Afraid to let my girls free range- and that was our plan from the beginning!

[McChooky]

Thank you for your responses! I will end up just sucking it up eventually and let them out- although I will probably start with an hour or two at a time for a couple days to ease into it. I might look into a goose too! Although I’m sure my husband will tell me I’m nuts haha. I know they will be a lot happier being out free. If any grave injuries occur I would never want them to suffer so I definitely would be sad but I know culling would be the right thing to do if I had to

The African geese we had were super friendly. We never lost any chickens in the large uncovered run they all shared on the farm however we live near a highway here so we absolutely can't free range at all .Dogs are our biggest threat here.

 

[Brooks_]

They demand to be let out of jail Immediately!

Well, they have been model prisoners.

Seriously though, as others have said, it's about your risk comfort. Myself? I let them out for 1-4 hours most days. I only restrict them to a few hours because they will go where I don't want them to go with the more time they have...I accept the predator threat. I hope this helped a little.

 

[McChooky]

Ok- so as title states- I’ve turned into a big baby. We have a very small flock of only 4, our buff orp just starting laying and our other 3 aren’t too far behind. We were planning from the very beginning to let them free range on our property and just have them in the barn with large attached run with roof until they knew it was “home” well. I’ve become super attached to them and now I’m afraid to let them free! We have a ton of hawks that I often see from my windows and it makes me so nervous. I thought I’d be stronger lmao because my mindset at the beginning was “we will probably lose one or two which is normal for free range chickens no biggie” but nope not anymore

My friend, his nephew and brother raise chickens,turkeys and guineas and average one hen per month to predators.Sometimes more. On the other hand I spent a lot of time making my flock a predator proof coop and run and I've lost none of mine. Theirs roost in trees or use an open coop and free range from sunup till dark but ine stay locked up 24/7. I spend an hour or so a day cleaning the run and putting fresh bedding down, filling feeders and waterers and washing their containers .The advantage to free ranging is its cheaper and the environment is cleaner ( less apt to get diseases ) The middle ground is raising chickens in chicken tractors which is very clean and safe too .

 

[Shezadandy]

I'm with the "no free ranging" crowd, but I made a gigantic run that will be getting even bigger- the entire thing is covered with aviary netting - and I have had zero predator loss. Within weeks of moving here, I was visiting a broody and her chicks in the run - and a hawk dove right down on us with me no more than 10 feet from the hen and chicks. Roosters are great at alerting - but around here even with 10 watchful roos on patrol it would be a free for all if they weren't under the net. A friend just lost six of his 10 to a bobcat. Another friend regularly loses birds to hawks. Loose dogs roll through here periodically too.

It's hard to get a true idea of the size of my run in photos because of the hill, its irregular shape and all the trees, but you can see the netting up on the posts and how unobtrusive it is. The covered area comes in handy for downpours, the coop is a separate thing.

The run fencing itself is 6ft chain link with hardware cloth wired to it, full height. I regularly have hens and chicks and keeping the babies from slipping out (and becoming someone's lunch) is top priority for me!

Just because it's a "run" doesn't mean it has to be boring!

 

[DonyaQuick]

Just wanted to share my experience today that is unfortunately relevant here as far as hazards of free ranging. It's not just predators that are a risk - chickens can do a runner for other reasons. I have read more than one account of frightened chickens just running off into the forest never to be seen again, presumably either getting eaten eventually or just getting lost and going elsewhere.

I have 6 pullets, which is not safe to properly free range since they're little derps and definitely don't watch for hawks. Instead, I have been letting my birds out closely supervised for a half hour here and there, and thought they knew how to run back in the coop if they got scared as they've done this many times to date when scary things happened or when I've spotted something and herded them back. This morning, there was a really loud nose caused by a chicken knocking something over, and they just ran outwards in all different directions and kept going. Utter chaos in an instant and then trying to catch birds before they completely left the clearing for the forest. Got 5 out of 6 back but the 6th was missing without a trace. Hawks in the area heard the commotion and immediately moved in to fly low and look for snacks. After a lot of walking in the forest and an incredible amount of dumb luck, I found my chicken hiding under the branches of a fallen tree. She was silent and well hidden, so at least she had good instincts on where to hide for safety, but the odds...I found her after I'd given up and was heading back. I was not prepared for the hit of suddenly knowing I had to beat every predator in the area to finding a lone chicken in 20+ acres of forest. I don't think I can rely on the same degree of luck in the future, so I immediately ordered a large run extension kit and that will be it for letting my chickens run around out in the open (at least until I have a rooster to help me out).

I'm guessing if you're away from the forest it may be less of a risk of what I just experienced. It's so much harder to chase a bird through forest than grass. People nearby free range and don't lose birds as far as I've seen, but they do so from much bigger cleared areas with just a tree and shrub here and there. They also have older birds and most have roosters with them. My impression is a small group of hens is just not very safe on its own.

 

[Perris]

free ranging does come with a higher risk of predation. On the other hand, penning the flock can lead to 100% loss if a predator gets in, because the chooks can't run and hide as they could if they were free.

 

[HansHens15]

I live in North Pole Alaska and my chickens free range. I’ve had lynx, wolves, foxes, eagles on my land and never lost a chicken to them yet. I leave my barn open and if anything spooks them they are straight in there. I also do not clip their wings so if they need to get up in a tree they can. I’m protective of them and love them but it is also survival of the fittest in some regard! They really love free ranging and are healthy chickens for it.

 

[cmom]

We are rural on a dead end road. I had the same thought of letting my birds free range until they were discovered by the predators. I hate letting my birds get picked off by the predators and it's a risk I'm not willing to take. It was difficult. I had pens for all of my birds but made them bigger so they have plenty of room and there are ways to entertain the birds in their pens. Here most of the ground predators roam at night but I have seen some during the day. We had a coyote issue but not so much any more as one of the neighbors let some hunters come onto his land and apparently they got some because I have been seeing fewer than I was. We also aerial predators such as hawks, eagles and owls. I have lost some birds to them too. I covered all of my pens with good heavy duty netting. A bobcat dug under a fence and killed 14 birds. Then I put up electric wires around my coops and pens. During the day one day a fox dug under a pen gate and killed several birds. I did catch and eliminate the fox but have seen others since but I also put concrete under the gates. I haven't had issues since. The time of the year when I have ad the most problems in in the spring and early summer when the predators are having their young and hunting to feed them and again in the fall when the young predators then start hunting for themselves, but they can show up at anytime. I did loose my most special hen to a fox during the day and I still can't forgive myself for not putting her in her pen while I was distracted. I do have several cameras up and was surprised at the predators that roam around here especially at night. Everyone is different with different situations and outlooks. Good luck and have fun with your birds...

 

[Momo7]

After just losing 8 of my 19 last night to one predator, I will not free range mine again. We were only doing it for a couple of hours each night (they are in an A-Frame Chicken Tractor all day that's awesome), thinking it would be ok. Something took their heads off and only 1 was fully consumed. It happened while they were free ranging as the chickens were scattered around our 2 acres (meaning they had been trying to run away). I originally thought if something were to get them while they were out, it would only be 1 or 2 that I would lose at a time. I'm glad I still have 11 left. I'm not quite as attached as you are but let me tell you....I've been sad all day as I know it was my fault.

 

[Furrybabymomof7]

I love this post because I am struggling with the same exact feelings! I have 4 Lavender Orpingtons that I thought would just free range durning the day but now after falling in love with them I have thought into this a little better and am scared to death to even make the move to their coop when that time comes. We are on 10 acres of open pasture with no tree coverage. We have an enclosed coop with a 6x6 ft run. I take them out there during the day to play then they are back to the mud room. Today I transitioned them into the garage and I am worried about that little change. Who knew these little creatures had such big personalities and you could fall in love with them so easily.