If you free range, what makes that possible for you

[McGobs]

we have almost 30 free ranging birds at the moment. We have dogs...and the neighbor has dogs...but luckily, they are all shih tzus and remain indoor dogs. But the noise they make may be a good reason for not having many predators around.

 

[Chicks Galore3]

Quote:
I forgot one thing - we did see LARGE animal tracks - we thing coyote are dog, maybe a wolf. (they are not seen often where we are though.) We didn't see the animal, just the tracks and it didn't come back. (We kept the chickens in for a couple days just to be safe.)

 

[Wednesday]

Maybe we just need to fence our 7 acres or move to the mid west our luck free ranging has been awful.

 

[SunnySkies]

Maybe we just need to fence our 7 acres or move to the mid west our luck free ranging has been awful.

LGDs I wish I had overridden hubby last summer just after we moved in and gotten the LGDs then, as most of my pullets would probably be alive still. Sigh. My acreage is fenced, but the predators didn't seem to care...but the dogs, even as just puppies, sure bother them! I haven't seen a hnt of a coon since the dogs arrived. Before that, the trash was tipped every night, they would rifle through my greenhouse, they stole feed, and they murdered chickens (we only had two daytime attacks, and that was a fox once and a hawk another time). But now, if I forget to take the compost pail out and leave it on the porch, it is still there in the morning.

 

[Wednesday]

It's a great pyrns or staying married at this point. I'm sure going to miss my husband

 

[SophiaMoon]

Thank goodness I live in the city. I free range my chickens on a lot and a half. I even had a chicken wander off for two days and she found her way back. I still have to worry about coons, cats and idiots that can't close gates. Had a red tail hawk visit tonight but cant do a thing about them. Good luck to the country folks.

 

[PugetCountry]

So far we've been lucky. We're on 2.5 fenced acres. We do have a great Pyr but he wasn't trained for livestock. He's good with the chickens and can be left alone with them just fine... but he doesn't guard them specifically. He's more of a property guardian. He will bark and patrol but when they're in the back of the house he's lounging under the front porch looking towards the front.

Twice in the last few weeks there was a coyote 15 feet from our house in the back at 7am..I .scared him away but we hear them every night. Oh... I can't have the dogs out at night because the neighbors are too close. She has guard geese so I hear them go off a lot too. The chickens seem to be pretty aware and stick to the shrubs and rhodies.

We had a hawk land on our farm gate and I kept them in for a few days.

Out of the blue tonight an owl started whoing right above the coop...so now I'll need to be on alert for a few days.

I try to not let them be out if I'm gone for long periods and never without the dog being out.

I am self employed and have a home office so I try to pick a chunk of time where they can be out when I'm home.

 

[Jeremy128]

Thi si smy first year keeping chickens. I have lost one of my six due to a weak point in my coop, not free ranging. I have 6 hens. I open the coop door in the morning and they have freer un until they put themselves in th ecoop near sunset. I live in the woods.... literally. I have 3 1/2 acres with 3 other houses on the hillside. My property borders a state conservation area. My property is heavily wooded. My front yard has about 20-30 trees in it. The side/back yard is cleared. Besides that, it is untrimmed, wild, wooded area. I am confidenet that this keeps my hens safe. I live near two rivers so there are a lot of hawks and such. Since my hens spend so much time under trees and bushes, I dont thnk the hawks can see them. I have a large dog that is very good at running off and catching predators. She enjoys tracking and kcatching racoons and possums. In fact, when she cathes them, she drops them at my feet adn I then shoot them.
SHe ran off a fox but didnt catch it. We have alot of coyotes inteh area, but they dont come out during the day.

 

[Jeremy128]

Thanks! Here's a few more showing the steps of building it

 

[Jeremy128]