gardenpartyy
In the Brooder
My chickies are allowed to free range during the day when I'm home, but they are not very adventurous and will usually return themselves to the coop/run after a few minutes.
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Before deciding to free range my 4 hens, I asked all the chicken people around here about predators and all those who free range reported no problems with predators and said they lock up their birds at night. Two different people whose chickens were killed did not free range them...the hens were killed in their runs by dogs who tore through wire mesh. That made my decision.
Mine have been free range about 10 months now, and in spite of seeing hawks, snakes, raccoons, and even coyotes in the daytime, we've been safe so far. We live out in the country, lots of woods around us.
full disclosure. You all are fast kinder than i. I have had "neighborhood" dogs get into my yard twice now and hurt my chickens whom free range during the day. I was so upset at how badly my best been was hurt that i gave that dog the same treatment it gave my poor loving hen. I can't stand song kind and defenseless creatures being attacked because these stay dogs are bored. Probably not the right thing to do....If i Lived in the country though i suspect is just have a fox or a coon shot. I am not ruining a free all you can eat buffet but these dogs are not even hungry just mean and bored.I hadn't lost any flock members to predators in the last four years until about a month ago. I do keep them in a coop at night and have a run just in case. I had a fox coming through my yard and had started keeping them in their run until later in the mornings. Before I had let them out of their run one morning, two dogs came through, the smaller one got into the run (which has since been reinforced) while the other, a saint bernard, ate a hole through the human door. When I heard the commotion I ran out, chasing the st Bernard away and opened the door to find the smaller dog had killed our beloved SLW and had three live hens in a pile and she was laying on them and chewing the wing of my Golden Spangled Hamburg. I dragged the dog out and took her to the shelter and filed a report. My GSH spent the next few days in the house while I tended to her wounds and I really didn't think she'd make it but she's a survivor. For a while, so much flesh was torn from her wing that I didn't think her flight feathers would ever grow back in but they have. Confining them makes them much easier to catch for any predator.
i have not encountered any predator a goose wouldn't defend the flock from including strange humans.
You're right of course.there is no substitute for the best defence.vigilant humans.While geese might try to defend a flock they can fall prey to foxes too, especially a family of foxes with kits to feed. A neighbor had all their geese picked off by foxes.
Unfortunately foxes are extremely wary about being trapped. We have been easily able to trap opossum and raccoons but foxes are an entirely different story.
They're wary, smart and sneaky. About the only sure thing here is electric wiring, barriers the fox can't get through or leaving a big enough dog with the flock. And the foxes even learn when the dogs are out.
You're right of course.there is no substitute for the best defence.vigilant humans.
I try to protect my birds from Waterfowl too...
full disclosure. You all are fast kinder than i. I have had "neighborhood" dogs get into my yard twice now and hurt my chickens whom free range during the day. I was so upset at how badly my best been was hurt that i gave that dog the same treatment it gave my poor loving hen. I can't stand song kind and defenseless creatures being attacked because these stay dogs are bored. Probably not the right thing to do....If i Lived in the country though i suspect is just have a fox or a coon shot. I am not ruining a free all you can eat buffet but these dogs are not even hungry just mean and bored.