Keeping Chickens Free Range

[numzldr]

That is what I hope! The independent hen is getting better going into the coop. We are supposed to "supervise" our chickens if they are in the yard in our city. And I would be devastated to loose one to a predator. So I will try to be with them.

Birds don't know boundaries so unless there is a physical barrier they will wind up in ur neighbors yard,even if u 'supervise'them. I don't live in a city but my guess is the predator routine would be more nocturnal xcept for hawks simply because thete is more people around during daylite hrs.

 

[Lemac]

 

[lazy gardener]

What ever it is picks off the birds in broad daylight. Leaves no feathers and no trace of the birds, they are just gone.

I am assuming it is coyote or fox. My normal problems are eagles but they leave feathers and do not take full size birds. This thing even took one of my old roosters, A huge one.

I got my chickens at 4 weeks old. They went to the coop outside at 6 weeks old. I kept them locked in the coop for 24 hours and then let them into their run. They always went back inside the coop at night and I locked the coop at about 9 PM. They are now 25 weeks old, except for the rooster who is a year old. Today, I decided to let 8/9 hens free range (1 of them is injured) and my rooster. They are staying pretty close to their run. The door to the run is kept open at all times so they can go back to the coop when they want. The coop is where their food and water is kept. Here are my questions on free ranging:

1) Will they go back to the coop at night to roost?
2) Will they know that their food & water is in the coop and they must go back to get it?
3) What if one wanders away from the group and gets lost in the forest behind my house? Is that even a possibility with my rooster on guard?
4) The neighbor has 2 free range chickens that are often in my yard and I enjoy them very much. Martha & Henrietta (neighbor's chickens) spend much of their time hanging around the run of my chickens. Will they be accepted into my flock or will my flock and them fight? I don't want Martha or Henrietta injured or killed by my chickens. I've already seen the rooster go after one, but I think he was trying to mate with it. Also, if they are accepted into my flock, will Martha & Henrietta follow them into the coop at night?
5) I am worried about predators as I have 5 acres of land, 4 of which are forest. I have seen raccoons in broad day light (they have been taken care of) so that means coyotes and foxes could also come in day light to take my chickens. Do I need to worry?

1 Yes
2 If that's where you've been putting it, that's where they'll go to get it. Don't be surprised if you find that they hardly touch their feed and water now that they are getting good grub in your yard.
3 They won't get lost unless chased away by a predator.
4 Martha and Henrietta will probably enjoy free ranging with your flock. Martha and Henrietta will most likely return to their own coop at night, unless they think your coop has better amenities.
5 Where there is one coon, there are more. If you kill one, an other will move into the "vacancy" left by that one. Foxes and coyotes most often hunt early morning and at dusk/night. Coons most often at night, but can also strike during the day. Hawks: I'm finding that late afternoon seems to be their favorite time. Owls: night time.

Free ranging is always a calculated risk. Weigh your options and decide from there. Any hole in the coop smaller than a quarter could allow a weasel to enter and wipe out your entire flock in a single night.

 

[duluthralphie]

Free ranging can be risky and there is loss, but I would not have birds if I could not let them free range.

And as you said a hole the size of a quarter or less could let a weasel in even if you are not free ranging.


I had a loss last night, BUT I have a clue now.

I think it is a bird. I lost a guinea keet in a covered run/pen. The keet was picked off through the netting, There was blood on the roost and the bird was lying under the roost, headless. There were also feathers in the netting.

Pictures:






I did not think I had enough give in the netting to allow anything to get to the roost, This afternoon I will be putting braces on the netting to keep it tauter around the roosts.

 

[Debby27]

What ever it is picks off the birds in broad daylight. Leaves no feathers and no trace of the birds, they are just gone.

I am assuming it is coyote or fox. My normal problems are eagles but they leave feathers and do not take full size birds. This thing even took one of my old roosters, A huge one.

We've had 4 of ours taken by fox. Every time, they always leave behind a small/med size pile of feathers, esp. if the girls were out ranging. Only once did it grab one in the coop and it left feathers everywhere!

 

[thegoodwinshens]

We only have 2 hens left (started with 8)

Unfortunately my last 6 got taken 2 days before the poultry sale ban went into effect in NC

 

[numzldr]

We only have 2 hens left (started with 8)

Unfortunately my last 6 got taken 2 days before the poultry sale ban went into effect in NC

That sucks. What do mean by sale ban? Md.(n other states)banned shows like state fairs but not the sale of birds in state. U still have time to order chicks from a hatchery b4 it gets too cold if u want more birds. This time of yr. the min. order is only 15 not 25 with a lot of hatcheries.

 

[thegoodwinshens]

...

That sucks. What do mean by sale ban? Md.(n other states)banned shows like state fairs but not the sale of birds in state. U still have time to order chicks from a hatchery b4 it gets too cold if u want more birds. This time of yr. the min. order is only 15 not 25 with a lot of hatcheries.[/quote
It's only public sales, but nobody is selling their birds right now. In not sure I want to start over with chicks right now. But we will get a whole new flock next year.

 

[numzldr]

I see. It's ur call but if I was planning on keeping chickens still I would get them now. To me its not as hard on them being shipped now as it is in spring. Plus u don't have to buy as many now.
Good Luck with whatever u choose to do.

 

[lazy gardener]

Free ranging can be risky and there is loss, but I would not have birds if I could not let them free range.

And as you said a hole the size of a quarter or less could let a weasel in even if you are not free ranging.


I had a loss last night, BUT I have a clue now.

I think it is a bird. I lost a guinea keet in a covered run/pen. The keet was picked off through the netting, There was blood on the roost and the bird was lying under the roost, headless. There were also feathers in the netting.

Pictures:






I did not think I had enough give in the netting to allow anything to get to the roost, This afternoon I will be putting braces on the netting to keep it tauter around the roosts.

The death you are describing has coon written all over it. The hawk deaths I've had in the last week have been during day time. 3:30 - 5:00 PM seem to be when they come calling. Both occasions, the birds were full grown hens. The crop and breast were the main areas attacked. I caught both birds in the act.

I've had coons attack before. They'll grab a chicken through the wire, and pull the bird to the wire, eating the bird right through the wire. I'm guessing your coon grabbed the bird, ate the head, and then the bird fell off the perch and out of reach. Coons will rip through chicken wire. So sorry for your loss. It hurts, don't it???