How Do I Protect Chickens From Owls During Free Range Time?

[gottadance]

OMG you just made my day...bear/chicken wire -was scanning old posts re: free ranging and this made me laugh out loud.

 

[Arcnadius]

Quote:

 

[babyboomer1001]

I've owned seven chickens for just over two months. Two Great Horned Owls are hooing in my neighbor's palm trees as I write this, 11:17 p.m. My chickens free range all day long. Once, I heard a couple of owls long before dusk and, paranoid, I rounded up the chickens and cooped them, early. For the past few days, they've been hiding under a pomegranate tree a lot, for most of the day. I hope they instinctively hide when they hear a predator. As well as other trees in the yard and vegetation such as a small grove of sweet potato leaves, I leave the door of the chicken coop open all day long, only enough for them to go in if they want to, which they do periodically. Leaving the dog out late in the day when the sun starts to set and having hiding places in every corner of the yard seems to be all we can do, from what I have read but, if I hear an owl, I'm rounding them up immediately. It doesn't sound like there is any sure thing if you want them to be free range, EXCEPT, those who have covered the yard with chicken wire, I would not put it so close to the chickens. I would put it up 6' or even 8', secured with long stakes, so that you can walk under it and, a finer chicken wire, maybe rabbit wire, sounds like a better wire for keeping prey at bay.

Owner of 2 dogs, 2 cats, 6 birds, 1 Easter Egger, 1 Australorp, 2 RIRs, 2 Barred Plymouth Rock, 2 White Crested Blue Polish Pullets - Annabelle, Daisy, Leah, Heidi, Hannah, Haley & Holly.