Any ideas for in-pasture protection?

[lleighmay]

Sorry I don't have any pictures but I have used free pallets (can pick them up lots of places- around here Sears always has them). I wire them together at the top (extra electric fence wire works fine) and then stand them around the pasture area in a teepee/a-frame formation (you can make them as low as you like- the grass holds them in place just fine). Birds can go in and out either end, they provide some shade, and sometimes the girls like to sit on top of them. So far so good. They are portable too. I've noticed that a pair of redtails is setting up housekeeping in the woodlot across the road so we'll see what happens this spring.

 

[wateboe]

Thanks for all of the comments and ideas. I am toying wth a couple of long-term solutions for providing multiple small shelters throughout the pastures. My instant but temporary solution was to pull one of our giant hay wagons into the current pasture! I also have loads of wooden pallets at my office that I can put into use quickly and fairly easily. I can even utilize an existing stretch of wooden horse fence as the base for my lean-to pallet construction attempts.

One of my plans involves building a living willow structure in the middle of one of the pastures. I have always wanted to attempt one of these and this seems like a good practical application. I am eager to find shelter solutions that work for the chickens and are both attractive and somewhat natural. Until I can establish those, the pallet idea seems to be the most workable.

I do realize, of course, that short of completely enclosing the area of the chicken "run" there is no way to completely protect the flock from winged predators. We keep a few bantams, a slikie or two, and we often have chicks and young birds that are prime targets for hawks. I think that we will establish a large enclosed run for those kinds of birds this spring, although I have no desire to contain the whole flock of standard layers in that fashion. As much as I love my individual birds and HATE to lose them, I think that a life spent as free-roaming as possible and ended quickly by a hawk is still a better life than one spent in a cage. Don't get me wrong... I am all for chicken tractors and the like! But, I have acres of land to explore and my chickens thrive on that exploration... I can't bear the thought of takig that away from them.

So, just how territorial are hawks? I wonder how effective a hawk decoy would be if I moved it around the pasture fences each day? We use this technique to keep herons away from our goldfish and koi ponds with great success. We move the heron decoy every couple of days and the real herons stay away! I think that it is past time to do some serious hawk research...

 

[Chick_a_dee]

You could do mini 3 sided run-in shelters like the ones that people build for horses

It needn't be too large, could be rather squat, and you could put wheels on it and a handle on the top to roll it further (or to put it away). They'd be like little air raid shelters LOL.

 

[The Sheriff]

You might try getting some geese too. I have some arriving today and I sure hope it helps. I've heard good and not-so-good.

 

[poltroon]

For this scenario, since you only need protection during the day and from aerial predators, you could make some really simple and inexpensive chicken tractors. Make a simple 4x10x3" high frame with 2x2s and wrap it in chicken wire. You can do a chicken wire roof or some sort of lightweight metal or fiberglass roof, depending upon what suits you. The solid roof will be a bit heavier and more expensive, but it will also be better at stopping aerial attacks, because hawks won't attack what they can't see. It would be very easy to put those together, and they'd be easy to move.

 

[wateboe]

Air-raid shelters and air-raid sirens (geese), I love it!

Although our roos do a great job of alarming the flock, I have considered adding a pair of Sebastopol (sp?) geese as "watchdogs" as well. They are just so darn cute! I could probably talk my husband into the geese before I could convince him that we need a another real dog to do the job.

 

[SillyChicken]

what about crow decoys? Would they deter a hawk?

Also, what about planting bushes with pickers...

Pyracantha This thorny evergreen shrub produces red, yellow or orange berries in the fall. (Pyracantha berries are not considered poisonous unless large amounts are eaten; some sources even report them to be edible)
Barberry, Also referred to as "sticker bushes, " these shrubs are characterized by their distinctive three-spined thorns.
Roses Some varieties of this garden favorite will grow into a dense thicket that is impenetrable to trespassers

They'd add cover, shade and great areas to forage as well.

 

[norcal]

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heehee! Nope, they will be raised from wee babies, and I will tell them nothing of their dangers, just their freedoms.

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hahahaha! Real dog!

I get that one.

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rut roh....careful what you say. I've seen little wars about this topic, elsewhere, and possibly here too.

 

[chickenannie]

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Even thick juniper works...

 

[kota1369]

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Now that is one smart idea. I bet that works better then the dog!

The lady with 4 dogs and 4 city chickens