Is it fine if I don't raise chickens free range?

[roseblod94]

I'm getting my first chickens in about a month and I'm worried that preditors will get to the chickens. I live on a mountain and my area is known for having predatory birds, we have also had bobcats, a bear, and foxes. My yard is at an incline and surrounded by trees. My neighbor also has chickens, should I be worried they will join his flock?

 

[BlueBaby]

No, you don't need to free range them. I don't with mine. Just make sure that the coop and run are big and strongly built enough to be able to keep any of those predator's in your area out.

 

[MountainWoman73]

Everyone comes up with their own solutions to predators. I have a sturdy enclosed coop for nighttime, and a large run on a sloped mountainside. The fence is tall, but certainly not strong enough to keep out a bear or a mountain lion if they really wanted in (lions can jump something like 12 feet?) We have a dog that is in charge of barking off bears, mountain lions, bobcats, and hawks. I am open to the idea of hot wire, but haven't felt like we needed it yet, because the dog is really effective. We still lose some chickens each year, mostly to birds of prey. I swear the goshawk watches until the dog gets in the car with me and leaves her post. Having some cover for the chickens to hide under helps.

My neighbors, on the other hand, have a fort knox style coop and run, 100% enclosed in chain link, including the top, with padlocks and hot wire.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Do what makes sense for your situation. If you want to minimize losses and/or wandering, then keeping them in a run is the best bet.

 

[AllenK RGV]

It really depends on the type of chicken you want to raise and their temperments, ability to forage, and avoid predation. Silkies would be a bad free range choice, game types would be alright with hawks and other raptors around. With my Sumatra ranging more harm has come to the raptors vs their desired chicken dinner. We have now had 2 slam into the house and stun themselves senseless trying for Sumatra. Over winter we lost several of the Silkie chicks to BOP. I doubt either of my coops would survive a bear and were I concerned about them I would be loading the coops with whatever max power you can achieve on a hot wire.