How free to roam?

[Marie89523]

I'm in the suburbs of Reno, NV with 3 pullets (Barred Rock, Delaware, Easter Egger), 3 cats (they seem to watch but don't get too close) a dog (border collie/lab) likes it when they are together and barks when they aren't... not really any raccoons or snakes and things. An occasional coyote is heard in the neighborhood.

The chicks have a raised coop (4' x 4') with an enclosed run (4' x 16')... about half of which is shaded about any time of day.

Here's my dilemma... for the last month about 3-4x a week we spend a few hours in the back/front yard prepping the garden, planting raking etc etc... and when I'm out there, the chickens are free to wander about the whole back yard. It's a small yard about 20' x 30' with large fruit trees, big rocks and dirt pathways with nooks and crannies and leaf litter... lots of places for assorted bugs and well... they love it. They love to wander and scratch and now have a couple of spots they nestle up together and nap, when the sun goes down they head to the coop in unison.

And.... I HATE putting them in the run when I need to leave. This mornign for example, I've got to go to work, but they are soooo content in a damp little shady spot.

Long story short... what is the realistic danger of letting them have free reign with access to the coop?

???

 

[CoyoteMagic]

stray dog, hawk, etc......heck even the neighbors dog. I took a chance and lost 3. Including my very special one.

I still let them run. Most times for a few hours in the evening.

I'm going to get tossed to the curb here. To me they are just chickens. They aren't pets like to most folks here. They were raised for one thing, eggs. Not to say I haven't gotten attached to them. Loosing Tessy broke my heart.

Are you willing to take the chance? That's the question you need to ask yourself.

 

[swtamour]

Consider your neighborhood and see if there's any wild animals that may get to your backyard. I let my chicken roam my backyard but it's all fenced in and I clip their wings just in case they fly into my neighbor's yard, they have 3 dogs. There's no wild animals here since I live deep in the city.

 

[Ghostchick]

I am wondering what I am going to do about this myself. I have become very attached to the girls, and would be so sad if I lose some. They aren't outside yet, they just turned 4 weeks old. We have an acre that is surrounded by a ditch that I think would maybe keep them in. We do have raccoons, coyotes, and fox here though. We'll see!

 

[Lollipop]

Gosh CM, that was very well put. Fact is, chickens are very close to the bottom of the food chain. Many, many, many things can happen when left unattended. They are, however, well suited for free ranging on their own, as long as you come to grips with the fact that they could dissappear at any time. I used to let some free range and love to see them in the yard. Now I content myself with watching them in the run as all of mine are gamefowl and must be penned seperately. They don`t play well with others. Up to you to decide what you wanna do with yours.......Pop

 

[Akane]

My only losses have been from stray pets and not even big dogs. A little miniature pinscher killed 3 of my standards, 5 bantams, and seriously injured another standard in less than 20mins while I was in the house. Recently a large cat killed the nearly recovered standard that got injured, a bantam, nearly 20 quail, and had the rest of my flock hiding out for the day. I spent 5hrs going around gathering up my chickens because they refused to go back in their coop and just hid out in the buildings and tall grass. I live in the middle of nowhere so you'd think wildlife would be a problem and there aren't that many houses with pets around but nope. Cats and dogs are the biggest damage to my flock. In town it's likely 100 times worse and your flock can be wiped out in minutes.

 

[patandchickens]

Yup, loose dogs (including sometimes one's own dog, yes even if it's been apparently fine with the chickens for a long long time) are the biggest daytime predation threat.

Having your own dog loose with the chickens is somewhat protective (until and unless his predatory instincts kick in at the wrong moment -- and there are a lot of sad stories on this theme to be found in the 'Pests and Predators' section of BYC if you don't believe it). I would not count on a single border collie to be able to protect the flock from *several* loose dogs however.

It really comes down to what you're comfortable with. Some people accept the risk of losing birds (occasionally, or as an unexpected massacre) in exchange for letting them roam free; others keep them more-confined in exchange for greater likelihood of their living a longer lifespan. I don't think it's a right/wrong thing, I think it's just a matter of what you're personally happiest dealing with.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[trilyn]

I've been letting my girls (6.5 week old comets) run loose when I am home. My little lhasa apsa dog has actually taken to guarding them (chicken dog?!) when they're out, he won't let my other 2 dogs or my husband get near them! Too cute!

We haven't built our coop yet, hopefully we'll get a good start this weekend, we're actually going to have dry weather for a change! We plan on building a large run attached to the coop and another hoop house with a covered part to kind of tractor them around the yard during the day when no one is home. Otherwise, they'll be out when I'm out! Way too many dogs around here, plus wildlife; not taking any unnecessary chances. I know they're only chickens you pay 1.89 for at a feed store, but come on, the effect they have on you is priceless! I'm in this to have eggs and if necessary to cull, have meat. I never expected them to tug on my heartstrings like this!

 

[gritsar]

My flock has been running loose since they were just weeks old. At first I supervised them closely and as they grew I gave them less and less supervision.
Our predators include coyotes, bobcats, coons, possums, golden eagles and hawks, to name a few.
I'm at the point now where I won't even consider penning them up. I expect loses at some point and I'm prepared to be sad, but freeranging is a big part of their life and I'm not going to take that from them.
I have not a doubt in my mind that my wolfhound mix would protect them. She frequently spends time with them. We offer them protection from our border collie and cat, both of whom would love a chicken dinner.