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I'm so sorry for your loss. I bring my two big dogs out too. I was standing over my 3 new babies and a coopers hawk was circling just above my head with my dogs by my side. I wasn't taking chances, so the little ones went back into their brooder. These hawks are brave! I seriously can not reach...

My neighbors rooster does not watch over his flock.LOL. A bird flies over head- he runs without a calling noise. He does not call when he finds food either. He's like a hen and gobbles up the good stuff fast. He hates humans and attacks. I have no clue why they keep him. He draws blood and...

I'm very lucky to have very thick areas and a lot of them for my hens. The only issue now, is they can cut their feet.:/. I'm dealing with bumble foot. Ugh. We have thorny bushy tress that take over our woods. Our hawks are very abundant here too. I hear and see them daily, but I always...

Oh, don't I ever wish. We are allowed roosters, but my husband says no. I'm lucky enough I have hens. So far, they only have stayed on my property. I have 4 acres of land, which 3 are mostly wooded! They prefer the wooded land. The hawks have been keeping away except one time when one swooped at...

I can't believe how fat my hens are getting! The eggs are tasting better and are a deeper orange due to the grass and weeds! The army worms and grubs they are finding must be packed with protein! At least they are wiping out the bugs, moths, and ticks out of our yard!

I always look around for song birds, robins, cardinals, blue jays, crows, sparrows, chickadees, , oreos, ect. If they are sparse and out of site, a hawk is near by. If they are abundant, the hawks are elsewhere hunting. After 7 hours of free time, they were back in the run taking a dust bath...

The area will dry up in a few weeks. Today when I changed their bandages, they kept it dry. It's impossible to fence it off. Their bumble foot is not that bad, I caught it in time and none had a plug or cheesy substance. They are much happier free ranging then inside the run most the...

The last two days I've lightened up my attitude towards free ranging and they've been free to come and go as they please from sun up to sun down! I have 4 acres of land, which they use about 3. Not once have they left the property. Most of their time is spent hiding in the swampy woods, but...

We also have the neighbors dogs run at large all the time. My Aussie just attacked a dog that came into our yard. I bet my neighbor is ticked off because of it, but it happened in OUR yard in front of my house. I was able to get my dog off quickly. Ugh. I see dogs too, but mine are always...

I stand out there with them and supervise the free range. Right now our yard is infested with army worms! I keep the coop open and they knew what a hawk looked like. It was a small coopers hawk, but they ran into the run immediately. This year they have all stuck together in a group. It's...

I tried letting them out with snow on the ground. They hated it. It went well with covering the run. The ground never froze and I heated their coop. It ended up working better then I thought. They have more then enough space. I'm super thrilled the girls learned to free range in the thickest...

Quote: No problem. We are covering up the run with plastic once it snows. Then they will have access all winter long.

Quote: X2, I totally agree with you. I think it is beneficial for them to do what birds do. Just watch your young babies, they like them a lot. I lost 6 chicks before I knew what was happening. I covered the run with a temporary deer netting to keep them safe. Haven't seen any in our area for...

Quote: I was under the impression that the run roof had to be opened for ventilation. I considered making it solid but after reading several threads here and looking at many run designs, there aren't many with a solid construction. What are you going to enclose the roof with Nicole? The sides...

Quote: This natural instinct is stronger in some breeds of chickens and in some individuals. I know that my flock of mutt bantams keep a watchful eye out towards the sky and move around the yard by darting from bush to bush, avoiding the open. When an airplane flies over, they even duck for...

The hawks are smart and hungry! Yesterday there was a hawk circling right above our chicken coop and house! Luckily my girls are very well protected. I have a solid steel roof on the run, so I'm not quite sure how the could see my chickens so well. My coop is inside my garage. The hawk that...

Quote: What a great idea! We love blackberries! We'll have to find some plants next spring, that's if they survive winters. I don't hear of anyone with blackberries around here, we usually buy them frozen from the store.

I'm thinking of putting netting in the wooded areas where they normally scratch and look for bugs. They have 2 main spots, but this year is out of the question! The leaves have fallen off the trees. I'm so glad hubby made the coop and run bigger then the minimum requirements. We are winter...

My neighbor and I free range our chickens about the same times through out the day. 2 days ago a hawk swooped down and tried strangling one of my neighbors chickens in front of her. Luckily my neighbor scared the hawk away and the chicken is okay. It was a very frightening moment. My girls...