Adventures in Free Ranging & a stupid mistake.

We have been discussing the prospect of letting the chickens free range for a couple of weeks. This past Thursday we were both home and I pushed for giving it a try. Pup was nervous and kept trying to put it off. He is/was nervous about predators, both wild and our cats/dogs.

It started almost by accident. Roo escaped while he was putting the hens in the tractors. I told him to let Roo go. He just wanted to keep an eye on his hens. He followed and hung out by the tractors, happy as a clam...or rooster could be. Ninny somehow escaped the tractor. I think she actually figured out how to open the door enough to get out. She might be the runt but she is a clever little runt! I told Pup to let her stay out to test the whole free range idea.

The cats watched intently and maybe stalked a little but Roo kept them away. Pup looked on the verge of a panic attack. 

Pup (in one of his diversions to NOT let them free range) said we were doing it all backwards. That we should let them start out from the coop so they would know where to go back to roost. So I suggested he move them all back to the coop and let them go from there. He grumbled a lot but agreed to it. In the process of moving them more escaped so he just let them all free. 

I herded them back towards the coop and let them explore.

 We kept a close eye on them. Pup even suggested we sit out there and watch them to be sure they were safe. Luckily the weather is gorgeous and that is what we did. We watched and laughed as the cats and kittens watched them intently. Crouching in the bushes to observe their every move. Running out every once in a while in an attempt to attack and quickly realizing the hens were not afraid and would chase them back! I think they know better than to even attempt it with Roo! He doesn't play those games.

They wandered around the outside of the coop then ventured out into the yard. They slowly explored all around the house, the edge of the woods and the barn,

It surprised me how they all stick together and Roo never lets them get too far from him. This reassured me some. He is doing his job, protecting them.

We had no problems with the cats actually attacking them and Havoc completely ignored them. I think the episode of him getting caught attacking the tractor stuck with him and he has learned his lesson.













Around 4 pm they all began heading towards the coop for the night. Pup herded them a little but they were ready to go back in and get settled in for the night. We were both concerned that getting them back in might be a challenge. 

We have let them free range every day since and so far so good. They seem to love it and now they rush to the door to get to go out in the yard but still come back to the coop in the late afternoon.

Pup is not quite as nervous about it. I have to admit I kind of miss that panicked look on his face. He doesn't have that look too often! I giggle every time I think about it! 

And now for an admission to y'all. We made such a tremendously stupid mistake and just realized it. (Even more stupidly)

When we were determining where to put the coop I didn't really care other than I wanted it fairly close to the house for security reasons. Pup picked a spot by the barn and fairly close to the house. He did a great job on the coop! He built it next to a big tree so they would have some shade during our hot summer days. We forgot one major thing though. Chickens NEED sun to lay eggs. The more sun the better. The calcium will not work to make the eggs without it. 

They were/are basically getting no direct sunlight.

DOH! 

The free ranging will help with that but also have to move the coop. We were already planning on doing that for other reasons but now we have to do it soon!

One of the purposes of this blog was to keep track of our successes and our mistakes and to maybe help others from making the same mistakes. 

This was a doozy! You have been warned! LOL

Sunday update

Last weekend was the big Halloween party. Great fun with wonderful friends in amazing costumes. It can't get a whole lot better than that!

This weekend was for relaxing and spending some time with Ayiana. We watched horror movies and munched on popcorn.

CHICKEN ALERT! CHICKEN ALERT! 

Okay, false alarm! LOL There is really not a lot of news on the chickens. 

They eat. He crows. He rapes. They bicker. 

So far the radio playing out in the barn all the time seems to be keeping the predators away. 

The meal worms are growing fast and the chickens LOVE them. So much so that they don't want anything else! They hate the laying feed and tolerate the cracked corn/oyster shell mixture. Meal worms make them happy, happy, happy! 

We do have one or possibly two barred rocks that are laying now...but the Americauna that was laying has decided not to anymore! Sheesh! 

We are discussing letting them free range. Yes, seems like crazy talk, right? Considering that Cinder decided to climb on top of the chicken tractor while I was out there we have some hesitation. I think it would be good for them and they would be happier if allowed out during the day and brought into the coop at night. 

I think the animals would get used to them if they were free to roam and possibly fight back. I also think it might be better to wait until we have a few more. That way if we do lose a few in the process we would still have plenty left.

All of the cats enjoy running through the tall grass when we wander around the yard or garden. 

I love pumpkins & Fall weather! 

A good friend passed on an article about how crushed pumpkin seeds are good as a natural dewormer for the chickens. Very interesting and I'm going to give it a try for sure after some Jack-O-Lanterns appear!

The bark of the Crepe Myrtles grabbed my attention this afternoon. I might like them better without leaves and flowers and just the bare bark showing so beautifully.

A good friend put up a couple of cameras out on the back acres of our property. Yes, he is doing it for selfish reasons (he wants to kill Bambi daddys) but I truly appreciate it and am enjoying finally being able to see what wildlife roams out there.

This herd was a wonderful surprise! We have seen a few bucks but this batch was all does. 

Lazy Saturday before a busy week

It is a lazy Saturday before a very busy week. My sister and brother-in-law are headed down for Cruisin the Coast. Maybe one of my favorite times of the year. After threats of a tropical storm that has been dissolved the week should be perfect for Cruising weather.

The girls are in the tractors. Enjoying insects, grass and some worms we are growing for them. I found the idea on one of the chicken blogs I frequent and it is working out beautifully. They love the meal worms & the bird seed.

It is kind of hard to see them but they are all in the bird seed.

To grow the worms you buy a bag of cheap wild bird seed. Add about 6 cups of water and seal back up. Let it sit for several weeks. The initial instructions said to add a cup of water every week but we have not done that. Voila! Meal worms are all mixed in the seeds. More and more will grow but we are now able to give the chickens 2 or 3 cups a day.

This helps supplement their food but best of all they love it! We give them seeds & worms together. When this first batch is about half gone we will start a new bag so that it is ready by the time we run out.

GENIUS!

We are still only getting eggs from one hen. The others have got to start soon! Do I need to buy another dozen eggs from the store? I don't want to but one egg every day or two is really not quite enough. Waiting is very frustrating! Just saying!

We have some new friends. These sweet boys live down the street and stop in every so often while out running in the woods. They are young Great Pyrenees and are about the sweetest huge dogs you will ever meet.

It amazes me how small Havoc looks next to them. Havoc is a big dog but next to them...not so much.

Their mom (owner) says they chased a bear off of her back porch, were gone for 2 days. She hasn't seen the bear since!

They built a huge wooden fence with  range fence added but it doesn't even slow them down.

Pup told her he fed them a little bit. She said "They don't eat a little bit!" LOL

Wonderful boys. I look forward to future visits. I need to find out their names!

Cinder was posing on the deck this morning. He is such a strange cat. He rarely cleans himself like most cats do. He comes in with leaves, spider webs and dirt all in his shaggy hair. He could care less.

He is a little slow or "special". LOL He finds the food or treats always about 3 minutes after everyone else. Even if it is right in front of him.

When people come over to visit or stay with us he is no where to be found. He disappears like a ninja. As soon as they leave he is climbing into our lap for mass sessions of loving and purring.

He loves to be loved on but wants nothing to do with anyone but us.

I call him FuzzButt most of the time.

Gavin took some great pics of rainbows on our way home Thursday!

These were double rainbows but it is hard to see the second one.