Free Ranging Fears

[Illia]

When your hens are at the age of laying, at least for mine, I find (and it was on accident) a good way also to train them up to get out of danger is that if you sense there is danger around (hawk, eagle, dogs getting near) - A shrill scream (not exactly scream, but) mimicking a rooster's warning call REALLY helps too. I found that out when seeing just what they'd do if I imitated some weird elk or rooster sound. . . Every single girl, no matter what they were doing out in the pasture, came barreling into the coop.

So, that's often my backup.

 

[kidcody]

I know we live far apart (WA.), but I have to worry about the Bald Eagles trying to take my chicken. I let them free range during the day on ten acres and what I have noticed is that they will notice when a Bald Eagle flies over. They all will run for cover, the rooster sounds the alarm! I've only seen once when the Bald Eagle came down and grabed my chicken but coudn't keep a grip on her! It all happen so fast this poor hen wouldn't come out of the bushes for 2 days, she was fine!! It was so upsetting for me! Maybe just let them out when you are doing yard work or something outside no hawk will bother you if you right there.

 

[Jerseycoop]

Quote:
Jerseyhen your dog is awesome! I'll clip their wings today (just the right side) because my neighbor on the other side of my fence has three dogs that would rip my girls apart if they flew over for a visit and give it a go. I think this fall I'll plant some more trees to give cover for them. Wish me luck for hawks!

 

[Jerseycoop]

Quote:
That's another great idea! Thanks. I don't have a rooster and my girls are 14 weeks so maybe I could train them with a yell of some sort

 

[Amigo]

We have our chickens free ranging all the time. What you need is a Great Pyreness dog (Never ever have them indoors), which is a guardian dog (you can get free ones on CraigsList, because people don't like them as house pets

). Make sure that do not feed them any brand dog foods, give them raw meat, it will help them be stronger, and they will live longer.

You also need a good rooster, one that doesn't just breed, but one that is big, friendly to you and the hens, and protecting. One way of an example would be our roosters, we have two, a mixed breed one (the one on my avatar, also my name.

) a dominique one too. Amigo doesn't let Pumkin (the other rooster) near him, but when there is trouble, Amigo sends his warnings to the hens (a call), and Pumkin goes out in the middle of the field as bait. So you need a strong rooster.

 

[Abirdbrain]

Its Moms day off, so she has loosed the birds in the main pen to range today, along with the Eagle faced Ameraucanas.(9) They really dont mingle, they stay a few yards away from each other. In the evening mom and I will sit for a while and enjoy the setting sun, and hawks will patrol overhead. Some dropping down as far as 30 feet, but obviously are aware of us, and keep searching the open grassland we have. Now that our birds are older and larger, there is less predation of the juvenile birds, that were half sized. I think this is a major issue, of Racoons and others that can, or cant carry off a bird. So about half our birds are ranging today, and we will be around. We will be moving the tractor coops, as we do frequently anyway.

 

[savingdogs]

I've had chickens three years and have lost a few to predation, which is not unexpected as we live in the forest. However, we lost them to plain old ordinary neighborhood dogs! Not even mean or crazy ones.

You can see my username is savingdogs so I'm not a dog hater by ANY stretch

but I have found them to be the worst predator for my chickens, even though we live near hawks and other wildlife. I have not lost any to them.

We found that having more pens helped, higher fencing and clipping their wings, especially certain breeds. So mine "free range" but in a contained area. Having an extra barrier of some kind would be helpful in the area where the neighbor has the crazy dogs. Crazy neighborhood dogs would certainly kill your chickens, and chickens fly right over fences sometimes, especially certain breeds. My EEs can fly even WITH their wings clipped. My Buff Orpingtons can't seem to get more than a foot off the ground.

I agree that a life lived totally in a cage and eating 100 percent food brought to them mainly from a bag is NOT why I'm having chickens. But we took a while find the balance that worked for us, ours are out in a big yard about 1/2 their time. The good thing is the strong instinct of the chicken to return to their coop at night, that is really helpful in getting them rounded up and safe. I also throw down BOSS on the ground to coax them inside their different enclosures to move them about easily. I hope my experience is helpful to you.

Good luck!

 

[Jerseycoop]

Quote:
I love dogs too! Had them all my life until 2 years ago when our beloved Cherokee, our golden retriever lost his battle with cancer

I still miss him. My neighbors moved from the city to our suburbs and she said she felt isolated and bought herself a pitbull, german shephard and caboodle. She has no control over them and I often hear them fighting with each other and she yells out frantically to whomever is home at her house to help her pull the dogs apart.

My fence is 6 ft and I too have an EE my son's baby. She is a very curious girl. Did you clip one side or both sides of her wings? I wouldn't want her to fly over to their dinner plate

I would love to have a rooster and although I'm allowed to keep one I worry my neighbors my not like the early wake up call. We all sit on an acre but a rooster's cock-a-doodle-doo is so unpredicable

 

[savingdogs]

I just trimmed one side. I learned how from a thread on here, but it isn't difficult. You just have one person hold the bird and stretch the wing out and cut off the longest ones. Find a picture first and you will feel more confident. Afterwards, it does mar their beauty as the feathers on that side look all chopped. I read to do one side so they are lopsided and cannot manage flight. I have also read another persons' opinion that she trims both sides so the bird feels equal and balanced. My EEs can still get out, you need to put something on top of that fence to keep them off as they jump onto the fence and then jump down. They don't really fly all the way over in one flight. They fly up to a high point and then down on the other side. One solution would just be a second fence, just inside the first one, and make the top wire so they can't stand on it to hop over. We put a wire (not electric) across the top so that if they attempt to jump on it, it isn't stable for them.

To some extent, the ones that were dumb enough to fly into the dogs mouth just didn't survive, we have had to make adjustments so that they cannot get out and then do a little finger-crossing. I have a couple breeds here now that don't fly much, but that EE sure will.

 

[Jerseycoop]

Quote:
Good to know! I just clipped all 7 of them! I did the right side so I could make sure I didn't miss one. My EE was so good through it sat real pretty on my lap and didn't want to get off for the next girl!

I had to trick the RIR's OMG!

They acted like I wanted to kill them

other than running laps, it was very simple. Phew!

Sound the trumphets and cross your fingers my girls are getting a day out....so sentimental..lol