I'm so paranoid about the girls' first day out in the coop and run!

[Turtle Mama of 2]

This is my very first post and my first experience with chickens. Today they are officially out without us there to hang with them. I am at work and have chickens on the brain. I live in GA. in the suburbs with a fenced in yard. Our coop is also contained in a fenced in garden and we have made yet another totally enclosed run for when we can't be out there with them. After reading the posts, I'm really getting freaked out. I have become so attached to these girls. I have never seen any raccoons in our yard, but I know they are out there somewhere. Should I just relax or is anyone else freaked out about chicken loss? -Brandy, mom of 2 human children, 2 dogs, 3 cats, 2 turtles, 1 tortoise, and 6 chickens!

 

[gumpsgirl]

RELAX! I was the same way at first, along with many others on here. It does get easier as time goes by. I can try and tell you all sorts of things to comfort you like, racoons are not normally out during the day, but I found that until I saw first hand that my babies could survive without me 24/7 then I was completely paranoid! Once you get home and find them safe and sound, you'll feel better. I'm quite certain they will be just fine! Hang in there and

!!!

 

[Turtle Mama of 2]

Thank you so much. It does make me feel better. I have never had a pet that stays outside full time and can be so vulnerable. Even my tortoise comes in during the winter. I tried to get DH to let me buy chicken diapers just so they could stay in with us. HEE HEE. I hope your chickens are doing better, I will be thinking of them.

 

[gumpsgirl]

Glad I could help and thank you for your well wishes with my chickens.

 

[PineBurrowPeeps]

They'll do fine, though a certain amount of worry for your flock is healthy and normal

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

It sounds like you have a really good set-up, but i totally understand how you feel. The entire first year i had chickens i was terrified something would get them. i kept a baby monitor on in the pens all night (and day), and had a hard time enjoying myself if we went anywhere at night. Put a big crimp in our social life.

i agree that a certain amount of concern is healthy. You should always be looking to see if there may be a weakness in your security. And i am constantly adding to the pen, with extra hardward cloth, etc. i just recently bought one of those Scarecrows, the motion activated sprinklers. Very effective in keeping the neighborhood cats away from our pens, and hopefully keeps raccoons away, too.

And . . . i started bringing my showgirls inside to sleep in our spare shower during a heatwave a couple weeks ago, and am still toting them in at night. My husband keeps asking me when they're going to sleep outside again, but i sleep better knowing they are safe and secure inside. Wish we had room to keep them all inside at night.

Welcome to BYC!

 

[PuffMommy]

are cats predators? i see a neighborhood cat in our yard often. also, there are tons of groundhogs in our yard, but they're herbavores, aren't they?.
i'm having the same issue with letting my girls out. i'm DYING to free range them but i'm too scared to let them out of their run...they are 7 weeks now. i'm more scared of them getting into the neighbors yard and not being able to get them back (the neighbors aren't to excited about the new chickens).

 

[dixygirl]

Hi PuffMommy. I think you should not do it. They are safer in their run than loose getting hit by cars, dogs, cats, neighbors. Just make their fenced in and covered space nice and big and they will never notice the difference.

TurtleMama of 2, it sounds like you put a lot of barriers between your babies and the outside. As long as their run is securely covered and you put the in the pen at night, I am sure they will be fine

Good luck

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

Oh yeh, cats are predators. We have mainly ferals across the back of our property. They would kill a chicken in a heartbeat. i put up that Scarecrow because the ferals were coming right up onto our porch and trying to get into the pens.

 

[Heather J]

I've never had problems with feral cats and my grown birds, but I wouldn't let one near my chicks. When they have most of their growth we'll be OK, but between now and then, I'm keeping a close eye. I've been up twice to check and make sure all is well in the coop because I let my chicks sleep outside in their separate enclosure tonight. Even though the temps are good and they have a heat lamp, and the enclos ure is secure, I'm still biting my fingernails.