daytime predators?! don't want to give up free range

[chickens & dogs]

I have had a bad year with the foxes!they are coming all times of the day.Then i had a cat come and take my 12 week old chick.Keeping them in now unless i'm out with them i hate it ugh!

 

[redsoxs]

Quote:
I agree with ddawn. Kind of a toss up between letting them have their freedom and pick and scratch and get some bugs and maybe lose one to a daytime predator, and keeping them contained, restricting their diet and freedom but not losing any. I opt for taking my chances. I know it only takes one stray dog (or coon or fox or...) to wipe out a flock and maybe I'd change my tune then. So far our twenty one 16 week old free ranging birds have suffered no predator losses. Keeping our fingers crossed.

 

[al6517]

Quote:
I don't know if ID'ing the preditor is the most important part of free range management, Some folks have come to the reality that if free ranging is the best for them then preditor losses have to be expected. Sobbing over losing birds and IDing preditors isn't productive, figuring out how to minimize it or dealing with the repopulation of your flock is key. Yes you can manage some preditor populations but this takes allot of time, effort, $$ and continous dedication, most of which free range folks don't have the stomach or willingness for. There will allways be preditors who will step in after you think you have eradicated the current preditor and fill their spot, I guess what I am saying is there may be several different animals watching your flock. It can be very frustrating so free range folks either have to come to grips and deal with losses, repopulate their flocks and drive on, it's healthier than constantly crying over spilled milk. I wish I could free range it would be so nice, but alas I cannot. My birds are too valuable for me to let them become breakfast, lunch and dinner because I do not choose to protect them.

 

[centrarchid]

Quote:
Knowing your pest organism, how it operates and its limitations makes sustained free ranging practices possible. Otherwise keeping birds outdoors is a crap shoot where all is fine until predators come calling. I have always kept birds free range, have modest losses now and again but not enough to decide it is impossible or impractical. Getting to know predator is first step in my integrated pest management plan.

MzBalance,

Your situation with backyard butting up against woods is a difficult one, especially in an urban setting. If hawk was taker, then getting birds to spend more time closer to cover plants by house would help. If wild canid (fox or coyote), then either having chicken breed that is capable of flight into tree and prone to do so quickly would help greatly, or option I employ which may not be able to is use of dog and breed that flies into trees. Dog required by me to protect chicks.

 

[al6517]

Quote:
Knowing your pest organism, how it operates and its limitations makes sustained free ranging practices possible. Otherwise keeping birds outdoors is a crap shoot where all is fine until predators come calling. I have always kept birds free range, have modest losses now and again but not enough to decide it is impossible or impractical. Getting to know predator is first step in my integrated pest management plan.

MzBalance,

Your situation with backyard butting up against woods is a difficult one, especially in an urban setting. If hawk was taker, then getting birds to spend more time closer to cover plants by house would help. If wild canid (fox or coyote), then either having chicken breed that is capable of flight into tree and prone to do so quickly would help greatly, or option I employ which may not be able to is use of dog and breed that flies into trees. Dog required by me to protect chicks.

Yes and all good points................ I guess I was saying if your having hawk problems for instance then come to a solution for that, there maybe let's say a coon explosion, then you fix that and a possum problem crops up. So yes it does help some to ID the preditor. Breeding a flock more prone to flight is a great way to approach those problems and the dog is always a plus, but as you and I both know people have their preferance breeds LOL that they prefer that may not lend to flightiness. I like how you have come to grips with the losses and except them as part of the program.

 

[SallyF]

I've lost four chickens in the last couple of weeks. One at night to what I think was a rat (it was a nine-week old chicken). The other three disappeared during the day while the flock was free-ranging. I've had the rest of the flock on coop/run arrest all week, which they are NOT enjoying at all. Now I see signs that something is trying to dig under the fencing, so I've got to go figure out how to secure that now. If it weren't so hot, I'd have DH sitting out there with his gun at the ready all night! This coon or coyote or fox or whatever it is has got to die.