How dangerous is free ranging?

[mamachicken888]

Where I live in Oklahoma, there is zero chance a flock would make it one day without deadly consequences. We fight hawks and turkey buzzards several times a day. Now that they know the chicks are here, they circle overhead like... well, buzzards. We don't even feel safe with a covered run so we're going to rethink and rebuild our fortress. Then, all that's left is the bobcats, raccoons, and snakes.

 

[AK Michelle]

I have free ranged my chickens for years and so far (knock on wood) my only losses were to my ex-husband's dog and one banty juvenile that got carried off by a raven or hawk.

I do not believe it is a buffet, as some have said. I do have a fence, but the chickens rarely stay in the fence.

If your friend has goats, she has taken precautions to keep the goats safe, which means the neighbor dogs are kept out by the fence. Goats are generally too nosy and active for birds of prey to feel comfortable trying to catch a meal. It's not a fool-proof system, but based on MY past experience (zero losses when my chickens were with my goats) I'm saying they will be as safe as can be under the circumstances.

Good luck with your move

 

[chickmashnoon]

it depends on area and I would take into account the breed of chicken. Some of the inflata-chicken meat chickens as well as many of the fancier breeds are "sitting ducks" for predators. other breeds are much more likely to avoid predators themselves. but if a predator is sucessful catching one, rest assured they will be back for more. Of course chickens who are good foragers usually are better at watching their own tailfeathers as well, but if you want to freerange your chickens, I would pick a breed that is less friendly and more flighty. it might not always be that way, but usually friendliness makes for easy prey.

 

[gophert]

What do you mean, you fight turkey buzzards? A turkey vulture feeds on carrion and is not going to take a live chicken. Vultures often "kettle up" and soar over my house in large numbers but I don't worry a bit about them. You can tell a turkey vulture from a hawk easily--vultures hold their wings in a V and tip from side to side as they soar.

I think black vultures (look quite different) may occasionally take a small, helpless animal like a chick, but they are not gonna take out an adult chicken either.

 

[centrarchid]

Quote:
Predators are everywhere. They still have to find birds and get at them. Cover can help with that, especially with hawks. Chickens can also act in their own defense with smaller hawks if cover present and adult chickens, males in particular are involved. One chickens figure out some predators like foxes and coyotes, the birds can fly into trees if such are available enough and birds can fly. Having your own flock protecting dog is an extremely effective method to keep predators out as well. Complete stop of predation losses usually is not practical with free range birds but with proper managament the average animal can live a long and productive life.


Some breeds are not suitable for free range. I have come to the conclusion that, all bantams and breeds with very limited flight capacities owing to size of feathering are less capable of doing well in a free-range setting. Every body eats bantams and most bantams seem less endowed with smarts than many large fowl breeds. Limitations are not always related to escaping predators.

 

[monaname]

I was concerned when I first let the flock out in the yard to free-range, but so far so good. They're locked up in the run and coop at night. Literally, locked up. I use pad locks just to keep any curious kids out. But during the day, they have to fend for themselves. There are a lot of places they can run to and hide and fly up to if need be. And that's also why I bothered to get a rooster. I'm hoping he'll do his job and protect the girls in the event that something tries to bother them. I know it's a little cold, but I rather have the rooster take one for the team then have my girls taken.

 

[anthrochick]

I'm pro free-ranging, though of course you must provide some protection against predators. Our initial plan was to keep our small flock in a very large pen. We have a huge fenced backyard but it was our own dogs that worried us most. To our surprise, our dogs were quite easily trained not to hurt the chickens. Now they help keep the chickens safe. Hawks are somewhat of a concern. But it makes our hens so very happy to range that I think it's worth that small risk. Several months now and so far, so good, knock wood.

Funny there is a hen that lives down the street and has thrived with no protection whatsoever for over 2 years now. She arrived one day at this guy's house, a stray or abandoned. He lets her roost in his garage in the winter. But she is penless, coopless, and rarely fed. I do worry about her, but she looks healthy enough. Mind you, this is a neighborhood full of coons, possums, skunks, and dogs. I've no idea how she survives.

 

[Midwest Lizabeth]

If the chickens are inside the 5' fence and are locked up in the coop each evening, I'd let her take care of them. But, I'm not you. Our chickens are inside a 3' chain link fence and we have trees/shrubs where the chickens can "hide" from predators--they should have some options to hide--I don't know if I'd go for free ranging if it was all wide open. We lost 4 out of 26 when our no good black lab decided to jump the fence and have a snack. Since that dog has been chained up when the chicks are "free ranging" inside the fenced area, we haven't lost one. We do have a LSG (livestock guardian dog) and a stock dog that do not let strange animals on our property. They killed a mink last winter that would have killed all of the chickens. If you don't have any other friends to watch them for you, then either go for it or build some sort of pen on your friends property (that you could take to your new place), if your friend doesn't mind. Just my thoughts. Good luck on your move!

 

[LindaCT]

We live in the suburbs so any expected predators here would be either from the air or else neighbour's cats. I always planned to free-range the chickens in the daytime but only when there is somebody at home to supervise and investigate if there is trouble. My bigger chickens currently have the run of the entire garden but I plan to fence off the section they are in so that they cannot get near the street.

Just in the few weeks that my chicks have been big enough to go outside, we have had a Peregrine Falcon and a Pied Crow and a cat come to visit.

The falcon was the first visitor, he turned up when I was letting them all play in a paved yard outside the kitchen door at about 4 weeks old. I kept them in the coop after that in the daytime (and in the kitchen in the night time of course) until they were quite a bit bigger and more able to fend for themselves. I really hope I will be able to keep at least one rooster to look after the flock, they do seem to be very alert for any intruders, even pigeons get seen off the property if they come after the chicken feed.

When the Pied Crow arrived, I was in the yard with the Polands, they all put their tails up and took cover at great speed. I am going to hang some old CDs out as scarecrows, apparently that is a good bird deterrent.

The cat visit was yesterday and we just heard the most unearthly squawking. The chickens only make tiny little noises most of the time, this was deafening. The cat was sitting looking at them, as if it was watching a favourite television show. I chased the cat away and everything was fine. I plan to get a puppy and/or a kitten once the chickens are grown, teach them that birds are off-limits when they are still tiny and the birds can boss them around (as we also have a parrot who likes to have the run of the house) and hopefully that will stop other cats from coming in.

I did choose my chickens (RIRs and RIR/Buff Orpington crosses) for their free-range abilities. One of the Polands likes to hang out with them, the other two are too little so they live in the paved yard and sleep in the kitchen.

Today I heard the sound of 11 chickens trying to be very quiet, put my head out of the front door and they were all on the front porch. They looked so funny I went back in to get my camera and the front door slammed accidentally. I think they must have teleported back to their coop... but I am glad to know that they will go there when they feel threatened.

 

[wyododge]

I'll probably get scolded for this but...

A shot gun blast or two in the direction of hawks and eagles will make them steer clear. The same goes for owls. We did have to shoot a raven as it was attacking everything that moved but we gave him fair warning. When he went after the neighbors boy, well that was that. As far as foxes coons mink coyotes and dogs, not much will keep them safe in a run unless you have a full enclosure and we just don't think that is right, the chickens simply have no where to escape too. But that's just us. Our chickens free range in the day and are cooped up at night. They naturally look for and stay under cover and if a robin flies over head they take note and hide.

In the end it is your choice, but I would have no hesitation except that when you get them back they may not like being penned up. But they adapt very quickly.