I'm just kinda draging because of somthing...

[Chickengal505]

UUUUuhhhhhhhh HHHHHHHmmmmmmmm okay here goes so my chickies have been free ranging for weeks now and i've gone from 24 to 10

I've been a BAD chickie mama

I had a mama hen nesting and somthing got into the pen and killed her on the nest and ate/took all her eggs, Broke her neck right in half... im soo down about it i got them and i went EVERY day no matter what and i let this happen!

The remaning 10 are loked up GOOD now but they will never replace the lives of those lost... What a sad grusome death to get grabed up by a nasty hawk...of\
have your neck saped by a coon... I've been avoiding this site for days

please i Want your curses and harsh thoughts im kinnda punishing myself here..

 

[wenlo]

Was she taken during the day? I'm so sorry for your loss.

 

[Camelot Farms]

Sorry...no punishing words here.

This will probably get me in trouble but here we go... My birds free range 24/7. No coop, no nothing. We have an open-style barn and they come in out of the rain and they come in at night and perch on the edge of the 8 ft horse stalls. Do I ever lose any? Yep. About 3 or 4 a year. I dont mean to sound flip about it, but my thoughts are...my birds are happy free ranging all day every day. If I lose a couple to the local wildlife, well... that's life.

I have two dogs that patrol the property and I do my best to get rid of known critters. We have a skunk right now that it aggravating the tar out of me so he will go as soon as Hubby gets home from his business trip.

Honestly, I would feel worse if I had them locked up in a coop and something got in there and had a feast because they couldnt get away from it.

Everybody 'does' chickens a little bit differently so dont beat yourself up.

((hugs))

 

[Jess N Jeff]

Everyone has a different way to keep their birds. Its no ones business to tell you that you are wrong because you free range. We do the best that we can with what we have. I know if I kept my girls locked up in their coop 24/7 they would go crazy. I leave my girls out all day and they are locked up at night...thats what works for me.

So sorry you have lost some of your babies. I've lost some of mine to my own dogs so I know how sad it can be.

 

[PortageGirl]

I try to lock mine up too, but I free range during the day and I've have hens set up housekeeping in the brush. I've lost some but had plenty of new chicks result too. You can't control the world, you can't completely control chickens, you can't control predators. You do what you can and let go of the rest.

Also, it's not our job to curse anyone and punishing yourself... well, I suppose that's up to you but it sounds like a waste of time!

Just decide what, if anything you can do to avoid this in the future. I too choose to have mine free ranging and I lose a few here and there. Not many, not often but it happens.

 

[Pupsnpullets]

You know, I'm all for free ranging, however, you've lost a lot of girls, so perhaps modifying your free ranging might not be a bad idea. Perhaps only allowing then a couple of hours later in the pm. I found when I first started free ranging my white hens were first to go, followed by my big slower moving gold coloured ones. My active little speckled sussex not only avoided all predators but twice brought home healthy batches of chicks. My easter eggers have great camo-colouring, too.

Chickens first originated in the jungles of New Guinea and other south Pacific islands. 'Jungles' being the operative word here. They do better when they have plenty of cover to hide in when hawks patrol.

Anyways, I am so sorry for your losses. It is heart breaking and frustrating when they die. And, no, I'm not going to spank you with a wet noodle

Stuff happens.

 

[MelB]

I've been free-ranging and closing them up at night - just had first death yesterday by some predator. I only had 5 to start, so can't really afford to lose a lost of them. We've been putting off building a chicken tractor for daytime and probably now feel more urgency to do it. I think most people with large flocks expect to lose a few to predators - that's the food chain. If I had 20-30 birds, i'd probably just let them free range all day.

 

[Sir Birdaholic]

HOW COULD YOU...........punish yourself, these things happen. It'' all be ok.