Free Ranging and predators

[fyrftr4rd]

HELP! My wife and I are new to keeping chickens. We currently have 7 chickens, but started with 10. We have had them for about 3 months now. I have a very nice chicken house that is under the lean-to on one side of my shop which is further enclosed by a 4' fence/run approximately 24'X15' under the lean-to. We started with a 160' long net fence as a run that was attached to the chicken run from corner to opposite corner stretching into the side yard, but we decided we wanted to truly free range them so we took the fence down about a month ago now. They love it as you can imagine. Around the immediate area were is about 4 acres of cleared property that the house and shop sit on with about 20 acres of wooded area around that. A couple of weeks ago 2 of our girls decided not to return for the night. Despite 2 hours of searching in the dark with flashlights in the woods we were unsuccessful. The following day 1 returned. She immediately went broody and we thought at first she was traumatized due to possibly dealing with a predator that may have taken the other hen since she never returned. So at that point we lost 1. Now today I have lost 1 for sure and possibly a second. We found a lot of feathers and one of the girls with flies already on her in the woods on the backside of the house. She's in heavy briar's and can barely see her, so I am unsure what got her. Not sure where the other is but it does not look good. We accounted for the other 7 and we have penned them back up and we have placed the net fence back up and will discontinue the "open" free ranging and go with the pasture free ranging instead. At least that way we can control their movements. My question is: should I put some sort of cover over the top of the net fence to give that much protection, or will having it connected to the chicken coop be sufficient for them to run for cover?

 

[Haehnchen1]

Sorry about your losses. A few questions...do you lock your chickens in at night? Do you have a lot of hawks in your area? If there are a lot of hawks, then I would definitely put bird netting over them. We only have an acre of land but have our fair share of predators. Our flock has a coop and run that is very secure- half inch galvanized steel mesh which is buried around the perimeter of the run to protect from digging predators. The run has a roof, so nothing can get in from above. We let them free range when we are home and can keep an eye on them. I've had hawks try to nab chickens feet from me, so you can't be too careful. I'll try to get a picture to post.

 

[fyrftr4rd]

Yes, they are locked in the coop at night. Hawks, yes. A lot? Not sure. I do know there is at least 1 Cooper Hawk that lives in my woods. I was wondering that with a 160 sq ft run, what would be the best choice for a cover? We are gone all day at work so the chickens are home alone until we get home from work.

 

[Haehnchen1]

Do you happen to have a picture? If you have posts that are somewhat tall holding the fence up, you could create a spider web of sorts with inexpensive string or fishing line between the posts across the run. The posts need to be tall so that you can still walk into the fenced in area without clotheslining yourself on the string lol. If you were looking down on your run (as a hawk would) you should see strings going in many directions making it difficult for a dive and nab. You can also hang shiny things from the string to help deter the hawks. Old cds work well.

Another idea would be to put some posts in the middle of your run and buy sections of bird netting. This would be more secure than the string method but also more costly. I picture of your area would be great to help in suggesting things.

 

[centrarchid]

You can cover run with deer netting at minimal cost. It will help keep hawks out but not stop raccoons.


What was condition of dead hen in woods? Partially eaten?

 

[fyrftr4rd]

Sorry no pictures. I am out of town and the wife is still putting up the net fence. Surprise the 2nd chicken we thought was dead showed up about 5 minutes ago (WHEW!!!) I will try to draw up a picture and post for some clarity. I like the idea o the netting across the top, especially since it is such a large area (approx 40' square).

 

[fyrftr4rd]

Try this diagram

 

[Haehnchen1]

I would go with the netting on top of the run. I would be concerned about the dead hen that you found in the briars. That doesn't sound like a hawk attack. Whatever got her knows that you have chickens and will most likely be back. Since the chickens are locked in at night, you probably don't have to worry too much about raccoons. If your predator is a fox, that's a different story. I've been seeing foxes around our area in the daytime. Your original net fence may have worked because the predator hadn't found the chickens yet. You may want to look into building something sturdier. Just a thought.

 

[fyrftr4rd]

Thank you for the good info. I appreciate it. We will be implementing some of these ideas.

 

[Haehnchen1]

How we stopped predators