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.

Field Trip

   When the chicks were four days old, we brought them outside for the first time. They were probably too young, but they had way too much energy. I expected them to be tried all the time. In fact, they have running back and forth in their brooder.
   Once in a while, one chick will tear a piece from the paper towel on the bottom of the brooder. Then, they will run around while the others chase them for it.
   So anyway, they definitely needed a field trip.

Raven was the first one to walk on the grass

They were all obviously very nervous. At first they were trying to get back in the box I brought them out in.

Then I started talking to them and this happened.

I love these chicks and apparently... they love me too!