Free range unattended?

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This is such a personal decision and a question of how much risk can you tolerate. Our hens LOVE roaming around the barns and house that we decided to let them do so despite having put up a 400 foot fence around their coop for them. Its also meant that I had to put up fences around my flower beds to protect them from the chickens but that's okay as we can actually see how happy they are roaming. We are also rural and see coyotes and other predators so we keep them in their enclosed area in the early morning and let them out afterwards. We are getting a rooster in 2 weeks which will hopefully be an added layer of protection / alert system. So far we have been lucky but fully realise that one day that luck may end - hopefully not but realistically.... We'll cross that bridge when we get there. Our neighbours also have free ranging chickens and haven't had issues - yet. If your chickens haven't tasted the freedom of roaming, keeping them enclosed in a large area will be easier.
 
beebesknees said:
Hello all. I have 7 week old chickens that I just started letting free range this weekend. They are doing really well so far but I was wondering if you can leave them unattended while free ranging? My husband and I like to take the UTV out on the trails but not sure if it's ok to leave them out while we're gone? Do people who let their chickens free range run errands and just live life as usual with their chickens loose? Thanks!
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7 week old chicks are pretty young to leave unattended. I would create a "safer" area for them for such occasions -- at minimum some t-posts with hardware cloth around and a net over top.
 
beebesknees said:
Hello all. I have 7 week old chickens that I just started letting free range this weekend. They are doing really well so far but I was wondering if you can leave them unattended while free ranging? My husband and I like to take the UTV out on the trails but not sure if it's ok to leave them out while we're gone? Do people who let their chickens free range run errands and just live life as usual with their chickens loose? Thanks!
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I would say they are too young. In addition to weighing the risk of predation that exists with any size or age of free-ranging chicken, you must factor in that they are small and inexperienced. If they were mine, I'd give them a few months to learn the lay of the land, literally and figuratively, and in the meantime cast an eye their way periodically to make sure no one is getting in youngster trouble. Dusk and dawn are especially high-predation periods; any hen out at those times of days is at heightened risk, though some predators are so bold they hunt when they're not "supposed" to.
 
My chickens are currently 5 months old and, even though the cockerel already knows how to defend himself and the ladies, I never let them free range if there's nobody at home.

I'm no longer watching them all the time, but I'm still around just in case. The other day they suddenly made a lot of noise and I went out to check them —turns out there was a cat staring at them from the neighbor's ceiling. Maybe if I wasn't there to hear them, the cat would have dared to come down and attack them.

This is just an example of why I prefer to be at home (or someone else in the family) if my chickens are free ranging. If I have to get out and nobody is going to take a look at them at least once in a while, I just put them back in their coop. They're not going to die because they stay there for a few hours...
 
Gizabelle said:
She's no coyote dog like yours (holy cow, btw!) but she'll dutifully alert everyone in a 2-mile radius should she deem something amiss in the yard. :hmm
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I guess I have to tell the coyote story. Gracie's not quite as brave as the short version makes this sound. Bear with me, it's a bit longish.

So.. I'm wshing dishes and I hear the chickens make that nervous alarm call. I look out the window and see what looks like a kind of mangy German shepherd in ghe back yard. Gracie's in the house with me so I yell, "Gracie! Get the rat!" Which is our version of Get 'im! It alerts her and she jumps up, looking around. We run to the door and I'm pointing and yelling and she runs out, barking her head off, still looking around. She doesn't know what the target is but by golly, it better look out! She's ready to battle, whatever it is. Finally she spots it and takes off yelling. "What are you doing in my yard! Intruder! Intruder! You better run! I'll get you! Get out of here right now!" By this time I realize it's a coyote, easily twice her size and I'm yelling too. "Get out of here, you mangy monster! Get 'im, Gracie! Good girl! And don't come back!" Of course the coyote is now running as if its tail is on fire.

It reaches the fence line about 30 yards off and - dang! There's another one! Hot on its tail, Gracie is now reading the riot act to both of them. They are not running quite so fast now, and a little farther off I see a THIRD one! This one grins, looks over its shoulder and takes off in an easy lope. Gracie, still furious, is ready to do battle with all three of them. Now I'm yelling a different tune. "Gracie, get back here! Gracie, NO! Gracie COME!" That lead coyote has an evil grin on his face. "Come on, little girl, just a little closer ..."

Gracie finally hears me. She slows down. Looks over shoulder at me. "Good girl," I yell, "Gracie, come!" She looks back at the intruders and decides, reluctantly, that she has done her job. She turns around and comes home, wagging with pride and grinning from ear to ear. Did you see me, Mom? I did good, didn't I? Yes, Baby, you did just fine. Good girl! But please don't ever do that again!
 
BigBlueHen53 said:
I guess I have to tell the coyote story. Gracie's not quite as brave as the short version makes this sound. Bear with me, it's a bit longish.

So.. I'm wshing dishes and I hear the chickens make that nervous alarm call. I look out the window and see what looks like a kind of mangy German shepherd in ghe back yard. Gracie's in the house with me so I yell, "Gracie! Get the rat!" Which is our version of Get 'im! It alerts her and she jumps up, looking around. We run to the door and I'm pointing and yelling and she runs out, barking her head off, still looking around. She doesn't know what the target is but by golly, it better look out! She's ready to battle, whatever it is. Finally she spots it and takes off yelling. "What are you doing in my yard! Intruder! Intruder! You better run! I'll get you! Get out of here right now!" By this time I realize it's a coyote, easily twice her size and I'm yelling too. "Get out of here, you mangy monster! Get 'im, Gracie! Good girl! And don't come back!" Of course the coyote is now running as if its tail is on fire.

It reaches the fence line about 30 yards off and - dang! There's another one! Hot on its tail, Gracie is now reading the riot act to both of them. They are not running quite so fast now, and a little farther off I see a THIRD one! This one grins, looks over its shoulder and takes off in an easy lope. Gracie, still furious, is ready to do battle with all three of them. Now I'm yelling a different tune. "Gracie, get back here! Gracie, NO! Gracie COME!" That lead coyote has an evil grin on his face. "Come on, little girl, just a little closer ..."

Gracie finally hears me. She slows down. Looks over shoulder at me. "Good girl," I yell, "Gracie, come!" She looks back at the intruders and decides, reluctantly, that she has done her job. She turns around and comes home, wagging with pride and grinning from ear to ear. Did you see me, Mom? I did good, didn't I? Yes, Baby, you did just fine. Good girl! But please don't ever do that again!
Click to expand...
Oh my goodness what a good girl! :clap
I'll bet she had her chest puffed out for a solid week after that.
...and those coyotes probably agreed to never speak of that day again, lol.
 

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