Free Range Chickens

Free range chickens, also known as pastured chickens refer to birds that are allowed to roam outdoors with access to fresh vegetation, sunshine and exercise space. Moreover, free range chickens hare not chemically treated (with antibiotics for instance).

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The benefits of free range chickens include the fact that they

• provide natural free mature from stool, fallen feathers and egg shells
• eat rotting fruit

  

  Free range chickens eating a rotting mango.
• provide a constant source of food from eggs, even if you do not have a rooster (ie a male chicken)
• lower feeding costs because they roam. Free range chickens require less store-bought feed as they roam and feast on insects and fruits within the natural environment.
• are healthier and produce more nutritious eggs. Research shows that free range chickens are healthier both physically and mentally. Eggs from free range chickens have been found to not only have less cholesterol and fat but more vitamins A and E and omega 3 fatty acids (than eggs from conventionally raised chickens).
• are a form of natural pest control as far as slugs go

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To raise free range chickens, you will need:

• Roaming space and coop that provides ample space per chicken. This will help to prevent diseases
• An appropriate location for the chicken coop that offers ideal conditions 
• ventilation. An easy way of dealing with this is use chicken wire as walls in part or entirely.
• natural light (see notes below regarding light)
• A roof that provides shelter from the sun and rain
• Ground-to-roof fencing to keep chickens safely inside and predators out, especially at night
• A constant water supply. You should never run out of water.
• A feeder. As shown in our 'free range chicken' videos, a tire cut in half is very common.
• A perch (aka roost). As pictured immediately below, a perch is a safe, elevated place where the chickens can sit at night to sleep. Although a nice-to-have option, chickens love perches. They are a great substitute for branches in the wild. Consider the perch a an element with multiple functions, you may also consider it a way to encourage chickens to excrete in a specific place, ie over a 'poop board' from which you can collect natural, free organic fertilizer. (See another free source of natural fertilizer you already have at home, even without a chicken coop).
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• A 'poop board'. This is essentially a surface onto which chickens excrete. Place the poop board directly under the perch to save yourself considerable cleaning time. I think it makes sense to make it from an easy-to-clean material so you can collect the stool as natural, free manure. (See another free source of natural fertilizer you already have at home, even without a chicken coop). I think a smooth surface that is slanted to make it easy to collect in a bucket or bag is ideal.
• Nesting aka brooding boxes, roughly 1 box for 2 to 5 chickens. (Learn about brooding below).  
• Have more boxes is ideal if your objective is to raise new chicks. This is so since brooding hens (of fertilized eggs) are often best allowed to tend to only a few eggs that will hatch at the same time. Do not allow too many other hens to lay eggs in a broody's nest as those additional eggs may become neglected if the broodie's older eggs hatch in advance of the newer ones. For ideal brooding conditions, boxes should be relatively warm, dark and peaceful. For warmth, there should be some form of comfortable bedding like straw. The bedding should be between 6 and 12 inches thick. Each box should be roughly 12"*12"*12" and roughly 15" off the ground. Having hens share boxes to this extent is ideal since hens are content to lay eggs with other eggs. (BTW, brooding boxes are necessary, even if you do not have a rooster because hens lay eggs regardless. When hens have not mated, the eggs will be unfertilized, ie they will not produce chickens). NB the bedding will eventually breakdown and can also be collected for your composting projects. Read more about composting.
• If your objective is to get eggs, you may have less boxes to chickens.
• Brood breaker cage. This cage may be the same as the cage for isolating a hen with her clutch of chicks from the flock.

  

  Enclaved cage within the chicken coop that may be used as a brood breaker. It is ideal as a brood breaker because its base has chicken wire (that allows the broody hen's breast to cool down), it allows more light and sight of non-broody activities (which discourage broodiness). 
• Cages with doors within the coop to isolate hens with chicks you might wish to protect from free ranging until the chicks are sufficiently mature
• Low wattage light with a timer if the lighting is inadequate (something that seldom applies in the tropics).

Since chickens need roughly 14 hours of daylight in order to release an egg, it may take a few days before they are able to lay in low light conditions. Consequently, additional light may be used to accelerate the process in low light conditions. However, if light is placed in the coop for extended periods, research suggests artificial light can dangerously deprive hens of the rest that their bodies crave and need, ie roughly 6 to 8 hours of darkness. Specifically, their bodies become worm out in the long run. For instance, hens may suffer ovarian cancer and vent prolapse (a possibly painful but correctable condition in which the oviduct is pushed outwards).

In that case, if you wish to use lights, install timers to allow the chickens to rest through the required 6 to 8 hours of darkness.

Furthermore, take as many safety precautions as possible to avoid a fire. Here are some examples.

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• Place the bulb away from any water source
• Ensure sockets can securely hold bulbs despite any chickens that may fly by the light.
• Use a light with a timer
• Consider using translucent roofing or other forms of allowing more natural light into the chicken coop
• The light should go out without a sudden shock from light to dark (because chickens do not see well in the dark and can become disoriented by drastic changes in light conditions). For instance, set the light to come on during pre-dawn hours so that, when it goes out, there is no sudden shock.
• Use a very low wattage bulb of roughly 25 to 35 watts for a small coop like the one in this video.

Another approach is to simply avoid artificial light and consider eggs as any other crop with a high season in the sunnier periods and other conditions. With this approach, you may prefer to avoid any form of artificial lighting altogether for the long term health and welbeing of the chicken and, by extension, their eggs.

• Dust bath box. Although this is not absolutely necessary, it is very nice-to-have element. Perhaps broodie hens will use it and minimize the potential health risks they face by remaining inside the coop.
• Feed. A rule of thumb is to feed roughly 0.25 pound per chicken. This feed is placed in the feeders. However, you may want to also throw some on the ground of the chicken run to allow the chickens to perform the natural habit of scratching the ground for their food. Monitor how well they finish their feed to determine whether you are providing enough food.
• A chicken run. A chicken run is an open air, uncovered annex of a chicken coop that, although fenced around with chicken wire, allows chickens to experience the outdoors. This is also not a must-have but useful for giving chickens a better quality of life.
• Chickens. Get the chickens only after setting up their new home for optimal management. Consider your objectives as follows. 
• If you want to fertilize eggs, you will need to have at least one rooster (ie a male chicken) and hens, especially types that are renowned to be broodie like Buff orphingtons (ie a heritage breed that produces brown eggs), '(Barred) Plymouth Rock' (a heritage breed that produces brown eggs), Silkies and cochins. To a lesser extent, Brahmas are also broodie. 
• If you only want eggs, collect only female chickens (hens) and consider avoiding the types that are less broodie. Favorites include heritage breeds like 'the mild-natured and friendly black Australorps (a heritage breed that produces light brown eggs) and 'Buff orpingtons' and '(Barred) Plymouth Rock'. Buff orphingtons are renowned as great backyard chickens for superior medium to large brown egg laying and mothering. (The most broodie types to avoid include silkies, cochins and, to a lesser lesser extent, brahmas).

Brooding, identifying broodiness, why & how to break broodiness

Brooding is a natural maternal instinct to remain seated on eggs until they are hatched. Brooding is caused and intensified by hormones, darkness, warmth in the breast or belly and other factors. Brooding occurs over a gestation period of approximately 3 weeks. 

However, when eggs are not fertilized, brooding hens are encouraged out of their persistent broodiness for their health and well-being.

How to identify broody hens

• A hen that has become broody will suddenly spend nearly all of her time on the nest, except when she gets up once or twice to do other necessary activities like feeding and defecating. She is unlikely to remain off her eggs for more than 30 minutes at a time. In fact, she may be so committed to her nest that she might minimize her time away from it by performing those other activities all at once (because she will not dirty the nest for the clutch she is expecting). (BTW, brooders will sit not only on her own eggs but also those laid by other hens (and subsequently raise the chicks as her own). 
• Broodies may pluck their breast feathers to better warm the eggs and or chicks. 
• She may also become more aggressive than normal to anyone approaching the nest. See a broodie hen protective protest when someone attempts to disrupt her brooding.
• A hen that disappears (for roughly 3 weeks) is likely to have laid her eggs in a hiding area.

When breaking broodiness is necessary

If the eggs are unfertilized, it is best for the health and welbeing of the hen and flock to break the broodiness. For instance, although brooding for 21 days every now and then may not harm her severely, continuous and protracted instances can be detrimental. For instance, broodies lose weight and generally take or get less care of themselves. Broodies may become more susceptible than usual to parasite infestations under her feathers. Additionally, broodies will stop producing eggs and even inspire other hens to also become broody.

How to break broodiness

Hens have individual predispositions to different methods. 

• Remove eggs or other brooding hens out of sight
• Barricade the brooding boxes so that potential broodies will not get comfortable and warm in them. 
• Place the broody into a brood-breaker, ie a wire-bottomed cage that is raised off the ground. This helps to encourage the hen's breast temperature to cool down. Additionally, the brood-breaker should be well-lit, which also inhibits broodiness
• Use a combination of breeds. Some breeds are more predisposed to broodiness than others. 
• Expect the broodiness to break within an average of 1 to 2 days
• Allow other chickens to break the broody trance that hens go into. See Youtube video of broody hen in a trance and how others in her flock peck at her to break the trance.

When & how to encourage successful broodiness (of fertilized eggs)

• See above (in the list of chicken coop requirements) regarding the ideal conditions for brooding boxes.
• As much as possible, avoid disturbing a broody hen and her eggs. In the event you must, do so with care. If too flustered, the hen may abandon her role altogether. In that case, it is best to have the new site fully prepared with food bowl, water, straw and so on before the transfer. Transfer the broody by holding her wings about her body to prevent her from thrashing about and hurting herself. Do not set her directly onto the eggs when placing her in the new site because she may accidentally break the eggs in her resistant struggle against being relocated. 
• You can add and remove eggs from her brood. However, do so when she is away eating. You can give a broody eggs to hatch from other hens. However, choose to do so when you are sure she is already committed. Her commitment is clear after she has been sitting for at least 1 week.
• If, for some reason, you want to maintain the broodiness beyond the 3-week gestation period, place infertile eggs or golf balls under the broody. There are many cases in which broodiness persisted for a period of 3 months. Remain mindful of the potential health risks of overextending broodiness (like the hen's reduced self care). See the section regarding artificial light.
• Since some broodies are extremely committed, you may need to remove her from her eggs to ensure she eats and drinks.
• Record the date that fertilized eggs were laid. 
• You may check the eggs of newbie broodies. However, do so only when the broodie is away from the eggs. Newbie brooder hens may be unaware of bad eggs (which can eventually explode underneath a brooding hen). An experienced broodie will usually kick away bad eggs. To check whether the eggs are good, you can smell them to ensure they do not smell rotten. Otherwise, you may look at the eggs and expect that veins and body parts will begin to show if the eggs are held in front of a bright light by about day 10.
• If you are tending to a new broodie, it is useful to have a backup broodie to adopt the clutch in the unlikely event brooding does not go smoothly.

Chicks

Consider the social dynamics in the chicken coop and the farm outside of the coop to determine when to integrate or isolate the chicks with or from the rest of the flock. 

The advantages of integrating the hen and her chicks include ensuring that the broody's life is not disrupted, the chicks get to socialize with the rest of the flock and get a varied diet of bugs and other foraged food. The disadvantages of integration is that the entire flock will need to be given starter feed since chicks can not eat 'layer pellets'. Furthermore, chicks are targets for predators and even other chickens.

If you have the space for extra cages and are uncertain how well integrating the chicks into the flock will be, isolate the hen along with her chicks and feed them a special diet. 

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As a variation to this, you might partly isolate the hen and her brood by integrating them only with the rest of the flock but not the outside of the coop. You might choose this approach because of other farm animals for instance.

Read the mother hen's behavior to know when it is time to integrate the chicks with the rest of the flock. Mother hens will teach chicks very efficiently until they have learnt key survival methods like sitting on the perch at night and integrating with the rest of the flock. If you separated a mother hen and her chicks from the rest of the flocks, know that she is ready to be fully integrated with the rest of the flock when she begins to leave her brood during the day. Sometimes, she even pecks at them if they try to follow her when she is ready for them to leave.

Farm Dogs & Chickens that do not immediately re-enter into the coop

The video shows my first of 2 times caring for the chickens alone. On the 2nd occasion, I could not get one of the chickens to return inside the coop. It is unlike the others which are tame enough to be handled. While I went from one angle to the next trying to coax it into the coop, the farm dog, a massive pit bull quietly watched me. Then, at one point, the dog bolted forward with a bark. I was stunned. Unknown to me, as she lay in silence in a darkening corner, she had been watching my feeble attempts and understood my objective. She acted when both my and her positions were optimal to encourage the bird right towards and through the door. What a feat! Being new to a farm like this, I was impressed and eternally grateful to the dog. 

Chickens that you can not find even after night fall

I happened to be around one night when the usual caretaker forgot to round up the birds on time. The same bird was nowhere to be found. All attempts to find her were futile and we worried that the many snakes and other forms of wildlife might have killed her. However, she reappeared from whatever safe place she had found to return to the normal routine the following day. We arrived at the conclusion that natural instinct guided her to a safe high point for that cold foggy night. 

The Routine (of the farm I visited) See our 'free range chickens' videos

• 0730 hrs (only part not recorded on video)
• Feed the chickens roughly 4 cups of corn-based feed
• Remove all except 1 egg
• If you have a hen with young (about 3 weeks old and older) that overnight in an enclaved cage, the hen and her young may be let out to roam with the other hens. (Read above regarding separating and or integrating 'chicks')
• If you have a rooster, hens will lay fertilized eggs (which, unlike unfertlized eggs, can develop into chicks). You will need to develop a system to avoid opening an egg to see a half formed chick.  Refrigerate eggs to halt the development of chicks; 'candle' ie shine a light from the back side of the egg to inspect it for irregularities. BTW, blood clots do not necessarily indicate a fertlized egg. Rather, they may indicate a vitamin A deficiency or genetic irregularity.
• Inspect the chickens to ensure they are all healthy and moving around safely

• 1230 hrs
• Let the chickens out of the coop
• Leave the door open for brooding hens that want to return early
• If you choose to isolate a mother hen and chicks, you may feed and leave them in an enclaved cage within the coop. (See the section above about 'chicks' for more on deciding whether to isolate or integrate chicks from or with the rest of the flock of free range chickens).

• While the chickens roam
• Clean and refill water feeders, check for eggs (see video)
• Check for and tend to broodie hens. Watch a video of a broodie hen (not wanting to be disturbed from brooding over unfertilized eggs)
• Keep an eye on where the free range chickens roam  (see video)
• Keep an eye out for places where hens may lay eggs because they can lay eggs in a place susceptible to predators
  

• 1630 or whenever heavy rain clouds gather  (see video)
• Let the chickens in again
• Feed them again, roughly 3 cups of feed

CONTENT RELATED TO FREE RANGE CHICKENS

• Another free source of natural fertilizer you already have at home, even without a chicken coop.
• Managing slugs and snails in a tropical organic garden. (Video)
• Daily routine of dealing with free range chickens Youtube playlist of very short video cuts. (List of the 11 video segments below)

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• Did you know that chickens love aloe vera? Did you also know that aloe vera is a significant growth enhancer for chickens when added to their water? See  a video on how to grow aloe vera.
• Youtube playlist of short video cuts
• 1-2. Free range chickens being let out at 1230 hrs from their coop. 
• 3. Leaving the free range chicken coop open, check inside for eggs and tend to a hen with her still tiny chicks. 
• 4. A brooding hen that remained in the coop protests at attempts to disturb her brooding. 
• 5. Some housekeeping tasks in the coop. I ensure the coop has fresh water and I leave with the eggs I have collected from the free range chickens. 
• 6. What free range chickens do when freed. Can they find their way back? 
• 7. Calling the chickens back into the coop before it gets dark. 
• 8. Feeding the chickens - the ideal time for a head count. 
• 9 - 10. Brooding hens in a trance.
• 11. Artificial light in the chicken coop - a low wattage light sensitive bulb with a timer.