Evening Folks,

[JMJ62]

I'm a new member, my name is Janet and with my husband Charlie and son CJ we raise chickens in our backyard. They freely range the whole fenced in yard but can easily fly over the fence to wander around the front yard, dust themselves in the mulch under our handicapped ramp, for my hubby. Or they cross the street to eat on the grass after its been cut. But I'd like any advice on keeping them safe from raccoons, skunks, and other predators?

 

[007Sean]

Howdy, Janet and Welcome to Backyard Chickens.

Happy to have you here with us. Enjoy your time here at BYC!

Thanks for joining our community!

 

[chrissynemetz]

Welcome to BYC Janet! We're glad you joined us!

 

[Callender Girl]

Hello, Janet! My chickens, ducks and geese "free range" during the day, but only in the fenced off portion of the yard where I can see them (except when a brave few escape into the sheep and goat pens) and hear them.

Before the fencing, the ducks liked to wander to the back of the property and swim in an old canoe -- until a mink put an end to Hadley and the fencing went up. Unfettered free ranging means you are more than likely to lose birds.

So, the standard "safety" advice is: coop them at night, use hardware cloth (not the badly named chicken wire) to keep out predators, and always keep your guard up because everything wants to eat your chickens. Raccoons have incredibly nimble fingers, so most of my coops have double latches -- one vertical and another horizontal -- and I run a carabiner through the slide bolts so they can't be opened.

Despite all that serious stuff, having chickens is and should be a great experience. Enjoy their antics, their eggs and all that you can learn from creatures that just live in the moment.

Welcome to BYC! Hope your birds all stay safe!

 

[GermanKennhuhn]

Welcome to BYC! Glad you joined!

 

[DobieLover]

Hello, Janet, and welcome to BYC! Glad you joined.
Free ranging is not without risk. The best thing you can do is lock them up each night in a well ventilated predator proof coop and offer lots of overhead cover for day time ranging.

 

[swampfox440]

Hi, welcome to BYC! nice to meet you.

 

[Grammy60]

Hello Janet and welcome to BYC So happy you have joined our flock.

 

[Tookie]

Hello and welcome to BYC!

 

[janiedoe]

Good morning, Janet, welcome to BYC! I think @Callender Girl and @DobieLover gave you excellent advice. Good luck with your flock!