On Sat, 4 Oct 2003 11:23:49 +0000 (UTC), "Franz Heymann"
wrote:


"Franz Heymann" wrote in message
...

From: "Janet Baraclough"
Subject: Cow manure fertiliser
Date: 02 October 2003 22:25

The message
from "Franz Heymann" contains these
words:


My curiousity drives me to display my ignorance: What is involved in
keeping chickens in a run, and what constitutes a free range chicken?

Chickens are omnivores. Given a the chance they eat grass (lots),
seeds, weeds, insects, worms, mice, frogs, bugs, grubs etc. They
constantly scratch and peck, foraging for food, even when they have
ample commercial food cut into peck-sized pieces and served up in a
clean container.The yolk colour and taste of eggs and meat from chickens
fed that way is superb; that's what, as a chicken keeper, I classify as
freerange chicken.

Also, hens dustbath. 4 chickens, put in a fenced grassed run the size
of a living room, will soon peck, scratch and dustbath it into a bare
earth run devoid of life. One way round this is a moveable run to
conserve the grass, and give the birds access to fresh supplies of worms
etc. Or, you let them run loose on such a large area that they can never
wear down the herbage, which is what we did. We kept a handful of
chickens on almost 4 acres and they made no impression on it at all.

According to you, then, a "range" may be subdivided into "runs" which are
used consecutively.
Have I got it right?
If so, it sounds like an eminently wise way to organise a proper chicken
farm.

If he only has two chickens, I think 4 acres would be o.k. without the
runs. Another problem would be to find their eggs.
How many chickens in a handful? I'd have thought approximately one.
How big is a run?
Is this why the chicken crossed the road?
..........
--
Martin