HI Lynn and welcome to BYC!
Just in case your current flock does not thrive on free ranging and before you throw in the towell I wanted to provide you a resource I have from the livestock conservancy:
It is their pickachicken guide. Now I for one have never worked with the breeds you have so am not predicting one bit that they are not suitable for your purposes and free ranging. But should your chicken numbers drop below you goals of eggs/meat check the pdf for breeds that are predator savvy and good foragers combined with the type of use you want meat/eggs/both ect. It is obvious you have already made a good bit of investment already towards meeting your goal, but I am just thinking back to my first year as a keeper and it was a major setback from which I have recovered.
Just in case your current flock does not thrive on free ranging and before you throw in the towell I wanted to provide you a resource I have from the livestock conservancy:It is their pickachicken guide. Now I for one have never worked with the breeds you have so am not predicting one bit that they are not suitable for your purposes and free ranging. But should your chicken numbers drop below you goals of eggs/meat check the pdf for breeds that are predator savvy and good foragers combined with the type of use you want meat/eggs/both ect. It is obvious you have already made a good bit of investment already towards meeting your goal, but I am just thinking back to my first year as a keeper and it was a major setback from which I have recovered.
