Can 6 week old chicks free range? Long story . . .

[stephhassler]

About 2 weeks ago I moved my then month old baby chicks outside to a tractor. They were fine for about a week then a racoon came and began to slaughter them. I had never had trouble with coons before so this was a rather distressing surprise. Perhaps it is because I only had 11 chickens before and this spring I went crazy and ordered 50 baby chicks. Perhaps the coon was a young male that just moved to the neighborhood. Either way, the coon has been eliminated, but I'm worried there might be more. So . . . the tractor has been moved inside the coop and that's where the chicks have been for about a week. It is a real pain to move it in the coop because it is wider than the door. So I have to turn it on its side to move it in - but before i can do that i have to move each chick to a box and then move them back in again. I guess what I am trying to say is it is a pain in the butt to move the tractor out of the coop each day and then back in again at night. So my babies are getting no sunlight and no fresh grass or bugs to eat. This makes me feel bad. I would like to let them free range but after reading some posts here I'm worried they would not come back in at night. Add to the mix the fact that my crazy hens insist on roosting in trees. When the coon came he got two of my hens who were up in the trees. So, for about a week until we caught the coon, I had to get a ladder out each night and climb up the trees to get the hens down and put them in the coop. Will the fact that the hens roost in trees have any effect on whether they chicks go in the coop at night? I saw on one post that baby chicks don't look up unitl they are older, so perhaps the babies wouldn't even notice the hens up in the trees? We ordered a variety of chicks and of course the evil coon got several of our favorites. I don't want to lose any more chicks, but I also don't want them stuck inside all day. Any thoughts? Thanks

 

[Crickett]

Keep the chicks peened up for about a week, then let the door open during the day. They will go out and free range on their own, and they should come home to roost at dusk. It also helps if you feed them at dusk INSIDE the coop. They will come in for the food and stay to sleep. Hope this helps.

 

[~*Sweet Cheeks*~]

Put them in a preditor proof run during the day with access to the coop.

Put an apron of hardware cloth around your tractor and then lock the chicks in at night in the tractor.

Even if you trapped one coon, others will follow.

Good luck protecting your little ones. I hope you don't loose any more to preditors.

 

[stephhassler]

Even if I put an apron of hardware cloth around the tractor, wouldn't they still be in danger? I read one post that said a coon dug underneath and got into the tractor.

 

[Brassmaster]

Quote:
Use chicken staples and fasten wire fencing with 2 x 4 inch holes across the bottom of the tractor. The holes are big enough the chickens can still get to what is under it but it should keep coons and other critters at bay.

 

[elmo]

Could you run an electric wire around your tractor? That ought to work.

 

[franko]

I have fifteen hens, eight weeks old. When they were three weeks, I started throwing scratch down while inside the coop/pen at dusk and yelling chick,chick,chick. Then when they were six weeks old and they knew their coop, I let them out in the morning and would call them in (during the day if I had to leave for town) and at dusk with the scratch. It works every time. Now they come a running when I'm out there. I would bury some strong wire at least a foot and a half deep around your pen or use electric wire. I put cement at the bottom of the door. Good luck, franko