big swooping bird took a baby!

[smom1976]

So when the chicks were a few days old I built a play pen out of plywood.. they were all having a great time pecking at weeds and such when my husband heard the dog freaking out.. chasing something to the back of the yard and it had taken my black polish baby ..

I havent let them in the yard since but now they are rapidly outgrowing their baby pool and I need to put them in their new pen.. it will have a cover.. .. but ... I desperatly want to let them out into the yard and let them eat bugs and such.. (when they get bigger) but will that same big bird come down and eat my adult chickens? how do people with free range birds handle flying preditors???

 

[ChickPeas]

I'm so sorry about your baby!!!

When my little guys were tinies, we made a holding pen out of wooden pallets, lined it with that chicken wire stuff and used a sheet of plywood to cover it for protection. That way they can still catch bugs, mess around in the grass, etc., but they're completely protected.