Free-Ranging with Predators

[Lemon-Drop]

Hi, so, what I'm really curious is, what is your take on free-ranging?

My girls love it, however, we have lots of predators that would love chickens as a tasty snack.

My question is, do you think it's best to keep them safe, but cooped up in their run, or risk it for them to be happy? We have lost some chickens in the past due to predators. I'm just not sure if they'd rather be safe, but not have the freedom of free-ranging, or if they'd rather have a happy life, even if there's a possibly lethal risk?

Just some background, we have 16 chickens, their run is pretty large but now grass-less, in the area are the occasional bear, cougar, coyote, fox, and eagle/hawk. I have seen some neighbors free-ranging on a daily basis, though.

Thanks for your opinion!

 

[OzarkChooks]

I have decided to keep them in a covered run during fall & winter due to the enormous increase of hawks and eagles. I like letting them free range all spring and summer though.

 

[centrarchid]

My most valuable birds are penned with a dog and fencing to protect pens. My barnyard flock are able to forage a roughly half acre enclosed by goat fencing and they have another dog nearby. Those birds roost in a dog pen inside barn where pen door usually open and barn door is always open so dog can go in and out. A small number of extra birds are totally free-range and have a dog that has a core free-range area the chickens stay in. Those birds roost in garage.

 

[mowin]

My chickens love it when I let them out of there run. But I only do it the last hr or so of the day, and only if I'm outside. My yard is totally fenced in, and I've got 3 dogs the help keep critters on there side of the fence. Late fall and winter they don't get out much. I'm not going to stand outside in the teens, and my gals will not touch snow. I could open the run door, and they wouldn't go out if there's snow on the ground.

 

[cmom]

Birds are creatures of habits and routines. I think many people free range their birds because it makes them happy to see the birds out roaming about, but sooner or later they will be discovered. Lessons learned the hard way. Now I have nice large covered pens for my birds with electric wires around my coops and pens good heavy duty netting covering the pens and concrete under all of the gates all due to losses from predators in the past. There are many ways to entertain the birds even when they are confined to a run/pen. Good luck...