Can coyotes catch a small, flighty breed such as brown Leghorn?

[UrbanEnthusiast]

This is not a criticism but a reminder that in a free range environment that a single young, healthy, adult chicken will freely range over 25 acres, or in other words about 11,000,000 square feet if that chicken has free access to that much ground.

I don't think it'll be a problem. We're surrounded by other five-acre wooded properties, and everyone is pretty relaxed about animals. We can't even see any other houses from our place. With only eight hens in such an undeveloped environment, I think there will be plenty to eat nearby, anyway.

Honestly if you free range without the watchful eye of guard dog or yourself you will be out of the chicken business very quickly.

If you have coyotes as you describe they will hunt and catch every last chicken you have.

I had a friend that tried "free ranging" with the electric netting and movable coop. The coyotes simply jumped it, grabbed a hen and jumped back over with hen in mouth. At first he noticed feathers, then realized his flock was getting smaller (he had around 50 hens to start). He set up a video camera and the coyote returned every day for his free dinner. After 5 days he moved his remaining birds back to his stationary coop with covered run.

What breed of chickens? Was there any cover or any trees nearby?

 

[scooter147]

They were a mix of barred rock, easter eggers and either buff rock or buff orps. The other thing he found was when he went to lock up is he had hens on the wrong side of the fence. They obviously took flight to try to escape the coyote and the netting is only 4 foot so it wasn't much of a problem but before the attacks the hens never went over as they stayed about a foot away from the netting. they knew it bit and since the set up was moved every other day or so they had plenty of green grass and new space to scratch around so they had no real incentive to fly out until Mr. Coyote came for dinner every day.

I see the responses about leghorn types being able to fly and escape coyotes. I have raised chickens for 40 plus years and currently have and always have had white, red, silver and brown leghorns and yes the leghorns can fly but not like a wild turkey.

If the leghorns are in the open and a coyote attacks they will run then fly but how far and high can a leghorn fly. My experience under the best of circumstances is 50 feet and about 3 or 4 feet off the ground while flying (not from a squatting position then up) and that's with a good head wind that offers more lift. They then come back to the ground and a quite possible the coyote will be waiting for it to land with mouth wide open. Coyotes are fast.

Once the leghorns start laying they will add weight which then decreases the distance and height of flight.

Growing up we had over 100 laying hens of all types and lots and lots of barnyard banties. My dad loved banties and they free ranged and roosted wherever they wanted, barn, chicken house, trees you name it. We had every imaginable ground predator known to man, coyotes, bobcats, fox, weasel, mink, raccoon, possum and the worst stray dogs.

Our chicken run was dog kennel panels, sides and top, welded wire buried a couple feet out to prevent digging. We never lost a laying hen as long as they were in the coop or run.

We simple could not let the laying hens (and yes we had leghorn, hamburgs and minorcas) free range unless someone was out.

The banties on the other hand were survivors. The LEAN, smart ones survived and then past those genes onto their offspring. Those little lean machines could fly well, far and high. Now the predators did take their share but the banties produced fast enough to sustain loses. I would say we had 50 to 75 banties running around the place spring, summer and fall. The numbers would drop over winter as reproduction stopped. The predators NEVER stopped attacking/ambushing and they would succeed enough to keep numbers in check and dwindle the population in the winter.

My point to all this is (yes I am just as windy when I talk) if you free range expect losses and maybe total losses.

Good luck I hope it works, nothing makes me happier than free ranging chickens.

 

[UrbanEnthusiast]

If the leghorns are in the open and a coyote attacks they will run then fly but how far and high can a leghorn fly. My experience under the best of circumstances is 50 feet and about 3 or 4 feet off the ground while flying (not from a squatting position then up) and that's with a good head wind that offers more lift. They then come back to the ground and a quite possible the coyote will be waiting for it to land with mouth wide open. Coyotes are fast.

The banties on the other hand were survivors. The LEAN, smart ones survived and then past those genes onto their offspring. Those little lean machines could fly well, far and high. Now the predators did take their share but the banties produced fast enough to sustain loses. I would say we had 50 to 75 banties running around the place spring, summer and fall. The numbers would drop over winter as reproduction stopped. The predators NEVER stopped attacking/ambushing and they would succeed enough to keep numbers in check and dwindle the population in the winter.

Fortunately, my birds will never have to be out in the open. Our property is mostly wooded. There is some clearing, but there are only a couple of spots that are more than 50 feet from some kind of brush, and I think the hens can avoid those spots and still find plenty to eat. Even my cat knows well enough to stay close to cover unless it's the middle of a sunny day.

So did your banties go broody and raise their own chicks? Did you ever get to eat their eggs, or were they just pets?

 

[TalkALittle]

Fortunately, my birds will never have to be out in the open. Our property is mostly wooded. There is some clearing, but there are only a couple of spots that are more than 50 feet from some kind of brush, and I think the hens can avoid those spots and still find plenty to eat. Even my cat knows well enough to stay close to cover unless it's the middle of a sunny day.

I have Cooper's and Redtailed Hawks around me. The trees around my yard give them a perfect vantage point to sit and wait for the right moment to drop down for an attack. They are agile and quick on the wing, especially the Cooper's Hawks. The hawks routinely take doves feeding from my neighbor's bird feeders.

Contrary to common belief, they don't need a big approach to swoop in for a kill. They are completely capable of a short-distance sneak attack amongst the trees and scrub.

 

[varidgerunner]

Trees are bad. Things can hide in them, and use cover to make stalks. Chickens are better off where they can see approaching danger. Buildings to run to or a tree to fly up in is good, but dense woods is not. I had some leghorns crossed with game once. Those things laid pretty good, and they had no problem flying thirty feet up in a tree or a couple hundred feet back to the yard. They did go broody in the late spring, but they laid good during winter.

 

[enola]

I have seen a beagle surprise a game cross pullet. She flew off through the woods beside my house. When she flew as far as she could, she landed and the beagle was right there to snatch her up. So, I would say that if a beagle is capable of doing that, a coyote would have no problems.

And some hawks will pursue a chicken right into a building to catch them. My daughter found that out the hard way.....

 

[TalkALittle]

And some hawks will pursue a chicken right into a building to catch them. My daughter found that out the hard way.....

That's how my sister lost a rooster. She was keeping the flock in the coop but opened the top half of the Dutch door. Hawk flew right in.

 

[enola]

In my daughter's case, he chased her through the yard, she ran in the little chicken door and the hawk went in right behind her. He killed her before the rooster beat him off of her, but got his wing broken during the scuffle!

 

[scooter147]

The banties definitely went broody. They would brood everywhere. One of their favorite places was the very thick wild blackberry patch. I would say they preferred the hay loft in the barn. It was dry and was high off the ground and we always had a farm dog around the place and that is generally where they slept so I think they knew there was more protection in the barn. But you never knew where you might come across a broody hen sitting on a nest.

We never collected the eggs.

My dad just loved having them running around doing what banties do. He was really fond of the multi-colored roosters and their antics.

He said he started with them years ago as someone he worked with said if you have them around they keep the tick, fleas and other nasties at bay and they did do that.

 

[scooter147]

Talkalittle is dead on.

Think about it red tails catch agile quick things like rabbits.