter stop being such a flower
@@jeffnelly1473 What does that mean?
Damn, i didn't see that coming! 6->1 i will get sad right away
Thats why you kill the predators
It was extraordinary example... normally it's 6>4/5..if we use a net parallel to ground then hawk won't get inside..
I had a batch of 8 chicks all except for 1 died and the one that survived is an asshole now. But we got more chicks to give him company
@@geraldlong4607 Introducing pets into a "wild" habitat is not justification for killing things like hawks, sir. It is always the steward's responsibility to provide a coop, fences, netting, and guardians where necessary.
@@Towardrisk You are right, and in most cases, it is against the law to kill a hawk. As to the other predators, in my state it is against the law to trap and release so I have to hire a licensed wild animal trapper to do it for me!
great vid. love my chickens fun to watch too. Great idea catching rain water. Going to add that idea here.
Having that rainwater so convenient is a big deal. It doesn’t work in the winter time but there’s a lot a summer time to make it worthwhile.
The most informative video for beginners like me out there. Thanks!
This was fascinating. Haven't started chickens yet, so I'm looking for great tips like these. Thanks for the info. Blessings to you and your family.
I really enjoyed this video! We had free range chickens growing up and I loved all of them got to know their personalities I even named them. Great video sad ending 🥺😟
That was a nice how to video with real chicken life chicken experiences. We live in the city but we did see a raccoon on our security cam. And now we know it can happen to our yet to hatch chicks . They are on lockdown 1st day now
U answered my questions! I'm starting this year with chickens hopefully and I was wondering where/how I was gonna do it.. trying to figure out how to find the space to choose the different stages of growth
We sure have enjoyed our chickens over the years. It’s just part of every day seeing those little guys all over the yard eating bugs. You’ll really enjoy your chickens
Thank you for the video great advice
Thank you for sharing this video! I really appreciate you! It really came in handy...it’s my first time raising chicks and I think I also just lost one to a predator:”(...I learned my lesson and learned a lot from this video;)
My chickens have a large run attached to their coop, and we move it every week or so, so they have fresh grass and bugs. Personally, I am not willing to go free range (even though I live in the country) at the expense of my chickens lives. They are very happy in their large run, get many worms and other bugs, find grit in the soil, etc. and they are also very safe. I have the Omlet chicken coop which I really recommend.
Im am raising chickens for the first time. Is it okay to let them into my yard/garden once they are big enough? Do they need to be fenced in at all?
Raising chickens is definitely a great experience. We have a small fence at the chicken coop just in case a predator is giving us a problem. In order to keep them in Vince we need to clip their wings so they don’t fly out. As far as the garden goes, chickens can be a bit of an issue. We actually put a fence around the garden to protect what’s in the garden from the chickens. We almost never fence in the chickens, just when the chickens are in danger. Enjoy those chickens
Sure, if you don’t mind stepping in chicken poop. We had an over grown garden this fall. Brought our chickens home, fenced off the garden and let them go at it. Garden is grown up no more. They eat whatever is coming up as soon as they can. We’ve now fenced off a portion of the lawn to reduce the chicken pressure on the garden. I’ve let them into other gardens where there’s leaves and such from winter. In short order, they cleared the leaves into the paths and made it easier for me to clean up. Need for feed has been reduced greatly. Just beware of the chicken poop...great garden fertilizer, though.
Mine live in my garden and just wander free. I don’t have any fences but they have a good solid coop that they go in at night. The babies live in a chicken tractor (pen on wheels) until big enough. I only keep one rooster and five hens max. I have a good dog that protects the chickens and we have a wonderful balance going on. I have one enclosed area where I can isolate a couple of chickens for setting eggs, or isolating for an injury etc. My hens are very tame and come when they are called and are fine to be picked up etc.
Sooooo, you made this video to show us how to raise free range chickens and what really happened is you showed how little you know about chickens. Out of six you lost 5. GREAT JOB!!
Love your way of story telling
Very informative! Thank you. I like your style.
Henlo! You are taking such wonderful care of your chcickens! In their coop there is wire bottom mesh and you should put something over it or your chickens could get bumble foot.
awesome video im glad you told the whole story and not just the first part or just one part in time
very interesting and tells everything by step by step Thanks!
Honestly, you have a great voice like me.. really appreciative..
this is why i don't free range.. but kudos to you for this fine video. Explains things well.
Thanks for all the reminders of predation, I've had it all.
Challenges every day, lately it’s been the neighbors dog. These chickens never get a Break
Wow great video! A little life journey
What a great narrative tutorial.
stretch fishing lines up in the air, between the trees, across some poles. The hawk eyes are very sharp, they can see the almost invisible lines, but they do not know how to negotiate around them, and they will stay out.
Wow! That is so interesting that they can see it but won’t make an attempt. I’m trying to think how I can use this fishing line to cover the top of the chicken run that would be a lot easier than chicken wire.👍👍
Finally a chicken raising video without clickbait and "whats up guys!"
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The breed you call Americana is actually Araucana. Good video, thank you. I got a couple of good tips from it 👏.
Very interesting video. I enjoy it very much. Thank you.
Glad you enjoyed the video, typically we don’t lose this many birds, having free range chickens you’re so worth it. Watching them out in the yard scratching at bugs is very satisfying. Thanks for your encouraging comment 👍👍
The video has good sense of humor. Make me laugh...
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Great video, you could be a voice twin for Tom Bodett of motel 6.
Omg thank i feel so much more closer to getting some chickens.
I have three big dogs pit cross with lab the forth big dog is pit and pyranese cross. My chickens 24 to start as chicks now I'm getting more eggs than I can use but we have friends. Anyway my chickens go to bed at night but during the day they roam and I've only lost one chicken to a weasel my dogs hate skunks or anything else that would hurt the chickens they're awsome.
Great Vid. Nice narrating and lots of tips and lessons and mistakes we can learn from !!
Great video in simplicity..thx!
Hi I just made a chick coop like yours am so far excited.thanks I really love this video
Need to know if I can feed parsley and corn on the Cobb greens?
Thanks man well spoken narrative advice to the point
Cheers
Very informative, I am start a chicken coop but I will be fencing mine in because of predators and I live in a subdivision. My coop is 6x8and fence all around is 10 x20 I want my chickens to have a lot of room .
have you tried running strings over your "chicken yard" I understand that you are free ranging, but some strings over head wil slow the hawks down. plus its cheaper than nets, and constantly replacing chicks. its up to you to make sure your girls are safe at night.
I bought a rabbit cage. ...its great feeder and put small water bottle and wood chips work ...till they get big enough
Works for in town raising ..8 to 10 chicks
I found a very hurt baby Robin smaller then a chick with a broken leg and wing and because I had chicks I new how to hold it and give it food and water.
I like the narration, cool voice. Like a movie voice over. I bet it’s young too lol 😝
8:56 Would've loved to see the birds take that first jump in action but I guess you couldn't hold the camera long enough to capture it (man, if it was in slo-mo...epic) ;) Still, big thanks for sharing; good info and the educational tips are truly appreciated.
Wow, I just learned so much. I want to get some nice chink of land soon, and I just wanted chickens -- maybe for meat, but definitely for eggs. But you just showed me how many other amazing purposes they have, and also I can see why you emphasized the "challenge" aspect of raising em. At first, I was like "jeesh, debbie downer, saying how hard it is," but after i saw four were eaten, I have a brand new concept of how careful you have to be. Alright, thanks man, happy chicken raising!
Every year we learn a bit more. Free range chickens are absolutely worth it.
Things sometimes go wrong and it's good to see that in a video. Usually, videos on the subject don't address how things can go bad. This is definitely a learning experience. Shame on the idiots who make ignorant comments. Zachary sees the value and so do I.
This dude is a comedian😂
He is here til 11 every day. :-)
Getting 36 Saturday. Thanks for your time.
Is it your first time getting chickens, you’re gonna love this experience. ENJOY!
Thank you for sharing. We are just about to start our new journey with baby chicks,
We really enjoyed having chickens, and of course it’s nice in the summertime when the eggs come through. Not having bugs everywhere is kind of nice. It’s a journey we’ve continued to stay on for years. Enjoy your chickens
Looks like you really did hardwork🙂
Compact fluorescent lights put out very little heat.
Yeah. Thats why I dont free range. Not until i can afford one of those huge guard dogs and some geese AND or emus (im in Australia, they are wonderful for this too!). lol I own Japanese bantams, so they are prey for almost everything in my neighbourhood... :'(
I had chicks and they got to the similar size when you only had 2 and a fox got in the cage because the lock had slipped and had got 2 of them and then we got two more of the same breed and waited until they got to the same size to intraduce them and in total I had 10 chickens but they were in different flocks
This is a very honest but terribly sad video. I would be devastated! I have free range chickens but I wait much longer before I let new chicks out on their own. Our family keeps them on our patio with daily outings for a couple hours a day until they're almost as large as our full grown hens and then we put them in the yard and coop. Sorry you lost the majority of your chicks, I know that's not what you expected or intended. I hope the next time you were more successful!
Enjoyable indeed buddy
Thanks. Great education.
Excellent video, thanks so much for sharing your knowledge.🙋
Very useful information thank you
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New subscriber here.. thank you very much for the idea and tips. Really informative channel. Thank u.
Would peacocks keep out some of the predators?
I had a raccoon take 5 full grown hens over a week’s time, and a bear take the remaining 5 by tearing the doors off my Rubbermaid 8x8 shed retrofitted as a chicken house.
Turns out The electric fence was shorting out. That is fixed, it is a new year, the shed has new doors, and I’m going to get chicks in a couple days.
My question is, if I have no grown hens to pick on the little ones, how young can I move them from the brooder to the coop? I can leave them inside the electric fence until they are fully grown, but would like to get them outside as soon as it is safe for them.
Ps the county killed the bear (it was aggressive to humans too) and the raccoon was trapped and removed. They only attacked at night, and with the coop inside a now functioning electric fence, I’m sure it is safe at night. My hens always roamed our 60 acres during the day and went home at night. So if there are no grown hens, can I put them in the coop at 2 months?
yes, 2 months if fine, they will be fully feathered out so they no longer require a heatlamp.
make*it*pay thank you!
Well atleast you don't have to worry about the bear(thank you county) we only have foxes, skunks, raccoons hawks etc over here. I simply bought those strong black dog cages, added straw and close it shut at night and haven't lost anything for 4 years now. But for bears I would look for strong iron fencing for back up if the electric was to malfunction....goodluck though!
Please answer this question. How many hen a rooster should have?
I have an answer, if you ask anybody else it’s going to be different. Most people would probably say something like five hens to one rooster. I have only one rooster and typically have about 12 to 15 hens. I’ve learned that if I don’t have a rooster at all we lose chickens to the neighbor that does have a rooster. I also find that if you have two roosters, then they’re always fighting. A rooster is always going down to the neighbors to give a bit of a challenge. So again my answer would be different from other people you may ask, but that’s my experience. I hope this answer helps.
Do you have to give chicks any vacation or medications
We have lost Many of our Free Range Chickens....Now we keep them in the coop with an attached run. This is NOT healthy way.....but we get to keep our Flock. Your video was very
interesting and educational Thanks Aria
I really enjoyed this!
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Really enjoyed the video. Informative, thank you for the tips.
Glad you enjoyed the video, we typically don’t lose this many birds. Unfortunately the group of chickens that I decided to film all these things happened. We have a lot of happy birds and the experience of raising free range chickens is extremely enjoyable. Thanks again for the encouraging comment
At what age do you put them out in the little coop? I live in Florida. It's Spring, and plenty warm enough for them, but they are only a month old.
I’m not sure exactly what months old the birds would be, at some point they start wanting to fly around the room. When you have to cover the top of the chick container in order to keep them in that’s when I like to put them outside. Hopefully it’s warm enough. That’s why I cover the cage outside and have a light in there. I watch them pretty closely and I am prepared to bring them back in if I feel it would be dangerous for them. It’s kind of like y’all know that they’re ready to go out. You’re acting as mama bird, there depending upon you to make sure you’ve got their needs met. It was unfortunate in this video that we lost so many birds. Usually this is not the case. The birds I’ve got now I’ve had for quite a time now. However free range gives the birds the freedom to round the land eat as many bugs as they want. This freedom however comes at a cost. Hopefully this answers your questions. Let me know if there’s anything else I can help with
What variety of chicken is west? Great video
West is a barred rock, best rooster we’ve ever had, hard rock has a really nice temperament, and if you give them food out of your hand while he’s young, chances are you won’t have any problems when he’s full-grown. I’ve had some roosters that can be pretty mean. If I have a choice I would go barred rock next time too.
Live Free Thank you
Free range is great for bug control! I don't normally see them any more and a bug Flys by the camera.... hahahaha
How can you find a white silkie chick to purchase as a pet?
I want to cry. Huhu. Nice documentary!
Appreciate the comment, usually we don’t lose that many birds, this was definitely a rough one. Having these chickens live free has its cost.
Great video
i live in hawaii so there’s really no predators except for humans and cats. kids come by and steal our chicks and chase them around. most cats like ours don’t like chickens and are afraid, while most prey on the small chicks. none have been killed so far, however one our chicks had its wing pulled off. she lived for a long time before her deaths. free range chickens in hawaii are great cause there’s no predators.
Lizzie Wolf the mongoose don’t mess with them at all?
Get a huge Kangal dog and those kids will never bother your chickens again especially if one was stupid enough to be stubborn and gets mauled...if they're still alive they sure won't be doing that again but if they're dead they definitely won't be doing that again.....
What type of chickens are the brown ones
Inside 45 rhode island
Rhode Island Red
Never lost a baby chick. Thank goodness. Knock on wood. They have large trees and silverthorn bushes mainly for hurricane protection. Florida.
One thing we found that helps with birds of prey is if you have a big rooster with coloration close to a hawk. Ameraucana or Easter Egger mixes with Amberlinks will sometimes come out like this, although they don't run particularly large unless you have a bigger than average Amberlink as the father. (We even had one that looked like a cross between a bald eagle and a red-tail hawk.) Of course, that won't stop a good size raccoon or even a big oppossum. For that you need a good dog who'll ignore the chickens, or you need traps and a .22 rifle. (The "dog proof" traps work well, are inexpensive, and won't trap your chickens, the cat, the dog, etc.) (Be aware a good size 'coon can seriously hurt a dog.) If you don't want to eat the 'coon or 'possum, cook it for the chickens! We also don't let our chicks free range unsupervised (by us) until they are at least 2/3 grown and will "flock" with other chickens and a rooster. Free running dogs are another problem. For those you need a bigger (but chicken-friendly) dog, or, if you can catch them actually going after your chickens, shoot 'em.