I could watch this woman for hours. Really good presentation style and delivery.

I’ve lost two white chickens to foxes. It hadn’t occurred to me that they were at higher risk than the darker ones… but of course they are! Totally makes sense!! Thanks for this video.

Great content. I have free free range chickens and turkeys. I am on a farm. Your comment about roosters is right on. The roosters are always watching over the hens and will defend them or distract a predator. The eagles could be an issue in the spring but they don't seem to mess with the bigger chickens. The turkeys are great protectors too. The turkeys and Guineas are very vocal and will sound the alarm if anything is not right, and then the enforcers (the dogs) come running. One of the strangest things I noticed about my Great Pyrenees is they watch the sky for predators, at least mine do. We have turkey buzzards (which are not a threat to chickens) and whenever they are flying overhead, the Great Pyrenees start barking at them giving the alarm. Anyway, great piece. It's amazing how all of the animals on a farm can work together once they get use to each other.

Such good information for those trying to figure out what to do with their backyard chicks. We ended up free ranging by accident. 😄 The coop door got propped open by one of the kids a few months ago - I woke up the next day and saw the chickens out scratching around in the garden. At first I worried, but they did so well. So now, I let them out every day. And we immediately started seeing an increase in egg production. We only have 5, so every egg counts! We bought our property and the previous owners didn’t want to take the chickens so they offered them to us. It was my dream to have chickens, so we kept them! They really are so very happy now. And so social! They like to sit on the back patio steps and tap the glass door in the morning while I make my coffee. (But it does mean I’m cleaning poop up more often 🥴) I just absolutely love them though.

We lost 14 newly laying hens to a coyote in a few hours. But honestly I’d rather put up a better fence around our property than to coop them up! They’re just so much happier running around! And we’re so much happier seeing them everywhere lol

We free range all day on our farm. They love it and seem very happy. So far we've only lost one bird to a hawk/eagle (maybe it went rogue!). I did chase two hawks away today but we've been very lucky. Great video!

I just seeded grass, so my chickens can only free range when I’m outside defending my new grass. But they love it. I have noticed a change in their laying when they don’t get a chance to get out of the run. Blessings!

I kind of prefer the pasture rotation method, myself, having the chickens in a large fenced-in area, and then move them every so often to a new area. It's basically free range but ground predators are presumably kept at bay. I trust my birds to keep an eye on the sky and I like many of the larger, darker birds that maybe aerial predators won't try to pick off as much. There's goats and a livestock guardian dog around anyway, which hopefully acts as more of a deterrent. Keeping chickens fenced, and then rotating them to a new pasture periodically also cuts down on some of the other cons. Their waste doesn't build up too much before they're moved. They can do less damage as well. It's also more of a natural way for them to live. In the wild, their ancestor the red junglefowl didn't just stay in one area forever, but moved around as they ran low on food in a particular spot, and the land had time to heal and their manure had time to break down and feed new plants. Breed really matters. Not just for color, but for good chicken instincts. Heritage breeds that do better at foraging anyway are better at keeping themselves safe from predators, too. I find the heritage breeds are just smarter all around, more social, and I enjoy watching them more.

We have only had chickens for 6 months, but we free range on a half acre suburban lot on mountain foothills. We have not lost one yet ( fingers crossed) I have seen a hawk and our Pyrenees/Anatolian mix barked and leaped at it while our two roosters led them under shelter. It was amazing to watch!

I used to free range my backyard chickens and I have now confined them to one corner of the yard with a short fence purely because we didn't like stepping in poop all the time. Poop was EVERYWHERE! It got to the point where the kids didn't want to go outside and play which was a deal breaker. Also, the poop on the concrete patio leaves stains if you don't have a power washer.

Your tangents are actually super useful! I’m very close to getting some pullets and avoiding lighter colors is good to know since I plan on free ranging!

I have a Polish chicken. She couldn’t see and kept being bullied. I trimmed her crest around her eyes. It been much better since. She can see the other hen coming and moves away.

I lost a chicken to a hawk, one to a neighbors dog, and (when they refused to roost in their coop at night) lost a couple to raccoons and a coyote. (They loved roosting in my apple trees.). After those nights, I went to more effort to get them cooped at night. Sadly, I had a raccoon fall through the roof of the coop (from an adjoining roof), and he decimated my flock. (And I learned that corrugated plastic can get brittle quickly in sunlight.)

We love free ranging our chickens ❤️ they have made friends with a couple of our neighbors and the eggs are massive! We have lost one rooster to a car but since then they seem to have learned to avoid the street

Excellent list, well done. We started out free ranging, then got cold feet because we lost 2 to predators. But, now we are back to free ranging because of an excessive feather picking situation. So we're going to give free ranging a try again.

Thank you so much for this video as I’m in the very beginning stage of research. Congratulations on your new arrival!!

We free range in a subdivision in NH that is rated for agriculture. We are secluded enough not to bother neighbors. We typically let them out at lunch time and they go in by themselves at dusk. The chicken poop in the yard is a bit of a pain, but typically the rain breaks it down and hey free fertilizer! We let them out at lunch time so that egg laying is done first. We let them free range because they are so happy to have freedom. And frankly they are relaxing to watch roam the yard.

My fiancé and I have been debating very much about free ranging our flock!! I’m excited to watch this and learn what you’ve got to say! I hope everything is going GREAT with the pregnancy!

I just started my flock. First time chicken care taker and I found your channel and love it. You make me feel okay with not knowing everything! Thank you for taking the time to teach us!

Raise them in there run where their coop is. They will naturally come home at night. Or work with then when they are small, and help them understand their surroundings. That's what I do. I have 3 coops within 1 big run and 20 chickens, 3 Guinea fowl and 2 roosters. They work it out, but start really young.

I put a dusk light controller with 2 hour timer in the coop with the auto door. Works like a charm they always go in before door close even turkeys.

You could probably do a whole video on breed choice when it comes to free-ranging. Some have more streets smarts and are more well-behaved than others. We keep two free-range flocks: one roams in the woods near our house and the other stays near a large fenced-in pond. Our neighbor complained about our chickens coming into her yard and congregating/pooping on her steps and porches. I observed that the Rhode Island Reds and Red Sexlinks were leading the way. So I moved them to the other coop where they had more space, and the rest of the girls stopped visiting my neighbor. If you are free-ranging chickens, be aware that some breeds are "aggressive foragers" and are more likely to push their boundaries, jump fences, etc. Also, avoid breeds that are prone to broodiness, because they may make a nest away from the coop and become easy prey for a predator. Thanks for the great video!

Free ranging for life! 😆 my hens and 1 roo are so happy and healthy that it's worth the risk to me. Yes over the last 4 years we have lost a hand full...3 to a dog, 1 to a eagle, 4 to a fox and 1 just dropped dead in the winter 🤷‍♀️ This year we even hatched chicks and it's been the best to watch the little babes run around.

I've had a backyard urban flock now for about 4 years and have always free ranged them. Starting this year I am only keeping them in the run for the winter due to two separate hawk attacks, one in January and one in November. Hawk attacks in urban areas increase during the winter months due to scarcity of food. Both times my little ladies were extremely lucky in that they survived the attack. Hawks will typically dive bomb a target, use one or both feet/talons to "snatch" the hen on the back, then use their beak to cut their throats. The first attack opened up the throat area completely but did not damage the muscle. The second attack stripped all the flesh away in the tail feather area and rear right flank. Believe it or not but she is recovering well but still has a way to go. In both instances I separated the wounded birds from the rest of the flock since the other birds will zero in on the wound and peck it till it becomes infected and eventually kill the bird. Things to do to help mitigate hawk/owl attacks are to put up decoy birds (they don't like what they perceive to be competition), preferably one with a spring loaded head that moves in the wind. Second would be to put up sparkly diversions that reflect sunlight since hawks have such keen eyes, it messes with them. And lastly, if in a confined run or small back yard, install twine in uneven, criss-crossed patterns over the run/yard since the hawk needs open space to make his attack and to make off with his prey and the twine is an obstacle to that and they will look for easier pickings elsewhere. Otherwise I have had no problems with coons, possums, skunks, or other predators.

hope you and the baby are doing well as this video is11 months ago. love the video's you make, thanks for your time and effort ❤️

Spot on when you said they take chunks out of your crops LOL. I yell at my chickens all the time when I find one bite taken out of a brand new tomato. Just eat the whole thing!!! Lol. They get it anyway. Maybe they know. Another predator prevention tip- Our turkey chased off a falcon yesterday. Turkeys for the win.

We live on a river. Hawks, owls, eagles, snakes, coyotes,opossum and of course lots of raccoons. I built a chicken tractor and a chicken tunnel and can move both around the property. Happy chickens, Happy me! Good video, Susan NW Georgia

Very informative video. Learnt so much. I have 180 hens and 23 roosters. I love when I free range them and some of them are always roaming around me asking to feed some thing tasty (spinach/ breads etc) other than commercial feed they eat in coop. Though you have smaller in number but You are a very good observer of their behaviours. Best wishes for your coop and lovely guest coming to giggle with hens 😊

I love this video! Everything you go into when you elaborate on related subjects is great! Not too much, but enough to address other questions I didn’t know I had! Thank you I ‘ve learned so much from you

Depending on where you live, some hawks may only be around at certain times of the year. They have flyways like other migratory birds.

You are a ray of sunshine! I love your honesty. It’s refreshing. I love this channel!! Congratulations on the little one.

My neighbors chickens free range mine and his property which helps with bugs. Plus we feed them table scraps. I split his firewood and he keeps us supplied with eggs. Thanks and I’m blessed to have had your wonderful video pop up.

Congratulations on your Baby! Great resource for us chicken folk! My experience living with a small flock in predator country is to make a really large covered run by using portable carports( those structures with the aluminum poles). Instead of using the tarps, cover the entire thing with poultry netting and bury some in the ground. Then you make some kind of secure door. ( My door was hokey looking but worked for 15 years). This whole structure then attached ( more poultry netting) to the henhouse so they come and go at will. You can still let the chickens out sometimes, and also control the areas that get too trampled. Not quite as good as free-range but successful especially for people gone all day at work.

I am in love with seeing your chickens trotting in the background! It does my heart good.

We used to free range but because of predators, the chicken poop on our porch and because they destroy our veg garden we built a very large pen around our coop. They are under trees for protection from full sun and we provide kitchen scraps, grass clippings and weeds that they love. They are safer from predators, don’t destroy our garden and still give us delicious eggs.

Thank you so much for helping me raise healthy, happy laying chickens 🐓! I am a rookie, but so far so good.

Amazing video. Everything you have mentioned 100% agree. We have very similar set up and all info very accurate. Well done.

I don't free range mine, that said I have a snow fence that I move every so often so they have more room to be free. The main reason for not free ranging is my neighbor is very close to the coop and I have corn fields the other sides of the lot. Thank you for sharing your experience. I live in Wisconsin and love my chickens very much.

Good job,and you’re going to be a great mother. It was pleasant watching you explain how you’ve experienced your chicken lifestyle.

My mom and I are trying to get chickens I love watching your videos it's super helpful

I really miss having chickens! I hope one day we can have a house where we can have them again 🥰 I just discovered your videos and I love them (I’ve subscribed ☺️)!! Thank you for posting all of this amazing information! 💖💖💖

Thanks for this list! We free range our three hens on a suburban lot. The only major con is the poop but I’ve noticed they love mulch! I have a few areas of Landscaping that I really don’t want them to dig up so I’ve switched milk out for large rocks and it seems to be helping.

Very good video! I have had chickens for years, I knew all these things, but u r very enjoyable to listen to so I listened to the whole thing and subscribed 😊

Love the Video. Ready to start free ranging more on my Ranch. 3 yrs in now but my coop was a 13x17 and I got 2 Roosters for my 13 girls. Respect and Salute

Fact, free range backyard chickens have the tastiest eggs to eat.. Thankyou. And the meat is way better when you get it fresh. HANDS DOWN. THE very best fried chicken is a fresh kill then clean prep & seasoning & fry.. First dip in Budweiser beer and flour, fry 8 mins, 2nd dip in butter milk then roll in a mix of flour & crushed saltine crackers, then finish frying till golden brown. Thankyou , from a real baker & pastry maker from the back country farm. Go ahead and add a little salt & table pepper to flour mix in both dips.

You are a very good chicken educator. Thanks for the help. I’m a new chicken farmer. Out in the forest. Free range sounds good!!😊

I am brand new to chicken keeping. I ordered heritage breed chickens. If I get some roos which is likely I plan to keep one and free range them. Like you said yes there is risk but I think they will have a happier life overall. Thank you for the informative video!

Just because you used "fewer" correctly I had to like this. That and I'm a huge fan of range chicken... Love the yolks!!!

Mine are pasture raised 99.99% of the year. The first year I experienced a sky hit. Since constructing a scarecrow, I've had no sky hits. The backyard is secure, but they do hop the fence on occasion. My neighbors do not mind them feasting on bugs in their yards. I live on the edge of a small town and many here understand the benefits of my visiting flock. On a more rare occasion, they will go into the thicket across the street and have a feast. Usually once spring has really sprung and again near fall before the leaves fall. Chickens aren't as dumb as one might think...infact, mine have learned to come back over without any issue. (But I do get the fence issue, they were at first confused how to come back over).They have routines throughout their day. Mine have what I call- a natural run. I keep the border of my fence over grown (pokeweed, beautyberry, wild vines of various kinds, muscadine grape) boxwood hedges- all here when I purchased my house. They have plenty of spots to dust bathe- usually under the canopy of my huge pine tree. Some may get mad, but I'd rather take a risk of losing a chicken to a sky hit or other animal, than have an undetected illness that makes them suffer- especially since some diseases aren't easily detected). Jmho. Loved the video.

I lost my 1 of my easter egger, my sussex, and my road island red to a racoon recently... I was sad, but it has also showed me that we didn't have it as secure as we though we did. Lesson learned. I now have two Guinea's that I can't wait to get bigger as they make good alarm systems as anything they don't like gets anywhere near them, they sound the alarm. Now I am on the hunt to get the same type of chickens I lost as those where the chickens we bought for my daughter. This video is very helpful in helping me know to keep an eye on my light colored chickens if we do decide to start free ranging the ducks and chickens.

Thank you for making this video. Very informative.

We have learned so much from watching your videos! Keep creating content! Cheers from the Bulldog 🍻

Great video…. I recently changed a vegans view on farm fresh eggs when she seen how well mine are kept and treated so another pro of free ranging chickens lol

I am a total novice - just exploring the idea of raising hens in my backyard to improve my garden (hooray for free uncontaminated manure!) and as hen-laying pets. But I grew up in a rural town and I recall the locals keeping geese (large, territorial, and very aggressive) to ward off the hawks. I would think that still works.

I love this video. You are a fantastic presenter,. And you can do that so fast . It is so interesting and appalling at thjs same time. So many great information as well ..

I love your videos. I started watching them after I got chickens myself. Thank you for all the great info. We live on a farm and we free range our chickens. I think you forgot one con, and it probably because you haven’t experienced it yet. I have two little kiddos, 3&2, and we hatched our first chickens this last spring for Easter. We ended up with a few cockerels, 5 of 23 which is really good percentage wise. We re-homed two so far, still have 3 (one is a bantam). They haven’t been aggressive yet, but now that they are reaching maturity I’m losing my mind keeping my kids away from them. I’m scared of those roosters and even a few chickens who are not the nicest. It’s sad because they Roos I’m now nervous around we’re my kids favorite to cuddle when they were little chicks. With the free ranging I feel less connected to them than when we had them confined because they have massive acres to roam if they want. They feel more wild and that’s fine, except suddenly I am nervous when my kids are outside. So that would be my probably one and only con to free ranging.... less connection and loss of control, possibly leading to aggression. Best of luck to you with your baby! Being a mother is life changing! You will do great!

I've got 6 hens for my suburban backyard. They have a good size run/pen, but this is excellent info. My girls are happy and healthy, but I love watching these kinds of videos for more knowledge!

This is a great video. I free range mine some because they are so happy running free. I'm always concerned about predictors. We have 3 roosters that run with them and they are good at guarding the hens.

We have a Polish hen. I trim her feathers so she can see. She is a big pet and seems to be really happy when she gets a trim

Ordered me Grubterra Black shoulder fly larvae. Thanks for the code.

We free ranged our chickens on our suburban lot and enjoyed aspects of it for sure. However the poop on the yard (which is also shared by our kids to play) was a big issue. Would love to try a chicken tunnel around the perimeter of the property!

the best advice so far for my two chicks thnks a lot

Very interesting about the light colored chickens possibly being more at risk to air predators. We do free range our chickens but only when we are outside with them. We added an electric fence but they need to get to the whole yard to be happy. Interestingly we had a very large gathering and they were very good and friendly guests.

I free range part of the time we have a lot of predators.we had a big problem with Coyotes.we now have a few mini horses they chase them out of of the pasture . The raccoons are bad here in Oklahoma. So next week we are moving our large coop closer to the house so they can free range in the day , and at night let our dogs in the fenced in yard at night that will keep all the night predators from trying to get them.

amazing how MANY people are interested in CHICKENS :) ... superb -- thank you --- hopefully we can have chickens on our small farm here soon --

I have 6 polish chickens and I trim their crest. Some have smaller crests so I don’t worry about them, they do just fine. I trim the crests every few weeks sometimes I’m lazy an it’s a month. They are a flighty breed, so I have to bring treats to give them feather cuts. Furthermore, when they got older about 5 months old they got better about where the coop/safety was, and more importantly the door to the coop. Also, I only partially free range my chickens when I’m gardening or putzing around the yard they’re out roaming. They love it so I go outside a lot to let them out for a few hours each day about twice a day. I do this so my garden isn’t completely decimated.

We used to free range but were loosing chickens daily to dogs in the area. When we get the property fenced we will free range again. I know they were happier when they were able to free range!

Love your channel. New subscriber.

We surrounded our run and coop with crushed stone over the predator skirt. I noticed the stone also had chunks of shredded plastic in it. I take out what I can find but they are much better at finding it than I am! It has been a challenge to keep the girls from scarfing down the plastic chunks when they are outside of the run free ranging. They have chaperoned free range time because of stuff like this. Letting them out is easy. Getting them back in the run is work!

One thing, eggs can have a green or yellow tint in the egg whites when frying them. I Assure you that is ok, they would be high in iron and other minerals..And fresh eggs do not need washing & refrigerating. Best to leave out on table and wash just before using them. Free range eggs are sold for more when not refrigerated.. I would tell my customers if you want to wash them go ahead & put them in ice box right away. And if you do wash, you take from the flavor.. 15-- six month olds are best to buy from a feed store like here in my favorite country feed store that sell these chickens, it takes the pain of raising chickens from a chick size.. .I have done both, hatching eggs, buying chicks, and buying new 6 month olds from the egg ranch near by that sells them to feed stores.. The reason they sell them is cause the egg ranches hatch to many eggs & they have no room for them, so they sell a few off. I say Thankyou egg ranches.

Thank you for sharing your experience and practical knowledge, stay blessed and best wishes for your coming babby and live healthy happy and wealthy stay blessed 😊😊😊

During grasshopper 🦗 season our eggs are the orangest and tastiest.... Oh and I too fell for the cuteness of Polish, one little rooster did not like me but wanted to protect honey

I just got started. They are still in cages waiting for the coop to get here. An enclosed pen and possible free range or a larger fences area. There are those portable pens, not tractors. I have several thAt seem to come up to me. And one that likes to bite me. Or peck me. I keep moving them cause first the heat, then they get too big for the space. so much poop but they would jump on each other. They are now in two extra big big crates. And the Guinea at in the rabbit hutch. 6 per container, and they are 5 weeks now. Lots of feathers but small. I got Orpington and austrolorps and guineas. I don’t know what kind of guineas but they are wild. I’m going to leave the door open when the coop comes and I move the chickens. They are all still alive, that surprised me. They are supposed to be black. One has mottled feathers like the Guinness , the others black with white marks on the head, but again, they are only 5 weeks. They do go thru the food. I’m looking forward to them getting free food. I have lots of grass. A pasture that’s got no herbivores. So I’m mowing that so that will be interesting. The coop is going on the barn apron. Think prefab buildings. I made a apron with railroad ties secured with rebar. Stone dust to make it level and horse mats on top. I can put bedding down and it will all cleanup easily. I’m worried about colder temps and what they do in winter. One day at a time! The whole thing is on a hillside. The worst land that couldn’t be easily farmed. That’s the field.

Thank you for the information. I just got 10 chicken's. 4 are Icelandic chicken Land race. I hope you get some of them. Great for free range and should lay all winter long. Not many but no need for light. My first time with chicken as an adult.

Yes. I've lost a flock (8 birds) to a raccoon. Yes, I've lost 2 chicks to hawks. I have lost one to a car when she got in the road. I've had a coyote attack, the hen got away. They are much happier free ranging, but I had to limit their time because left to their own devices they would go to the neighbors and the neighbors are not happy with dust bath creation in their lawn next to their porch. I have noticed egg production goes up and down depending on their time out of the coop and run, they are definitely happier out and about. I agree about feeding costs go down when they are out free ranging, also coop stays cleaner longer. I am putting up a 100' fence to discourage them visiting the neighbor, I hope that works and they will get more time hunting outside.

Our four hens, all new layers as they approach 6 months old, have about 80sf of run and a nice sized coop with three nest boxes. They really prefer to get out into the full back yard as often as possible, though, and seem much happier when they're not cooped up. It's a suburban back yard in Seattle, and even though it's fully fenced, they could get out if they were so inclined. One hen decided to go over the shorter back fence into the neighbor's yard once, and was probably over there for a short while before we went looking and found her under a fern. I do worry about raccoons, or the outdoor cat(s) some neighbors have. NE Seattle does sometimes get coyotes, but I don't think they often show up in fully fenced back yards. We get Merlin falcons in the spring, and I don't know if they're a real danger. Or the occasional Barred Owl. Anyway, five+ months in so far, and we haven't lost one yet. But they do seem happier being able to tear up the back yard, the raised beds, even the planter pots. When we go away for a few days and leave them in the run/coop structure, they're fine (I put a webcam on while away). But always eager to get out and about. No bullying or feather picking yet, either. They seem pretty okay being around each other. And humans.

We open the backyard up and have a small 3ft fence. Most of the flock jumps over the fence and ranges around in and out of the yard. Our silkies cannot fly and cannot get over the fence but that is perfectly fine since they cannot see too well with their "hair" over their eyes.

Just discovered your channel. Love the content as I am hoping to have some chickens in the future. A funny note, when you were on the topic of chickens not being bright, I got this image of Hei Hei from Moana.

Thanks for the excellent advise

Yep, keeping the garden looking like a garden is a challenge! 😄🐔

🎉I just made an enclosure for my back porch! Since my girls come and go as they please. I also gated my garden to keep them out. Basically I made myself a coop and a run for Myself! They have an open coop and plenty of food ! They even sleep on Top of their coop! At least they do lay eggs in the nesting Box! I’m just a crazy Texas lady I guess.

Our backyard is completely destroyed. Our hens even got into the raised beds 😩....had Hostas plants all around the back of house ALL gone now ! Pulling up our grass , digging the house up, neighbors fence etc. GOOD TIMES 🤣

You can trim the feathers around the eyes. Of your Polish chicken's . That works 😁

I collect hostas and they decimate the beds so they only free range when I can supervise. They do have a large area they can go into and dig, scratch forage in to their hearts delight!

Predator proofing is no joke! in my area we have hawks, owls, skunks, racoons, fox coyotes and MINK! We live in town....and the racoons, hawks and mink take the most birds and mink are so hard because they burrow and they can fit in tiny holes!

I free range them because I haven't built a run so I take them out. I did this because I felt it made them happy 😊 and my 3 girls appreciate it I hope lol. But yes I spend at least an hour fixing my yard...covering their holes and everything else they destroy lol, but to me it's worth it. All 3 lay small to medium eggs and that helps us to not buy any more eggs. They are my sweet girls. Great video thank you so much!!

Great stuff

I want to give chickens an environment that I would want to live in IF I were a chicken… some protection but lots of fresh air and sunshine, lots of fresh grass, weeds and bugs. I really like her thinking, give them what makes them happy.

I've been looking at these videos for some months and thinking that having a good size wheeled chicken tractor would give the best of both worlds. Then in the winter - Minnesota temps, we have a large coop and a fenced yard to protect from our abundant wildlife.

Keep up the good work.

this reminded me of my very happy,idyllic childhood--when we had chickens a few times. . i wish time machines erxisted so that i could return to then..we lived in maine--so i,m sure that the climate is similar to wisconsin''s

I really must have a funny farm. I have had a pregnant raccoon sneak into coup that surprised me the next morning eating out of the same feeder with chickens, saw her little bed she dug, she spent the night never harmed a feather. She just wanted eggs so I gave her one and she ended up making a home under coup, never harmed my chickens. Then the crazy so ugly but cute opossums, had 2 in the last yr. They never harmed chickens just wanted eggs, dogs got ahold of both shook them bit didn't puncture them, they played dead, I grabbed them up took them in house washed them up rubbed raw honey on tongue to get them.out of shock, pet sung to cuddled then got them out of shock and played and let them go. They eat 5000 tics a day and really are not aggressive in my experience but then again I am a crazy animal animal lady. I will check pouches on dead ones on side of road during spring to be sure there's no babies.

Enjoyed hearing about experience.

Really enjoyed your video! It is about to become my third year of keeping chickens, and my experiences have been much the same. I live out in the country, and raccoons decimated my flock the first year. The best trap I have found for a raccoon is something called a dog-proof trap. You can Google it. Anyway, although I love getting fresh eggs, I really enjoy chickens that are fun to look at, and have tried a few Silkies, Jungle Fowl (which were not very smart and couldn't figure out how to fly back over a fence) and Yokohamas, but have had the best luck with Golden Phoenix chickens. The rooster from the first flock grew a tail two feet long! I have had much better luck with my second flock that is almost a year old now. I started out with too many roosters and had to give some away, so now I have one rooster and five hens, partly because my coop is small and I don't want to overcrowd them. The rooster is extremely alert, and seems really smart for a chicken 😉 and the hens stay close to him. They are allowed to completely free range during the day, seem to have an instinct to stay near cover, and are amazing flyers! The biggest challenge is trying to get them to lay in the nesting box, but they always come running when I get home, and I know why the chicken crossed the road...to find out what the treat is today!! 😁

Do you recommend clipping chicken wings if you have them in a backyard flock? We have about half an acre backyard and so far I haven’t seen them jump up on our 6ft fence to get out, but they’re only about 4-5 months old! I don’t want to clip them if it’s mean/not humane and I don’t think they’ll get out?

Great video

Our chickens are free ranging all day on almost 1/2 an acre. They are genuinely happier. And they have delicious eggs!

You can cut the feathers back for your polish chickens, or use hair tape and pull them into a top knot. I got one for free in my chicken order and he sticks with the other chickens when out and about. When his feather on his heat grown in I will be trimming them back for his safety.

we had a white crested black polish like yours. Axel was awesome and charming. The hens really liked him too...way too much. They would preen him and groom him to the point where they pulled every single feather off his head. This happened in one afternoon. Unfortunately we had to rehome him. I miss him every day. As far as the Polish girls not seeing, you can trim their feathers around their eyes so they can see just as well as the others. We even used orthodontic elastic bands to tie Axel's feathers up out of his eyes. You could immediately see how much more alert and happy he was. You just gently pull their head feathers together on top and put the bands around it. Then clip the odd feathers obstructing their vision. We have a Buff Cochin rooster (Doc) who is an amazing guardian. He's Johnny on the spot whenever there is a problem. We also have cats and dogs that are buddies with the chickens and routinely walk around outside with the chickens. Dogs will dissuade most predators.

Loved this! I live in a town, but in a rural area. Unfortunately we can’t fully free range, because other people don’t know how to keep their animals in their yards 😭 we joke and say our chickens live in a mansion fortress 😅 when we are outside with them they will stick right with us though! As far as them eating things that are poisonous, our girls will not touch anything that is a danger to them. It’s really cool to watch! They instinctively know that they can’t eat the ivy that is beside the mulberry tree, but they will eat the mulberries that have fallen. Maybe it’s just pure luck, but they will also eat fallen tomatoes and not touch the leaves. Chickens can be pretty ummmm…. Stupid? But they are also SO smart! And best of all, FUN! My favorite barnyard animal 🙃