Is it safe to let my hens roam?

[rlperkin]

We have a new flock of 10 free range hens and one rooster. I let them out of their coop around 7am each morning and lock them up at dusk. During their free roam time, they share a pasture/wooded area with our 4 pygmy goats. A week ago, the rooster did not show up for curfew. We found him at the edge of the fence line, missing his head. Then this weekend, I was out in the yard and noticed I was short a few girls. I searched and found three dead hens and saw a fox running away into the woods. DURING THE DAY, that bold son of a gun! He injured another hen and I currently have her quarantined in a temporary coop to recuperate. I've kept the others locked in the coop hoping that we would catch the fox in the trap we set. Today is day 3 and I hate leaving them locked up in the coop but also don't want to let them out if they're just going to become chicken dinner! Two questions: is it okay to leave my 6 hens in the coop (it's fairly large--made for 10-15 hens) all day? The injured hen doesn't seem to be eating and may not make it. Would we do better at trapping the fox if we use her as bait? Thanks for your advice!

 

[chefchick]

The hens will be fine in the coop (maybe just a little mad at you), but I would consider building them a secure run to be outside when you aren't with them. Trapping the fox is only going to work for that one fox... but there are probably more. I only let my chickens out to free range when we are in the yard and the dog can keep watch over them. Our property borders woods, and there are all sorts of critters just waiting to get them.

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

Foxes are territorial, so there is probably on the one fox and its mate there now. But as soon as you get rid of one fox, another will move in, so you haven't solved your problem. Truly free-range chickens are always vulnerable to a wide range of predators, including foxes, coyotes, hawks, neighborhood dogs, weasels, mink (depending on where you live), owls, skunks, raccoons... the list goes on and on and on.

With the size of your coop, it's frankly perfectly OK to leave your chickens inside full time, and I would do so. In your situation, I'd only let the birds out an hour or so before dark, so they get to roam for an hour and then go to bed, all the while with your supervision and a handy shotgun.

For the long term, build a fully-enclosed and predator proof run or a pasture with a hot wire running 4-6" above the ground. The pasture isn't perfect, but stops most casual predators like foxes, dogs, and coyotes that could get an easier meal elsewhere rather than digging under the fence. My hens have a 75' x 125' pasture (no hot wire yet) and I don't have predator losses--but let a chicken decide to get out of the pasture and walk around, and I'll lose her within a week. We also have two goats in our pasture, and I haven't lost a bird to a hawk since we got them (knock on wood). We used to lose 4-6 birds per year to flying predators.