Ok, deep breath, letting them free range without supervision...

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i suggest fencing off your yard so your neighbors dogs wont be a problem. if need be clip a wing on each chicken so they dont fly over. putting roses or other thorn type plants all along the fence like bar berry or even rasberry will help keep out racoons but i'm not sure about fox. i only let me chickens out for an hour or so each day when i'm outside but they are still young. after clipping their wings there no way they'll make it over a 4 ft fence so i dont have to worry about the neighbors dogs.
 
Unfortunately at this point we can't afford to fence off the whole yard. It is very large. we can't even afford to do half of it...I have been begging DH to do a fence. I am a big fan of fences!
 
We have only had chickens for a year and we are free ranging from dusk to dawn (Fort Knox for night). I made my kids very aware that at some point we will lose a chicken (or more) to whatever. We live in the country and my biggest fears are the typical coons, fox, coyotes, and hawks. On a lighter note, we did have the neighbors Jack Russell Terrier in our yard. It seemed like he was more chasing/playing than anything else. So far we have been lucky. Also, from day one I got our two black labs used to the chicks and vise versa so they are very comfortable around each other. I think that helps keep other animals away.
 
We live in a heavily wooded area with a 6 ft privacy fence around our backyard. It's right across the street from a lake, so we have a lot of hawks around too. I waited until my girls were fully grown (almost a year) to let them out to free range. They love it. I watched them really carefully the first few times, but now I feel much more relaxed. They have plenty of bushes and trees for cover, as well as hiding under the deck. I love my girls, they are pets, but I want them to enjoy life, and get to do all those chicken things, not just live in a cage all the time. On the rare occasion we will all be gone all day they stay in their run, but they sure complain about it! I have however, given up on growing parsley.
 
We were initially very cautious and only let them free range when we were outside with them. but it was hard to try to round them up everytime you needed to go into the house for something, so ended up letting them stay out on their own as we went in and out of the house. We have a fenced yard and lots of trees and cover for them to hide out if need be. Now, I let them out all day even when we are at work all day. I pray for the best and don't read the predator threads too much -- too scary.

I like them to be able to enjoy their chicken life, but they are pets, so sometimes wonder if I'm doing the right thing as I drive off in the morning.
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At what age s it pretty safe to let them go unsupervised during daylight hours? I have a 19lb cat that I can't tell if he would go after any of them. So far he just watches them. I have a large coop and large run situated next to 2 other buildings with trees surrounding it all inside 2acres fenced with horse safe fencing and a hotwire along the bottom to keep my dogs in. It no longer has a charge but the dogs are clueless. When I let them out they seem to hang around their run and along the tall weeds we let grow for them. We also have a fox and hawks but tons of crows that constantly warn and chase them off. My flock of 15 eleven week old pullets seem pretty savvy but I'm a nervous wreck if they are alone for longer than a few min. I have a Plymoth rock, Dominique's, SLW, SL polish, a New Hampshire, Delaware, jersey giant and 3 Sussex all which are pretty good size now. Thanks for any input from all you seasoned keepers out there.
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trv005 said:
At what age s it pretty safe to let them go unsupervised during daylight hours? I have a 19lb cat that I can't tell if he would go after any of them. So far he just watches them. I have a large coop and large run situated next to 2 other buildings with trees surrounding it all inside 2acres fenced with horse safe fencing and a hotwire along the bottom to keep my dogs in. It no longer has a charge but the dogs are clueless. When I let them out they seem to hang around their run and along the tall weeds we let grow for them. We also have a fox and hawks but tons of crows that constantly warn and chase them off. My flock of 15 eleven week old pullets seem pretty savvy but I'm a nervous wreck if they are alone for longer than a few min. I have a Plymoth rock, Dominique's, SLW, SL polish, a New Hampshire, Delaware, jersey giant and 3 Sussex all which are pretty good size now. Thanks for any input from all you seasoned keepers out there.
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If dogs not a problem but present, then good to go. Some risk but reduced.
 

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