A few months back, I tried to free range my chickens and my dog killed one.
I wait a while til they were bigger, tried again. Came home from a meeting and one was dead in the grass. No more free ranging.
Waited another month or more, tried again and it seemed to be going well. We don't free range every day but clearly they LOVE being out and about. We live on 5 acres but they're long, narrow lots so the neighbor houses aren't that far away.
Yesterday the girls insisted on being let out earlier in the day than I'd usually let them out, but it was such a nice day and it had been going so well, I caved. I had to go to class last evening, came home and my two Buff Brahmas are gone, the neighbor's dog had been here and there are lots of feathers in the yard.
One of my two white Brahmas is missing tail feathers and has some blood but appears to be ok. (I think he's a cockerel, so was quite a bit bigger than the Buff)
I guess I need to give up on free ranging unless I can be there every second of the time they're out. It's just so discouraging. These Brahmas were from the one batch of eggs we incubated.
It feels like at this rate, I'll have to start over every spring because by then I'll be down to no chickens. Is this really how it is?
I wait a while til they were bigger, tried again. Came home from a meeting and one was dead in the grass. No more free ranging.
Waited another month or more, tried again and it seemed to be going well. We don't free range every day but clearly they LOVE being out and about. We live on 5 acres but they're long, narrow lots so the neighbor houses aren't that far away.
Yesterday the girls insisted on being let out earlier in the day than I'd usually let them out, but it was such a nice day and it had been going so well, I caved. I had to go to class last evening, came home and my two Buff Brahmas are gone, the neighbor's dog had been here and there are lots of feathers in the yard.
I guess I need to give up on free ranging unless I can be there every second of the time they're out. It's just so discouraging. These Brahmas were from the one batch of eggs we incubated.
It feels like at this rate, I'll have to start over every spring because by then I'll be down to no chickens. Is this really how it is?