Freerange chicken video

[Chic Rustler]

 

[Chic Rustler]

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

 

[Lazy Gardener]

Bee, When I sell my eggs, I often give a fact sheet to new customers: I tell them that my birds have a winter sun room, get lots of fresh garden and veggie scraps or sprouts depending on the season, fermented feed (I explain the benefits of that), limited free range (dependent on supervision and predator load), deep litter bedding (explain benefits of that). I may even give a written contrast of what the grocer means when they sell free range eggs vs. back yard free range eggs.

 

[Beekissed]

There is an alternative to them being eaten by preds rather than locking them up all day~I go away from home for a week at a time and never lock up the chickens...don't even have a run attached to the coop. Just need a good dog out there all the time.

A good Great Pyr wouldn't have let a stray kill the chickens, so it may be time to get a better dog if you want to free range full time. Two dogs on hand ...are they out there 24/7? If not, it might be time to do that so they can do their job...if they will.

It can be done and done well with minimal losses, even in high pred areas, with the right dog and system on hand.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/bees-key-points-to-successful-and-safe-free-ranging.65895/

 

[Hinotori]

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

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

 

[Chic Rustler]

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

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

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

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Love your video @Chic Rustler! And, if you still have chickens your dog is doing a pretty good job! I don't blame you for keeping them penned when you're not there - I do the same thing but mostly to keep them out of the goat barn, lol.

Technically your birds aren't free range - so what? You are doing what works for you

Some LGD's guard birds - some don't. Some folks on here have "LGD's" that have to be kept on a run because they can't stay where they are supposed to be...

 

[Beekissed]

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

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

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

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

 

[Beekissed]

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

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

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

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

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

Jake will be missed forever here.

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

 

[Lazy Gardener]

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

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