07-06-2013, 02:33 PM
We use a homemade chicken tractor on the front lawn when the little chicks are ready to come out of the brooder. We move it every day and have never had to fertilize the lawn. When the chickens are big enough we put them with the flock. They have free range of the property but pretty much stick to within earshot. They forage their own food all day long. At night we feed them inside the one of these: http://www.homedepot.com/p/K-9-Kwik-Dog-...djsXrR6fok which have guava branches ran throughout t so that they have a place to roost. It is fitted with a 10x10 DIY tarp/conduit roof and 3 sides of the kennel are shaded with tarp. It is light enough for two people to move. We use communal nest boxes like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PBnLaQxurA
Throughout the day the hens return to the nest boxes and lay eggs. We collect eggs 4-5 times per day. They are all trained to go into the kennel hen house at dusk to get their dinner. If we wait too long they roost in trees around the hen house. We have various watering stations throughout the property. We had a brief problem with mongoose and trapped them. It's a good idea to have traps set all the time. Our cats or dog does kill the occasional rat, but so far rats have not been a problem.
The key thing is to get a small flock of hens that know how the free range concept works. Then when you add new chickens they follow the flock. Those little hutches are fine products for a handful of hens but for the same price worth of supplies and free ranging you can have dozens. If that is something you want to do.
Throughout the day the hens return to the nest boxes and lay eggs. We collect eggs 4-5 times per day. They are all trained to go into the kennel hen house at dusk to get their dinner. If we wait too long they roost in trees around the hen house. We have various watering stations throughout the property. We had a brief problem with mongoose and trapped them. It's a good idea to have traps set all the time. Our cats or dog does kill the occasional rat, but so far rats have not been a problem.
The key thing is to get a small flock of hens that know how the free range concept works. Then when you add new chickens they follow the flock. Those little hutches are fine products for a handful of hens but for the same price worth of supplies and free ranging you can have dozens. If that is something you want to do.