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["Marie McHarry" <mmcharry AT gmail.com>]

 On Mon, May 19, 2008 at 10:11 PM, Roy Morgan <k1lky AT earthlink.net> wrote:

> About out proposed hens. I am not sure how much grain we'd get for
> them.  Can they find things to eat in the field?

Oh, yes they can. It's only necessary to feed chickens in winter in my
experience. The rest of the year, they'll get fat on bugs, grubs,
weeds, and whatever else they can get their beaks around. However, if
you have free range chickens and don't have a good guardian for them,
the attrition rate can be quite high what with terror from the air
(owls, hawks) and terror from the bushes ( coyotes, coons, skunks,
possums, et al.)

Marie, who once -- alerted by screaming guineas -- stepped out on the
porch one afternoon just in time to see a coyote dispatch a hen