Menu
Forums
New posts
Search forums
What's new
New posts
New media
New media comments
New profile posts
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Members
Current visitors
New profile posts
Search profile posts
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles and first posts only
Search titles only
By:
New posts
Search forums
Menu
Log in
Register
Forums
Non-Cattle Specific Topics
Every Thing Else Board
chickens.
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Help Support CattleToday:
Message
<blockquote data-quote="livestock101" data-source="post: 376892" data-attributes="member: 6129"><p>Here's our experience. We were given 4 bantams. I put them in the large coop with our 70+ heavy breeds, hoping the others wouldnt pick on them too much. After a couple days, I let the bantams out into the run and they immediately flew over the 6' fence and right up 40' high in a tree. At that point I figured, if you want to sleep in the tree, DO IT! They became our barn chickens.</p><p></p><p>I have NEVER fed them at all. At night, they head to the barn to roost either in a rafter or on the hay stacks. They wander the property during the day eating grass, bugs, etc. They'll head out in to the pasture and I have seen them digging through manure piles. They lay eggs all over the place. If I disturb their nest too much, they move it and then I'm on another egg hunt. When I finally find it, it's usually stuffed with 20+ eggs which I just stomp on for the barn cats to eat. I have never offered them oyster shell and their egg shells are so hard that when you throw the eggs on the ground, they will bounce. I have to step on them with my boot to break them. I normally dont collect their eggs to eat, as I usually can't find the nest for days at a time. We just found the most recent nest after looking for it for a week now. They are laying under the loading chute.</p><p></p><p>These 4 bantam hens are 2 1/2 years old and are laying 3 eggs a day on average. They have been our hardiest chickens, hands down. Shells are harder than the coop chickens that have access to oyster shell 24/7. </p><p></p><p>As far as predators, we've lost other birds to skunks, fox etc but these 4 bantams have done well. I dont know if it's because they are a bit more wild than the coop birds or what. You get too close them and they fly off FAST. And with them roosting so high at night, they are pretty safe. </p><p></p><p>I think it's possible to free range certain chickens but heavy breeds like we have in the coop would be fox food in no time.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="livestock101, post: 376892, member: 6129"] Here's our experience. We were given 4 bantams. I put them in the large coop with our 70+ heavy breeds, hoping the others wouldnt pick on them too much. After a couple days, I let the bantams out into the run and they immediately flew over the 6' fence and right up 40' high in a tree. At that point I figured, if you want to sleep in the tree, DO IT! They became our barn chickens. I have NEVER fed them at all. At night, they head to the barn to roost either in a rafter or on the hay stacks. They wander the property during the day eating grass, bugs, etc. They'll head out in to the pasture and I have seen them digging through manure piles. They lay eggs all over the place. If I disturb their nest too much, they move it and then I'm on another egg hunt. When I finally find it, it's usually stuffed with 20+ eggs which I just stomp on for the barn cats to eat. I have never offered them oyster shell and their egg shells are so hard that when you throw the eggs on the ground, they will bounce. I have to step on them with my boot to break them. I normally dont collect their eggs to eat, as I usually can't find the nest for days at a time. We just found the most recent nest after looking for it for a week now. They are laying under the loading chute. These 4 bantam hens are 2 1/2 years old and are laying 3 eggs a day on average. They have been our hardiest chickens, hands down. Shells are harder than the coop chickens that have access to oyster shell 24/7. As far as predators, we've lost other birds to skunks, fox etc but these 4 bantams have done well. I dont know if it's because they are a bit more wild than the coop birds or what. You get too close them and they fly off FAST. And with them roosting so high at night, they are pretty safe. I think it's possible to free range certain chickens but heavy breeds like we have in the coop would be fox food in no time. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Forums
Non-Cattle Specific Topics
Every Thing Else Board
chickens.
Top