Cathy Isom begins this series by giving you some considerations to keep in mind when raising free-range chickens. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours.
For many people, nothing says “homestead” like the image of chickens happily scratching around a farmyard without a care in the world. However, free-ranging is not as simple as just releasing your birds out into the great outdoors.
According to the USDA, any chicken with access to the outdoors is labeled as a free-range bird. However, free-range chickens will still need to have some type of enclosure to protect from predators.
Landscaping and gardens is also something to keep in mind and keep your free-ranging chickens from helping themselves, too. From flower pots to gardens, chickens will happily jump at the opportunity to scratch up loose dirt and your fresh herbs, flowers or vegetables.
You’ll also want to make sure to provide a safe place for hens to lay eggs. Hens will sometimes abandon the safe nesting boxes for hidden places, which means daily egg hunts and lost eggs.
I’m Cathy Isom…