Free ranging - should I trim flight feathers?

[Stephine]

 

[Stephine]

 

[centrarchid]

I have no experience with predators that might prey upon dogs without significant risk to themselves. If I did it would require an immediate switch to more and larger dogs that would price me out of the larger scale free-ranging I do.

In a setting where mountain lions are a significant issue and I did not have option to up the anty with dogs, then I would look into how hotwre might be used. The big cat will hunt during day if coming after chickens.


I have done some wing clipping experiments. Findings such that if I intend to really stop flight, then close bi-lateral trimming would be employed.

 

[Stephine]

Hmm, there is not much low cover for them yet. They can go under their coop and under a huge trampoline nearby, but that's about it. Blackberries are a noxious weed around here.
I might consider letting a few grow bigger , but they are almost impossible to control and we can't have a whole field in bramble....

Here's the meadow in spring:

 

[centrarchid]

If dog with them, then cover not important with respect to predators.


Have you heard of briar patches? 10 to 20 ft diameter all that is needed or simply let it grow in rows a little denser than recommended for berry production.

 

[centrarchid]

Thanks for all the tips!
We can definitely have a compost pile down in the meadow for the chickens - we produce lots of compost. The chicken's meadow is an old orchard, so there are a bunch of old small fruit trees and a large crab apple there already, but I was thinking about adding some buddleia - good cover, pretty, good for butterflies and grows like mad in our climate ((Sonoma). I don't think we can do a hedgerow on the creek fence as it's all big oaks here that we can't really plant anything under.
Our ES is three years old. I believe he is a littermate to your dog's dam (wish I knew her littername!). He just has no experience with the chickens running around free yet. We had the brooder in the house and way too long at that (it took much longer than anticipated to finish the coop), so he is very familiar with them; but he also loves to play chase, so the big thing is to teach him that the chickens are not playmates. Luckily he has good self control....

As an adult he should quickly learn to leave birds alone. Mine responds extremely well to verbal commands.

 

[Stephine]

[QUOTE="EggSighted4Life, post: 17464962, member: 0"]Hi, from a little farther north. :frow

I don't believe your situation calls for wing clipping. However if you do, be sure to ONLY clip ONE side! Otherwise the purpose of making them off balance is defeated.

I have trained my 3 adult dogs, ALL rescues (lab X bully, Lab, and Queensland Heeler) to range with my chickens and goats. It can be done and some of it depends on your relationship with your dog. My dogs do not stay out at night, but I believe their day time presence has stopped much much predation, since I haven't had issues YET in four years. And I live in predator central. My dogs have caught plenty of thing including oppossum (which actually did play dead).

Good luck!
[/QUOTE]


Thanks!!!

 

[Stephine]

If dog with them, then cover not important with respect to predators.

Have you heard of briar patches? 10 to 20 ft diameter all that is needed or simply let it grow in rows a little denser than recommended for berry production.

No, I hadn't! I had to google it. Yes! That gave me a great idea: we have a few large roses we are still looking for a good spot for. We should put a couple of the really large mounding ones down there! They won't be a nightmare to control like bramble and the chickens might clean up the rosehips... Perfect! Thanks!

Abd, yes, I expect Bennie to do fine with the chickens. Phil told me they had to give Hanna (Bennie's dam) away because she was killing chickens, but Honcho (Bennie's sire) did just fine with them. I have a feeling they did not devote a lot of time to training Hanna, as Honcho basically trained himself and was perfect, but I don't know the details of course.

 

[Stephine]

I have no experience with predators that might prey upon dogs without significant risk to themselves. If I did it would require an immediate switch to more and larger dogs that would price me out of the larger scale free-ranging I do.

In a setting where mountain lions are a significant issue and I did not have option to up the anty with dogs, then I would look into how hotwre might be used. The big cat will hunt during day if coming after chickens.


I have done some wing clipping experiments. Findings such that if I intend to really stop flight, then close bi-lateral trimming would be employed.

The mountain lion is never around before nightfall here. We have a lady living on our property with two little dogs that are out all day and nothing ever bothered them. The one that does come around early morning and evening is the fox. Bennie will have to manage him.... Otherwise I am fine locking the flock up at night, no problem. We have horned owls, too, along with the usual suspects at night and skunks! Don't want to risk my dog running into a skunk, either....

 

[EggSighted4Life]

I have no experience with predators that might prey upon dogs without significant risk to themselves. If I did it would require an immediate switch to more and larger dogs that would price me out of the larger scale free-ranging I do.

In a setting where mountain lions are a significant issue and I did not have option to up the anty with dogs, then I would look into how hotwre might be used. The big cat will hunt during day if coming after chickens.


I have done some wing clipping experiments. Findings such that if I intend to really stop flight, then close bi-lateral trimming would be employed.

We have had a couple of attacks on dogs. My neighbor said he found a cougar print (same animal different word) on his property a couple weeks back and doesn't lock his girls up (I cannot verify his credibility). I always lock mine up with the rare occasion of waiting for someone to go in and accidentally forgetting. Also I have 3 dogs and they are definitely a threat as a pack. Individually not as much because they know they don't have much back up. But when together the pack mentality seems to blur any lines of self preservation and they go all in. Not to my own animals but to anything they are hunting, playing with, or approaching. That's one reason why we don't often take them out at the same time.

Since I have yet to employ clipping I will keep your trimming suggestion in mind. I have mostly 4 foot stock yard fencing and find the place they most often go over is where my gates have solid tops. All though a few have flown directly over. Lighter breeds, luckily just a dividing fence on my property. Also, they seem to play follow the leader!

A couple years back I would have done a lot for a property on the river. I have learned a lot since keeping chickens and realize that may be more of a challenge than not.

The trees aren't bad but a water view would be nice as well. At least I can hit the beach or the river in under a few miles....

I have heard hot wire works well for keeping predators out as well as chickens and larger livestock in without to much damage. That is a route I will consider if I ever truly need to.

@Stephine That is a beautiful meadow! All of my chickens hang out in tall grasses when they can. They like the bugs as well as some of them lay down just the right way to provide areal cover.

While little dogs may not provide much protection, not all of them are obsessive yappers and have found some (neighbors) to be quite good at alerting to things which should be payed attention to.