I want to free range, but i am worried about predators.

[shelbydog]

There is nothing better than looking out and seeing your chickens somewhere you never expected them to be (like on your back porch cuddled up with your dog when there is 7 acres worth of garden, pasture and yard). While there are dangers that come with free ranging, the laughs and smiles you get watching them are far greater than those you get watching them in an enclosed run. The joy they obviously have getting in all the places you thought they'd never get since they have "so much room to run around" is worth making your self look like an idiot running around clapping your hands trying to scare off whatever predator you think you might have heard

. I'm sure everyone who drives down my street thinks I am insane since at least once a day I am stomping around the yard clapping yelling up at the sky, "Get out of here hawks! Scoot, scoot, scoot!" Even if you think your coop is safe, at some point it is going to fail. Would you rather have your chickens trapped in the coop with no place to get away from whatever predator gets in? Depending on the predator you could loose your whole flock that way.

LOL...I'm not the only one with porch loving birds. My deck is the hang out for my chickens and ducks. My birds are in a large fenced yard unsupervised for about 12 hours a day in a rural area. I understand the risk I'm taking at this moment. It seems anything you put outside (everything from plants to yourself) needs some type of protection from something.

 

[TeaChick]

LOL...I'm not the only one with porch loving birds. My deck is the hang out for my chickens and ducks. My birds are in a large fenced yard unsupervised for about 12 hours a day in a rural area. I understand the risk I'm taking at this moment.
It seems anything you put outside (everything from plants to yourself) needs some type of protection from something.

no, you're not; mine think they BELONG on my back porch. ARG!!!

 

[whitt910]

I am a first time chicken owner and once we moved the girls out of the house, out of the back yard, and into their big girl coop we kept them confined for about a month before we decided to free range. Within their coop they have a completely enclosed run, but I didn't think it was big enough. We first started with direct supervision, then indirect supervision (i.e. i was in the house within ear shot), then we would go out for dinner or whatnot and then to the point where they were out all day while we were at work. This worked great for about two months. Then we came home to one gone and I thought well maybe she just is up nesting somewhere or something, hoping it wasn't true that something got her. The next day 3 other were gone and that was the end of my open free ranging. From that moment on we made preparations for a larger run. It took about a week but we enclosed a rather large are that has trees for them to get shade from, they have access to their coop/run which has their food and water and a mister. I covered the top with deer block, it's this really really thick netting that we ran over the top of this area to keep birds of prey from getting them. I let them out of their enclosure every evening when I'm doing chores and either they put themselves away or a treat wins them over. I wait until they all put themselves in the small run/coop, count them and shut the small run/coop. I used to close their coop up at night but it has just been way to hot for that. In the end we think it was probably coyotes who got my 4 hens that I raised from buff balls :-(

I don't think free range is bad but it needs to be supervised.

 

[junecleavage]

Here is the only way I have found to keep mine safe:





Okay, they aren't really but they just looked so darn cute up on the animal traps.

Sarahjessica, no one can tell you what the right thing for your chickens is. They are your chickens, you obviously love them, so you will decide what is best for them. All anyone else can do is tell you their experience. I have done both. My first flock stayed in their run and coop unless I was home to have them out and about. Even with safety precautions, I lost one of my girls to a possum. This was not a chick or a bantam but a full sized (okay, I'll be honest probably over sized) buff orpington. I actually feared putting my chickens up until we caught the culprit. Now I free range and my chickens couldn't be happier. I lost one to a hawk the other day, but went out the next morning and let my girls out without a bit of apprehension.

Everything dies, you have to decide how you want them to live.

 

[shelbydog]

Here is the only way I have found to keep mine safe: Okay, they aren't really but they just looked so darn cute up on the animal traps. Sarahjessica, no one can tell you what the right thing for your chickens is. They are your chickens, you obviously love them, so you will decide what is best for them. All anyone else can do is tell you their experience. I have done both. My first flock stayed in their run and coop unless I was home to have them out and about. Even with safety precautions, I lost one of my girls to a possum. This was not a chick or a bantam but a full sized (okay, I'll be honest probably over sized) buff orpington. I actually feared putting my chickens up until we caught the culprit. Now I free range and my chickens couldn't be happier. I lost one to a hawk the other day, but went out the next morning and let my girls out without a bit of apprehension. Everything dies, you have to decide how you want them to live.

Good post. I bet koi and pond fish people go through the same discussions.

 

[sarahjessica]

Yeah i know, I'm too overprotective. I'm a new chicken owner with only these first three months experience so I want to do everything perfect for them. I was thinking that since they are very small yet, I'll wait until next summer when they're bigger, since it's already starting to get cooler here, fall is just a month away. (Wisconsin is dreadful). Obviously they wont want to free range when theres 3 feet of snow. I wouldn't mind letting them out now but I would have to be outside the whole time in order for me to feel safe! People always say they lose one occasionally but the problem is I don't know if i could handle losing just that one. That's probably what i'll start with, supervised outside time.

 

[wv leipers]

PROTECT YOUR CHICKENS AT NIGHT FROM EVERYTHING THST LURKS AT NIGHT IT IS CALLED NIGHT GUARD FROM WWW. RANDALL BURKEY . COM PREDATOR LIGHTS THAT SCARE OFF EVERYTHING THAT LURKS AT NIGHT ON THE GROUND OR IN THE TREES WV LEIPERS

 

[quigley257]

PROTECT YOUR CHICKENS AT NIGHT FROM EVERYTHING THST LURKS AT NIGHT IT IS CALLED NIGHT GUARD FROM WWW. RANDALL BURKEY . COM PREDATOR LIGHTS THAT SCARE OFF EVERYTHING THAT LURKS AT NIGHT ON THE GROUND OR IN THE TREES WV LEIPERS

Is your caps lock broke? Take it down a notch...