Free ranging in the woods?

[salt and pepper]

My rooster fertilizes the eggs, and I still eat them =) There's nothing wrong with them. I haven't lost one bird to predators yet, if you are worried about them, you could always supervise them when they're out.

 

[centrarchid]

Not all woods are equal with respect to the cover they require. My brother kept free-ranging games in wooded spoils of surface coal mine and had coonhounds that free-ranged same area at night. Losses were minimal. Hawks during day had trouble going after birds that could retreat to heavy cover. More manueverable hawks (Coopers) had trouble going after larger birds and squawling bird had dog there in a flash.

A fox will get into you eventually. Soon I will be pushing my games into 8 acre woodlot to south of house. Dogs will be posted nearby and I will also do some silvipasture management to make so chickens have more low and intermediate level cover that helps them avoid hawks and foxes, respectively, long enough for dogs to intervene.