Freeranging unsupervised?

[Ch8ckenhelp]

I get hawks in my yard a lot, especially in the spring, and I still free-range. If i see one scaring the chickens, I'll run out there with a pot and bang on it with a stick, the noise scares them away and makes it less likely that they'll come back. I've lost a couple to hawks, but the real concern should be foxes and coyotes. Both of these animals have taken out my entire flock on separate occasions. I fenced in my yard about half a year ago, but I had chickens long before then. Like everyone else said, it's gotta be a risk you're willing to take.

 

[RodNTN]

My chickens free range dusk till dawn. I have four roosters that "keep track" of all of the girls Every hour or so I'll poke my head out the door and check on them.

 

[bruceha2000]

I presume you mean dawn till dusk? Otherwise that means they are out all night

 

[Mountain_artist]

My husband is building a Fort Knox coop and our chicks will not get to free range, probably ever. We live in the Smokies and have way too many predators. I can't even let my children free range! Because of the terrain, there are too many hiding spots for predators, and a bunch of neighbors let their dogs run free.

 

[Ursuline Chick]

I know y'all will think we a crazy, but we have coyotes in our neighborhood in the city. They will eat small dogs and cats, etc. We have problems with possums, which we trap. our hens free range the yard all day and on occasion 2 hens hop the fence and go outside for a short period of time and then come back in on their own, we have vacant lots on either side of us. But back to the coyotes, My husband pees along the fence line occasionally and we have not had a coyote problem ever. We have had chickens around 6 or 7 years. Our neighbors have seen coyotes walking down the street we live on.

 

[Ilypecknbushel]

This thread was so helpful! I have been toying with the idea of letting my gals have the whole yard ( fenced but certainly not “secure”) during the day. Now I am certainly only going to do that when we are home. I have lost single chickens to racoons ( & maybe other predators)over the years, but would be devastated to lose the whole flock in one go. They are happy in their protected run & have a good amount of space to explore there, but I agree with others that they just seem really happy to be out on the grass & in varied terrain.

 

[Ursuline Chick]

I'm under the impression that every city in the continental US has coyotes.

We did not have coyotes in the actual city of New Orleans until after Katrina! And then we had them in abundance right after Katrina.

 

[ChickenRelatedUserName]

The history of Coyotes in the US is pretty interesting.