Free Ranging Silkies??

[Alex1010]

So I have 6 4 month old silkies. And I freerange my flock a lot. But i never freeranged my Silkie chicks i have lost 2 chicks to a hawk. I have 2 fears one is hawks, the second one is that other chickens might hurt my silkies. they're separated but they do see each other when i put my silkies in a small tractor so they can eat some grass. Anybody free range there Silkies? any Tips?

 

[Michael OShay]

I have free ranged some Silkies in the past, and all those are valid concerns with Silkies. Because they are bantams, they can take a beating from the larger, standard sized breeds. But even worse, because Silkies don't fly and don't see well with their crests, they are easy targets for predators. I decided very quickly that Silkies were not a good breed for free ranging.

 

[Alex1010]

I just hate having mine locked up. I might decide to free range when they're about 6 months.