Review: Free Range

Our first chickens were free range.

For our new chickens we decided against this.

There were some good things about free ranging, but many bad. These are some of the reasons.


The Good:
   One thing I loved about having a free range flock was being able to always see the chickens. They could also always see us. They loved looking through the back door and watching us.

They also just looked so happy roaming around in the yard.

The Bad:

Poop. Just poop.

Also, when free ranging the chickens completely destroyed our lawn.

Our lawn when we first got the chicks.

Our lawn after they grew up. 

   And the obvious. Predators. Hawks were the initial problem.
   After the first attack we hung pie plates from fishing wire across the yard. This was completely ineffective and horribly ugly. Because of that reason I do not have any pictures of this stage of the free range.
   Even when we partly covered a smaller area, Sunny died.

This was still pretty ugly.

We had to completely cover a small enclosure. Then the fox got in. You just can't win sometimes...


I will see you next week!

Coop Part 3: Home Sweet Home

Speckles trying to sample my camera.

Sorry, totally unrelated but just very cute!

   Once the chicks grew too big for their box brooder, we moved them to a dog crate we had for when our dogs were puppies. We put this in our mudroom rather than our guest room (they were starting to get pretty messy).

You can see it in the background of these pictures.

   After they outgrew that, we quickly finished up a few things in the coop and moved them out there.

 They did not like the gravel at first. 

   At first we just had them out in the coop during the day and brought them back inside at night. Unfortunately, I eventually had to accept they they grew up and let them sleep outside.


   Now on to the pen! A lot of thought went into this pen. Much like the coop my family all had ideas about it. We ended up seeing someone else's pen and adapting the idea.

   We started with electric fencing. This is for the foxes. We had to drive more than an hour to pick it up at Wellscroft Farm. 

   The second part of the pen consists of posts buried in the ground. They have holes drilled in the top and fishing line strung between them. Then netting, also from Wellscroft, was put on top. We were able to buy a fifty foot by fifty foot piece, which was very helpful.

This part is mostly for hawks.

We let the chickens out in their brand new big pen last week. 

   We had built a big secure pen that the chickens loved. I was very proud of myself. For about an hour. That's when the chicks learned that they could get through the electric fencing. If they went very quickly they could avoid the shock and get through. (Sigh.)

   I guess the big pen will have to wait...

   Now if you have read my bio (to the right), you will know I am a high school student. Unfortunately, school will be starting next week. I am going to still post every week but, the posts may get shorter. Just a heads up.

The Penny, Piper, Poppy Problem

   Once I ordered the chicks and I could stop obsessing about what breeds to get, I had find something else to obsess about. The chicks' names was what I settled on. A lot of thinking went into some of the names and here are the reasons for them.

Sleepy (Penny):

   Sleepy's original name, Penny, was about her coloring (when she grew up). She is a Double Laced Barnevelder so she will grow up to be a shiny black and brown.

   However, when we got her she was falling asleep on her feet. I wasn't able to identify to identify her breed right away, so we started calling her Sleepy as a name place holder. And well... the name stuck!

Nutmeg:
   Nutmeg's name is also about her grown-up coloring. She is a Welsummer so she will be varying shades of brown.

Raven:

   This name has two reasons. The first is the obvious. Color. She is an Australorp, so entirely black.

   The second reason comes from a movie. "X-Men: Days of Future Past" to be exact. I saw it close to the time I got the chicks and I loved Jennifer Lawrence's character, Raven.
   Before I saw the movie I was going to name this chick Poppy. A black body and a red comb, the same colors as the flower.
   This brings up the Penny, Piper, Poppy Problem. I loved these three names, but I didn't want so many names starting with the letter "P". As I said before, I ended up ruling out Poppy for Raven. I think it suites her better anyway!

Daisy:

   Our Orpington's name, Daisy, comes from a illustrated children's book. The book is Jan Brett's, Daisy Comes Home. Jan Brett one of my favorite authors. This particular book follows a brave hen in China, whose name is, you guessed it, Daisy. It is an adorable book with amazing illustrations and I am glad I can remember it through my Daisy.
   I thought the chicken in the book looked most like an Orpington, so that is why this chick got this name.

Olive:

   Olive is the same breed as my late Hazel. This name is in remembrance of her. Both green names, both red birds.

 

Olive

Olive

Olive

Hazel

Piper:

   This name came from a book. The Lost Hero, by Rick Riordan. I loved one of the characters, Piper. Also, for some reason the name suites her puffy cheeks.

Lizzie:

   This is yet another book name. This comes from the Gregor The Overlander series by Suzanne Collins. Lizzie is the main character's sister and reminds me of myself in some ways.

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Speckles:

   This name is color, color, color. She is a Speckled Sussex. Speckled. Her feathers are going to be dark brown with white tips.

This is where Speckles stepped on my camera. (Sigh).

   Hope to see you next week! Bye!