Free Range Chickens

"If you love something, set it free.  If it comes back to you, it was always yours.  If not, it never was."

Well, I don't know about all that, but it is time to set our pullets free to roam across 3 acres of pasture to access bugs, worms, and other such chicken delicacies.  The 22 pullets that have lived in the chicken tractor since May have started laying.  We're getting about 6 eggs a day now and I expect that to increase.  At this point, since they're grown, I open the door to the tractor and let them roam all day.  Being creatures of habit, they'll return at night to roost on the roosting bars.  Here is a picture of their current home that I push to fresh grass each day:

The pullet chicken tractor

Prior to opening the door I crawl in there with them as I have a couple of orders of business to attend to. Before doing that, though, I push the tractor to fresh grass so I'm not sitting in chicken poop.  I get some hoof clippers and clip the feathers almost all the way back to the wing.  This ensures that they are off-balance and can't fly up and over the perimeter fencing.  I tried this once with regular scissors and it was very, very hard.  Sharp clippers are the way to go!

Clipping her wings

Then I add a cable tie to her leg.  I clip it very loosely to allow for her leg to grow twice the size without constricting her feet.  I use a different color for each year's batch of birds and this enables me to tell the chickens apart.  Last year was yellow.  This year is orange.  Two year's ago was black.  

Tagging the pullets

I enlisted Benjamin's help and he climbed in with me.  He'd catch them by the leg and hand them to me.  I would clip their wings and tag their leg and then I would hand them to Russ through the trap door on top and they experienced FREEDOM! We had a little assembly line going. 

Benjamin snaring Sally Henny Penny

Once I was done, I had a large pile of feathers left on the ground.  I'll pick this up and bury it in the garden as feathers compost well and add good stuff to the soil.

Barred Rock Feathers

Finally, I climbed out, opened the door and clipped it open so that the chickens can come and go as they please.  They won't be "cooped-up" anymore. 

The Open Door Policy

I was happy to be out of there after only being in there for 15 minutes.  I KNOW the pullets were happy to have more elbow room.  The hens, like me, enjoy wide open spaces.