[janeheritage]

My girls have just started to range about our garden, much to their delight. As everyone says, now they have been out a couple of times they queue up at the gate whenever someone comes in to the garden. One of them even flies at the gate to make her point!

What I wanted to ask was whether in your experience they actually get much to eat from free range? I noticed when I put the girls back in their run today that they all hurried to the feeder and began to cram in their layers' pellets. I thought they would be full of grass and bugs! What do you think?

[HENrietta]

Hi jane, my four girls do exactly the same thing at our gate, bless them its so lovely to see. We cant leave ours out all day as we get foxes, and i worry that i will lose another as we lost one in January to a fox. Once bitten twice shy.
Anyway answering your question about how much they eat when they are out and about im not quite sure but my four do not stop and they do exactly the same thing when they go into thier coupe. I honestly think that it is just that they are so greedy! Sometimes they look a little breasty where their crop is so full. I'm glad yours do the same as mine, we have had our hens for nearly a year now and we are still learning so much. This site is a blessing in disguise!!!
Take care enjoy your girls.

HENrietta

[Kate and her Ducks]

Since my ducks have been let back in the main section of the garden their intake of pellets is almost half as they fill up on grass and bugs and worms from the compost and that is despite the fact they are laying now.

[matilda duck]

My chickens do that and the ducks to be honest....It's almost like all the slugs,worms,rhubarb,daffs,grass,shrubs,ect is not enough for them ......

Mind you it helps getting them in, saves all the running around catching them

[henrys.hens]

I think they just enjoy the space. Mine are exactly the same its like all animals they always love getting out .