Anybody rotating chickens

[DCA farm]

Looking at building a mobile hen house I can pull with tractor or truck . To rotate through all my pastures at my home place anybody doing this. Right now I just run the flock at the barn and they only venture so far im wanting to better utilize them. Something large enough for 250+ hens

 

[wbvs58]

My daughter had a brief stab at it but the work involved was a bit too much for her health. I could see green patches where they had been.

Ken

 

[DCA farm]

My daughter had a brief stab at it but the work involved was a bit too much for her health. I could see green patches where they had been.

Ken

The local menonite dairy I buy milk from rotates some chickens inside a electric netting I want mine to free range not be confined to a small area

 

[chaded]

I would like to but we have 2 pairs of red tailed hawks I'm sure would like for us to try it.

 

[mayesfarm]

I would like to but we have 2 pairs of red tailed hawks I'm sure would like for us to try it.

My kids tried to for a couple of years, but the hawks kept them bayed up in under the trailer that their chicken house was on. Just as soon as the hawks started harrassing them, they would all quit laying. Then it was back to the barn. Sold the hens to starve the hawks out!

 

[DCA farm]

I would like to but we have 2 pairs of red tailed hawks I'm sure would like for us to try it.

Chicken hawks make me wanna commit felony bird murder

 

[farmerjan]

I ran pastured layers, free range for 3 years and sold eggs. I wound up with problems with the resident EAGLES. A young eagle that was just getting his color carried off a hen nearly every day and I lost 122 that summer... a hawk I would be willing to shoot (yep illegal to do so) but they were putting chips in the eagles in the area... so I quit. I had an old camper trailer we redid inside and put nest boxes and roost poles and a vinyl (linoleum type) on the floor and they were locked in at night to discourage raccoons and foxes and possums... we pulled it around different parts of the pasture and they did a good job of scratching up the cow patties and such. They only ventured a couple hundred feet from the mobile chicken coop-trailer... so we moved it around more.
There are a few people that I have heard of keeping an LGD with their chickens and some are much more tolerant of the chickens that others and don't bother them... they will protect against predators... But no one that i know lets them totally free range due to not being able to keep the predators away.

 

[BFE]

I had a red tail at my house this afternoon. Apparently he's been there before, the Guineas started squawking pretty hard. He's bold, flew from one tree to another when he seen me, didn't fly off. Let's just say I'll be keeping an eye on him.

 

[DCA farm]

I had a red tail at my house this afternoon. Apparently he's been there before, the Guineas started squawking pretty hard. He's bold, flew from one tree to another when he seen me, didn't fly off. Let's just say I'll be keeping an eye on him.

Bought some chick guineas last week be curious to see how they are

 

[sstterry]

My daughter had a brief stab at it but the work involved was a bit too much for her health. I could see green patches where they had been.

The local menonite dairy I buy milk from rotates some chickens inside a electric netting I want mine to free range not be confined to a small area

There is a couple on YouTube that has, what they call a chicken moat. They have double fencing all the way around a pasture (about 5-6ft wide) and every so often they have curved and covered cattle panels for shade and protection from birds of prey.

That doesn't help you with the fertilization, but still seems handy. Do you process all those birds or are they for eggs?

 

[BFE]

Bought some chick guineas last week be curious to see how they are

They're the dumbest animal on earth until they get fully grown, then they're pretty much self sufficient.

Guineas are to the poultry world what mules/donkeys are to the equine world. People either love them or hate them, and they have a small but loyal following.

 

[Redgully]

They're the dumbest animal on earth until they get fully grown, then they're pretty much self sufficient.

Guineas are to the poultry world what mules/donkeys are to the equine world. People either love them or hate them, and they have a small but loyal following.

Prehistoric creatures for sure. We have about 20, not seen a snake on the property since we've had them, about 15 years now. Unfortunately they don't eat snails.

 

[DCA farm]

There is a couple on YouTube that has, what they call a chicken moat. They have double fencing all the way around a pasture (about 5-6ft wide) and every so often they have curved and covered cattle panels for shade and protection from birds of prey.

That doesn't help you with the fertilization, but still seems handy. Do you process all those birds or are they for eggs?

Small egg operation. My wife and I run. We just bought 50 more pullets to raise up and I may another 100 next month

 

[DCA farm]

They're the dumbest animal on earth until they get fully grown, then they're pretty much self sufficient.

Guineas are to the poultry world what mules/donkeys are to the equine world. People either love them or hate them, and they have a small but loyal following.

A freind of mine probably has 100 of them. I bought 5 grown ones they flew off soon as I turned them loose never to be seen again. So I figured I'd buy chicks and raise them.

 

[farmerjan]

Guineas are great for eating bugs...TICKS..... foraging. They are great watch dogs if you can stand to listen to them. They are dumber than dumb about some things. Do a lousy job of raising their own young. They will roost on an open fence at night and are easy picking for an owl. And they will pick a leader and follow anywhere... even when home raised.. If you can deal with the sometimes clueless behavior, they are fine. I have nothing against them and will have a few more once I get things fixed up the way I want here.

 

[coachg]

Not on that scale but I have smaller chicken tractors/ portable coops with laying boxes that I run 6-10 laying hens in . I move them every 4-5 days with my side by side . Each tractor/ pen is on wheels .Fox are my big problem.

 

[Travlr]

I ran pastured layers, free range for 3 years and sold eggs. I wound up with problems with the resident EAGLES. A young eagle that was just getting his color carried off a hen nearly every day and I lost 122 that summer... a hawk I would be willing to shoot (yep illegal to do so) but they were putting chips in the eagles in the area... so I quit. I had an old camper trailer we redid inside and put nest boxes and roost poles and a vinyl (linoleum type) on the floor and they were locked in at night to discourage raccoons and foxes and possums... we pulled it around different parts of the pasture and they did a good job of scratching up the cow patties and such. They only ventured a couple hundred feet from the mobile chicken coop-trailer... so we moved it around more.
There are a few people that I have heard of keeping an LGD with their chickens and some are much more tolerant of the chickens that others and don't bother them... they will protect against predators... But no one that i know lets them totally free range due to not being able to keep the predators away.

I'm no expert on the laws protecting wildlife, but always assumed a livestock owner has the right to protect their animals...

Is that not the case with eagles? Are eagles protected regardless of predating on livestock? I've seen an eagle take down an adult antelope, so I'd have to assume it would be capable of taking down a calf or sheep. That would be tough to take if eagles get a pass as they take livestock.

 

[Travlr]

Prehistoric creatures for sure. We have about 20, not seen a snake on the property since we've had them, about 15 years now. Unfortunately they don't eat snails.

Ducks eat snails...

 

[farmerjan]

Federal laws on birds of prey... you cannot LEGALLY shoot any hawks, eagles, buzzards, owls... that is part of what the big hullabaloo is about with these DA#@ED black mexican vultures.... because they will attack a calf/cow not just there to clean up a carcass. There was a case of someone shooting some bald eagles in a county west of here... because they had been attacking some calves and lambs... came up dead, and no one of course is claiming to have shot them. I am not sure if there was ever a charge brought against anyone. They will put you under the jail if caught shooting or disposing of an eagle.
There are states that have gotten waivers to shoot the black buzzards... at least they are not chipped.. and many wind up just disappearing around here.

 

[Travlr]

A freind of mine probably has 100 of them. I bought 5 grown ones they flew off soon as I turned them loose never to be seen again. So I figured I'd buy chicks and raise them.

I bought some adult ducks at an auction once, and turned them loose at one of my ponds. They seemed very happy, really excited to have the pond to play in... but when I went in the house and came out about twenty minutes later the ducks were gone.

I toured the valley to see if I could find them and nothing... and just to cover all my bases I climbed the hill back of the house because there was a pond up there. The ducks were having a blast in that little pond, a quarter of a mile from the pond by the house. So I herded the ducks back down the hill and fed them some grain to get them in a coop. That's when I learned that it's best to contain new animals (cows included) for several days before turning them loose at a new-to-them home.