Chickens in nature

[centrarchid]

I wouldn’t worry excessively about pointers, setters, or retrievers. I would definitely worry about hounds.

Growing up we used black and tan coonhounds. They were not to trash on chickens.

 

[centrarchid]

Keeping chickens out in such a free range setting will more likely than not require dogs to provide an exclusion zone for predators. It would work even better if coupled with a fence to serve as a marked boundary that will serve to slow predators’ approach and ideally keep dogs closer to where they need to be.

 

[Hablo]

They'll be good flyers and will want to be up higher for safety. If you want it for gathering eggs, watch where they roost at night and pick a spot about a foot lower. If you want them to use it to hatch, it shouldn't be too different but you may want it slightly lower so the chicks are able to follow the mom.

Isn't it totally unsafe for the broodies to hatch their chicks in there?
I mean, wouldn't a raccoon dog easily see the broody and eat her? Wouldn't it be safer for her to hatch a clutch deep inside a dense brush?

 

[Appalachickens]

Isn't it totally unsafe for the broodies to hatch their chicks in there?
I mean, wouldn't a raccoon dog easily see the broody and eat her? Wouldn't it be safer for her to hatch a clutch deep inside a dense brush?

Are you talking about the Japanese fox-like thing? (which are illegal to own in the US). I don't imagine there is any height an actual raccoon couldn't reach.

 

[WingItRanch]

Isn't it totally unsafe for the broodies to hatch their chicks in there?
I mean, wouldn't a raccoon dog easily see the broody and eat her? Wouldn't it be safer for her to hatch a clutch deep inside a dense brush?

It's really up to the chicken. All you can do is give her options. If you want chickens to be fully in nature, you'll most likely lose some to predators. @No Coop No Problem has a great way of looking at it.

 

[Hablo]

Are you talking about the Japanese fox-like thing? (which are illegal to own in the US). I don't imagine there is any height an actual raccoon couldn't reach.

In Latin it's Martes martes. They live here in Germany and can climb trees.

It's really up to the chicken. All you can do is give her options. If you want chickens to be fully in nature, you'll most likely lose some to predators. @No Coop No Problem has a great way of looking at it.

Yes, but I asked because this nest-box in the tree sounded unsafer than just letting her hatch in the brush.

 

[BoundlessLove]

@Hablo Just coming into this and reading the conversation. A coon dog is a dog who hunts raccoons.

 

[BoundlessLove]

@No Coop No Problem
Such an interesting thread! Thanks for sharing your story.

 

[Hablo]

@Hablo Just coming into this and reading the conversation. A coon dog is a dog who hunts raccoons.

Yes, Google translator isn't the best for translating I realized It's better to translate by myself. Thanks for explanation.

 

[Hablo]

So back to topic! Also thanks to @No Coop No Problem for sharing all this especially the wonderful photos!

I live with a family and some other people in a big house in the countryside. We have about 2300m2 for our poultry.
I live here since 3 years and the hawks killed so many chicks and chickens...
First I heard about guinea fowl that they're good against the hawk.
It worked for about 4 months then the chickens got eaten again. Not all of them, but a lot.
Then I thought, we need the biggest chickens, then the hawk won't try to eat them. But the Jersey Giants were eaten...
Then I thought we needed a big Sanjak Longcrower cock who warns early enough. Didn't work. (But he's just turned 1,5 years and is in the pecking order under our old Marans cock, so I think that's why.)
Then I thought we needed turkeys. So I bought a turkey hen and a gobbler. Didn't work.
Then Youtube suggested me a video of "Florida Bullfrog" and he changed my mindset completely.
- The chickens which got eaten weren't strong enough!
- It's normal that the hawk eats the weakest, eaven if you have the strongest chicken. I mean, it's the same with the red junglefowl.

So since then I tried different breeds that I would let my broodies hatch out. Since now, it's been Sanjak Longcrowers and Altsteirers. I now have 3 Altsteirer chicks left that are 10 weeks old, 3 Sanjak poullets that are 5 months and one Sanjak cockerel (5 months). Let's see if they're strong enough to thrive here...

Next year I wanna try out Liege Fighters and German bush chickens (Deutsches Buschhuhn).

We close them in a coop over night but I'm very interested in letting them live without it. My guinea fowls did good with roosting in trees when they were new here.

Greetings!