GETTING BACK ON THE CHICKEN TRAIN

[Mama2Pollo]

HELLO TO ALL THE MOM'S AND DAD'S OF CHICKENS......
WE ARE INTO OUR SECOND YEAR OF RAISING CHICKENS AND HAVE NOT HAD A REALLY GOOD RECORD OF KEEPING OUR BABIES FOR LONG.
WE LIVE OUT IN THE COUNTRY WHERE THERE ARE LOTS OF PREDATORS.
HOW DO WE KEEP THEM SAFE BUT STILL ABLE TO BE OUT AND BE RANGE FREE CREATURES??

ANY FREE ADVICE WILL BE ACCEPTED.

MAMAPOLLO

 

[KLIL]

Hello from down under Australia and welcome to BYC!
You are going to love it here.

Feel free to pop by and share your daily updates for 2019 too.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/flock-life-journeys-2019.1286370/

Lovely to meet you and hope to speak more.

 

[Pork Pie]

Hi and welcome to BYC. From my experience, free ranging a flock whilst being totally safe are polar opposites. You can check out this forum - Predators and Pests

Posting on your state thread may also yield some good advice -
Find your State's thread.

This link may also be helpful - Topic of the Week - Keeping the Flock Safe from Predators

Best wishes
Pork Pie

 

[BlueBaby]

Hello, and welcome! Glad that you joined, and hope that you will learn the right answer to your question. I don't free range mine, so there's less chance and temptation for a predator to get them.

 

[Butterscotchbitesfinger]

Hi and welcome to BYC, electric fence kept foxes out of mine, we didn’t really have Ariel predators to worry about but yeah electric fence worked wonders for eons

 

[feathermaid]

There's always risk when free ranging, especially in a rural area where predators are more abundant. As owners, you either accept the risk and possible losses, or keep them locked in a secure enclosure. A good rooster could help protect the flock or warn them of approaching danger and usher them to safety. Training a guardian dog works for a lot of people too. Or adding electric fencing. Weigh pros and cons and decide if building a bigger run might be a solution...

Predator Proofing

Keeping Chickens Without Free Ranging

Key Points to Successful and Safe Free Ranging

Best wishes with your flock!

 

[007Sean]

Howdy and Welcome to Backyard Chickens.

Thanks for joining our community!

 

[JedJackson]

Welcome to BYC! I hope you have better luck whatever you decide. I really can't add much to what FlappyFeathers wrote. You just have to make the choice between free ranging and knowing that there will probably losses, or keeping them in a small, but secure area.

 

[Cragg Klefor]

Hi and welcome
That is a question we would all like to have answers to... how to free range safely. Unfortunately depending on predators in your locality it sometimes is simply not possible.
If you could tell us what predators are preying on your flock it could help us offer some suggestions!

 

[DobieLover]

Hello and welcome to BYC! Glad you joined.
I'm in the electric poultry fences make happy chickens camp.