After 2 yrs. of free range...it finally happened

[chickensducks&agoose]

I lost 4 chickens to a fox, 3 disappeared, and one was left dead... in the pen.... and I lost one chick (a houdini. totally somehow escaped) to a neighbor dog. very sad.

 

[redhen]

..amazondoc...who needs "evidence"..when you can SEE the differance when your chickens get a "free day" out of the run....i personally dont routinley free range my girls...but when i can sit in the yard with them i do let them out..and..i can see the differance..they ARE happier..i KNOW it in my gut...just the way they run around..its everything.........just as ANY animal lover knows thier own animals(i'm assuming you understand what i mean by that statement..seeing as you are fellow animal lover..)..i dont let mine free range with out supervision because we have alot of stinkin hawks...actually..today...i had my favorite RIR out with me in the yard..and here comes a hawk..flying around..i had to put her (and my piglet) back in the run..she was not happy about it....truly...so please try to understand when someone "feels" that thier chickens are happier free range..its thier pet..only THEY know them...take care, Wendy

 

[missourichickenmama]

Quote:
yes i agree with this.

 

[chickensducks&agoose]

Foxes make crazy noises. I am routinely woken up by weird fox yells repeatedly in the night. Like breathy screams, over and over and over, 20 second intervals. It can be really scary. We have a fox den near our house, and the mrs fox is as big as our border collie (who chews our chickens if she can). nature can be horrible, but it usually makes some sort of sense.

 

[amazondoc]

Quote:
I have absolutely nothing against supervised ranging time. Nothing at all. Just as folks take their dogs on walks and take their kids to the parks, outdoor playtime is a Good Thing. However, that's not what the previous poster was talking about. We need to *balance* freedom with responsibility.

 

[bluey]

Quote:
I have absolutely nothing against supervised ranging time. Nothing at all. Just as folks take their dogs on walks and take their kids to the parks, outdoor playtime is a Good Thing. However, that's not what the previous poster was talking about. We need to *balance* freedom with responsibility.

Amazondoc....we're talking about chickens, not bricks of gold....

why do you have such an issue with someone's personal choice to free range their birds?....

...get over it and worry about your own birds....we like free ranging ours regardless of the risks...that's not irresponsibility...it's a choice....

chickens are not lifelong pets to everyone, regardless of what YOU believe....

If you believe that free-ranged chickens are overall "happier, healthier, and longer lived", then please provide evidence to support your claim.

...are you kidding me? No one here has to answer to you....​

 

[Buster]

I free range my layer flock but not my breeders (my choice). I have not had deaths from predator attacks in 8 months of doing so and I counted 29 birds out the other day between the chickens, turkeys and ducks. I do have to say that I keep having a sinking feeling that it's only a matter of time. I'm actually more scared of them being hit by traffic. The other day my Orpingtons were out in the road stopping traffic and I came home today to my two turkeys and three ducks in the road at the end of my driveway! I plan on fencing in an area to have a very large chicken yard (about a quarter of an acre) and keeping them in there as well as my dog. She doesn't care about the chickens at all but HATES other dogs so as long as she is out there, I don't worry about much.

 

[dacjohns]

Quote:
Well, let's do a quick survey to test your theory.

Of the threads in this forum that have new posts in the last two days, here's the tally of the attacks mentioned in originating posts. This is only a tally for those posts in which a specific attack was mentioned in the OP, and I could tell whether the birds were penned or not. Oh, and I had to estimate on the deaths while penned for one attack, because the lady who posted about the most recent bear attack never clearly identified how many hens were killed (she specified three ducks, but didn't specify on the chickens).

attack incidents while free-ranging: 8
attack incidents while penned: 3
deaths while free-ranging: 15
deaths while penned: 10

So far, your theory doesn't seem to hold water. Also, remember that many people who have predator losses while free ranging won't bother to post about it -- as other people have already mentioned, they EXPECT losses so it's probably nothing worth bringing up in most cases.

I think your sampling protocol is faulty.

 

[johnmayersquare]

MEOW! Boy........this is a heated topic! I have coyotes COMING INTO MY YARD during the day. I have a basset hound outside that "lets me know" by her odd growl, when they enter the yard............I have a fenced run(not covered YET)for my girls, and some of them fly out and some of them don't........I am thinking it is just a matter of time before one of mine gets taken. I am seriously considering getting a LGD and fencing the whole perimeter of my back yard area(about 3/4 of an acre) to keep my girle safe. I know they are much happier when they are out and about free ranging.......but I don't dare chance it yet until I have some security in place.

 

[bluey]

Quote:
There is absolutely no reason that this topic has to be heated....

Some choose to free range and manage their flock differently than others.... that's all...

Us free rangers are merely comparing notes....I find it fascinating, the issues that fellow free rangers have...