Keeping Chickens Free Range

[slordaz]

Hi everyone! I was hoping you could help me with a free range related question.

My flock has always free ranged from sun up until sun down when they are then locked in their coop for the night. The last couple of days I have been noticing eggs missing from their nesting boxes and this morning I caught the culprit red handed. A big black crow!

My question is how the hell do I stop him? Unfortunately my hens don't all lay in the morning and so I can't just grab all of the eggs and close the coop door.

I love having them free range and so if the only answer is that they should be locked up day and night them I suppose the crow can just have the eggs but I guess I was looking for other suggestions from knowledgeable free rangers!

What I did was they were locked up until they laid, gave em some early morning feed. Then let them out to free range, but the dang magpie figured a way into the coop so now the girls all try to lay when I am there and can get the eggs. We have a couple that want to brood and took them out some of the eggs only had 1 kennel I could put them in , but they got a little space and are much happier, will have to make a smaller coop where they can stay in until they are big enough though to fend for themselves as both the raven and magpies once they find an easy meal are terribly stubborn and are highly intelligent when they want something about getting it. Feeding them as sunrise they are usually all done laying by noon, with a couple that won't lay until they come back in anyway, It's shortened time free ranging but safer for the birds and the eggs. I had to put down one of my best layers due to the severity of the injuries she received defending her nest from several of them. Both ravens and magpies I have seen kill just out of spite, and they are cannibals too.

 

[duluthralphie]

What does magpie taste like, we don't have them here.

 

[slordaz]

don't know and don't wanna know , they are scavengers and cannibals, gonna go find it's nest and tear it down see if it will move on

 

[blkjak]

don't know and don't wanna know , they are scavengers and cannibals, gonna go find it's nest and tear it down see if it will move on

Good idea. We just blast the nest with the shotgun. Magpies like to kill songbirds and raid nests. They need to move along.

 

[Lemac]

So funny

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=417638301770517

 

[Ivy99]

awwww!!! If only that was what the commercial chicken scene looked like!!!!

 

[lazy gardener]

I believe the three S's apply to neighbors ferrets too!

I agree, however, I'd only do the S part, and expect neighbors to pay damages.

oh I took it to them as after it took out my small flock just for sport it got into the wall of my house some how, used a muskrat trap to catch it and took it to them along with the pictures of my flock. the trap being pulled out of the wall and the bill. they were really mad after that and decided not to get anymore pets when the officer told them if it was out and doing damage I had every right then they lost in small claims court too.

That crow has learned the trick to a fast free meal. I would feed him some lead hot out of a shotgun barrel before he teaches the others his trick. I like having crows around as they keep hawks at bay, but that one would have to disappear.

Agreed. For the most part, crows are valued for their hawk patrol. But a crow that sneaks into the coop for eggs. Gotta go! I also don't trust them around free ranging broodies with chicks.

Hi everyone! I was hoping you could help me with a free range related question.

My flock has always free ranged from sun up until sun down when they are then locked in their coop for the night. The last couple of days I have been noticing eggs missing from their nesting boxes and this morning I caught the culprit red handed. A big black crow!

My question is how the hell do I stop him? Unfortunately my hens don't all lay in the morning and so I can't just grab all of the eggs and close the coop door.

I love having them free range and so if the only answer is that they should be locked up day and night them I suppose the crow can just have the eggs but I guess I was looking for other suggestions from knowledgeable free rangers!

If shooting is not an option, I'd figure out how to trap him, then introduce him to a deep hole and a shovel.

 

[Donkeysfly]

1. I have 8 hens, a coop that holds 25 and an 8X12 run.
2. I have what my husband would say are 8 spoiled hens
3. They do not free range when I am gone all day at work. I let them out the minute I get home and get changed. I do not leave them unattended due to hawks and other predators (see below). I have some of them that are more independent and are always roaming around away from the others and some of them (most of them) like to stay in a group. They will go into our street but it is not busy and we are in the culdesac. I would love to let them free range all day but worry they would get eaten. They get a lot of exercise though it seems as they are on the scrawnier side compared to chicks I had in the past that did not get to forage as much!
4. My Hens ALWAYS have food (again the spoiled thing), they also ate somewhere around 300 tomatoes out of my gardens this year, they get any left over, non processed, natural foods like fruits and veggies. They are currently getting whole pumpkins as a snack!

 

[SmColorInDaPan]

1. I have 8 hens, a coop that holds 25 and an 8X12 run.
2. I have what my husband would say are 8 spoiled hens
3. They do not free range when I am gone all day at work. I let them out the minute I get home and get changed. I do not leave them unattended due to hawks and other predators (see below). I have some of them that are more independent and are always roaming around away from the others and some of them (most of them) like to stay in a group. They will go into our street but it is not busy and we are in the culdesac. I would love to let them free range all day but worry they would get eaten. They get a lot of exercise though it seems as they are on the scrawnier side compared to chicks I had in the past that did not get to forage as much!
4. My Hens ALWAYS have food (again the spoiled thing), they also ate somewhere around 300 tomatoes out of my gardens this year, they get any left over, non processed, natural foods like fruits and veggies. They are currently getting whole pumpkins as a snack!

So Sad to hear of your Tomatoes. LOVE your idea of pumpkins though! If your hubby gets free range eggs, not feeding, clean up too much, who's REALLY is spoiled? LOL. Can you broadcast a large barking dog on a motion detector for your Coyote/fox visitor? Do your hens go nuts when it's around, sounding an alarm? Just an idea....

 

[duluthralphie]

I have decided I need to hatch more chicks next year and aim for 50 hens over winter. By doing that I might have 25 after the predators hit them.


I am not going to stop free ranging just because a few get eaten. I just wish they would eat the ones I don't care about instead of my favorites.

Camp day tomorrow here, I have 60 Free range CX hens going to camp. I am hoping I average 9 pounds a bird dressed.