Keeping Chickens Free Range

[Fentress]

I have seen several mentions of chickens decimating ant hills but was wondering how they fare against fire ants? There must be plenty of Southern free-rangers with experience with this.

Good question. I am in S.E. Va. And fire ants have shown up and they hurt! I have an ant mound in my compost pile and that is prime chicken territory when I move the flock into that area.

 

[duluthralphie]

I have no idea about fire ants, but I know my chickens made fast work of a in the ground hornet/yellow jacket nest.

 

[SmColorInDaPan]

I live in the city and am not "supposed" to free range my backyard chickens but I do almost all the time. Except they go into the coop at night and are double locked up. We have a great horned owl that has been hanging around the neighborhood. And sometimes my girls won't go into the coop by themselves...dummies will just sleep on my back porch. I get them to go to bed by giving them a treat. Anyway, the last few days I have had to keep the girls in their pen because I will be out of town and my hubby will be gone 8 hours a day. I let my dogs out off and on during the day and keep an ear out for my obnoxiously loud Barred Rocks so this makes me feel like they can free range unless I am not home (usually someone is here). Since I will be out of town they have to be penned up all day while he at work. They actually don't seem like they care unless they see or hear me and then they want out. I love letting them free range - it feels more natural. I am also the kind of mom that never ever used a baby playpen and just baby proofed my house like crazy and kept an eye on them. I do have to worry about hawks and I hope I don't have to encounter this problem.

I saw the threads about the feral cat. I am a cat lover. Trust me it is hard to be a cat lover and a bird lover! One is the predator and the other is not. However, my cat that I can't seem to make stay indoors like the other cats loves to be around the chickens. I think the cat thinks she is a chicken. She learned from the chickens how to dig a hole and lay in it and she also dirt bathes in the dirt when they do. Crazy cat.

I have to worry about the neighbor's dog though because once the fence was left open and the little doggy got into my yard and I heard a big bunch of chicken screaming and I ran out just in time to save my chicken from being killed by that dog. That dog loves me, though, I can't be mean to him. We try very hard to make sure the gate is shut. My chihuahua's get chased by the chickens haha

Hi Happy, welcome. I, too, am a cat/animal lover. I have about 2 ferels running around but I leave dry food out for them and my own 3, in/outdoor cats. Less hunger, LESS DESIRE TO HUNT.
My cats don't like having the chickens come too close, which cracks me up! I've had to chase 5-9 (?) wild birds through out the cabin, hand towel to cover and calm it, in hand, because my cats, AGAIN THEY HAVE FOOD, want to play with that thing 'that moves all by itself...'

I thought hawks and owls prefer open areas; won't go under a roof for a prey. So your chickens should be okay, from them, on the porch. I know someone in the big city who still has ONE neighbor who crabs when one of the chickens gets in her yard, free eggs were declined. Wish you were closer, could cut down some saplings, give you some hog wire, hay string.....

Good luck!
C.~

 

[Tikkijane]

 Hi Happy, welcome. I, too, am a cat/animal lover. I have about 2 ferels running around but I leave dry food out for them and my own 3, in/outdoor cats. Less hunger, LESS DESIRE TO HUNT. 
My cats don't like having the chickens come too close, which cracks me up! I've had to chase 5-9 (?) wild birds through out the cabin, hand towel to cover and calm it, in hand, because my cats, AGAIN THEY HAVE FOOD, want to play with that thing 'that moves all by itself...'      
    I thought hawks and owls prefer open areas; won't go under a roof for a prey. So your chickens should be okay, from them, on the porch.  I know someone in the big city who still has ONE neighbor who crabs when one of the chickens gets in her yard, free eggs were declined. Wish you were closer, could cut down some saplings, give you some hog wire, hay string.....      
Good luck!
C.~ 

I have 9 cats; most of them are outdoors all day. They do not mess with the birds at all. There are too many other critters to hunt out there.

 

[duluthralphie]

I have hawks and eagles galore here and they come right under the tree canopy to get them.

I am putting up more bird netting this year in the hopes once the BOP hits the net a few times they will give up and move to Montana or somewhere else.

 

[vpatt]

Do any of you understand chicken? Yesterday evening about roosting time I heard the roo making a fuss. I went outside and could not see a thing, but all the birds were under a Bush or under the porch. Joe was making the cry that sounds kind of like the egg song. He didn't stop for at least 15 or 20 minutes. I have heard him make a different sound at times.....more of a scream or screech. But I don't know what either of those sounds mean. They finally came out of hiding and went into the coop. I stayed out with them until they were inside and I could lock them up.

 

[hennible]

Some sort of predator alarm call...

 

[vpatt]

Thanks hennible.
I have read that they have different predator calls for land and air predators. I wonder which this was. I watched and didn't see a thing.

 

[hennible]

If they were hiding under a bush I am going to guess that it was probably some sort of ariel predator

 

[vpatt]

If they were hiding under a bush I am going to guess that it was probably some sort of ariel predator

Lol...I didn't think of that......there was a bird flying over much earlier in the day yesterday. I just happened to see it and watched until it was gone. My husband said it was a buzzard ....do they go after chickens? But the chickens did not seem concerned with it.