Free range poultry

[bee_pipes]

Depends on what you mean by free range. Free range doesn't mean absentee management. There are a whole host of things to keep in mind - predators being the main one. If you get chicks, them most common way to get new poultry, they will need to be brooded. After brooding they are still mighty young and need to be six months or so before they are no longer fair game for snakes. I have seen snakes attempt to swallow a month old. The bird was too big, but by the time the snake figured that out it was too late for the chicken - it had suffocated in the snake's throat. On top of that you have raccoon, possum, coyote, fox, owl, hawk and a whole host of other predators. Some are determined and will dig into a pen. There are livestock guardian dogs - great pyranese - but I don't know much about their use with bird flocks.

We let our poultry range during the day, but they are locked up at night. I know folks that let them roam 24-7. I don't think we could get away with that.

So far as them flying off, you fix that by keeping them penned up for two to four weeks before releasing. Get them used to coming back to their house for feeding and nesting. Our chickens lay in the house, but the guineas will lay anywhere in the yard they can build a nest. Our chickens hang around the yard and seem to respect the fence we have. It's not much of a fence, just inconvenient for them to get past.

There might be a way you can make it work, depending on local predators and such. Will depend a lot on what species of predator you have and what variety of chicken you get.

Regards,
Pat

[bee_pipes]

Whoops! Sorry Rev, read this post this morning and didn't realize it was waiting approval.

Regards,
Pat