For those of you that completely free range!

[sarastamand]

How do you do it? We currently allow our 13 week old chicks run around the yard, but only if we are home. We have many predators in our area, but they love being able to run around EVERYWHERE! And I love watching them and calling them across the yard and everybody comes racing over haha.

I'd like to leave them outside while we are not home, but I don't feel that's a good idea and wondered if anybody else did that. One night we had a huge black bear in the backyard (chicks were in coop and not even near bear). The next night we had a bunny. We had an ermine wipe out our entire last flock, but that occurred overnight. He found a hole that we unfortunately neglected to secure so we had to revamp the coop when we got our new girls.

 

[SueT]

I let mine free range every afternoon from about noon till sunset,whether we're home or not. We occasionally lose birds to predators, it has averaged one or two a year. When that happens, I lock everyone in run for a few weeks. I have raised new chicks each year to replace those lost. I love the pasture raised eggs, and so take the risk. However, if, like you, the entire flock was decimated, I would likely do things differently. Maybe I would train a livestock guardian dog.....

 

[keesmom]

Any time you free range you take the risk of losing bird(s) to a predator. You will have to weigh the benefits of free ranging against any potential losses you may have. I prefer to free range. However on a handful of occasions that has come back to bite me. I've lost whole flocks during daylight hours to foxes or coyotes.

 

[DellaMyDarling]

We have a dog that scents up our yard. It has reduced coyote down to nearly nil. Fox... they're sneaky and undeterred by dog pee. Lost a duck last week to fox, definitely an oversight on my part for the kennel and I have since increased the fortress.

Other than that, my girls are out dawn to dusk with a small Roo. Not ducks yet, they're pretty dumb. Then we lock them in a super secure shed overnight.

 

[ShannonR]

Yes, dogs. I have an LGD and two mutts, haven't had a predator loss in years. The dogs even chase off hawks, interestingly

 

[Robert G]

Mine used to free range the entire yard, until two stray dogs found a break in my chain link fence and killed several of them. Then I had a chicken hawk issue followed by a possum. Now they have a large 30' by 60' run with their coops in it and covered by a net.

 

[perchie.girl]

Free ranging only works if you are willing to accept lossses. I have almost twenty acres that is unfenced.... My house sits on about two fenced acres.... Dog fenced. I fed morning and evening then. Soon as I set out the call I had chickens coming out of the woodwork.

At the time my neighbors that two German shepherd lab crosses that made the rounds of both our properties. About forty acres. I had some losses but very few then. Big ole goofy dogs Not LGDS or special any kind. But they did mark territory...

I also had hens that would go broody and raise up a bizillian Chiks and they could come out of the bush happily clucking and teaching their younguns how to eat and drink and be safe.

Someone killed his dogs.... Crazy neighbor lady. After that I lost flock after flock and finally gave up.

Dogs are the key... Having Bush Wize chickens are essential. Flighty, Good forageers. Quick to flight... Not sitting in your lap friendly...

deb

 

[Henriettamom919]

With the exception of hawks/eagles most of our predators are strictly nighttime offenders (We live about 25 miles North of Seattle) so mine go into a fenced garden at night. They free range all day and go up to roost about half an hour after sunset which right now is around 8:30pm.

We do have raccoons but due to a lengthy relationship with them that pre dates our chickens and has a long, funny story attached the raccoons are too well fed with dog food to bother with our hens.

Are your serious predators daytime hunters? If not, I think yours would be okay from mid morning until sunset. If they are I agree with the others that a few dogs would probably keep most anything at least at a distance.