Keeping Chickens Free Range

[gander007]

Well, I turned the chicks out before I had my coffee, My error. Couple of hours later, brought in 3 that made their way into the hutch, indication the wind was too cool for them. The other 2 wouldn't have anything of it.

i started to doze off, heard 'help me' chirping. Kitten brought one chick into the house, via the basement stairs, was watching to see if it would move, 'play' with him. My big dog watched, concerned. I think he knows, should by now, to be very careful with them. I Scooped up the chick, NOT A THING WRONG with her!! Tried again to get the last one outside, caught & inside. Grown hen & Roo out, so left chick to them. Sure enough, when I woke up later, chick was just inside my hen's nesting box, cat carrier lined with stray. Once they were all together, broke out bologna, cheese, bits & pieces. Surprised they all made it but maybe not. Rooster has been assertive with me lately, knows he will have more ladies? Hound dog has quite a nose so Any predator smell sets her off. Maybe the local Fox knows better? Will keep them in next few cool days but Even more convinced they are not as helpless as some say & I am blessed.

Yes you are blessed

 

[Tikkijane]

Just be warned I lost most of my flock to my cats. They were too young and I have mean cats. My dogs never touch them, my cats are brutal. Now full grown the cats keep a wide berth, but until grown they were easy pickings.

That's interesting. I've got 10 cats; 8 outside full time. They have never {not even once} gone after babies. My dashchund, otoh, is absolutely not to be trusted- even a little- around babies. My other dogs and the cats are completely fine.

 

[OrganicFarmWife]

Just be warned I lost most of my flock to my cats. They were too young and I have mean cats. My dogs never touch them, my cats are brutal. Now full grown the cats keep a wide berth, but until grown they were easy pickings.

That's interesting. I've got 10 cats; 8 outside full time. They have never {not even once} gone after babies. My dashchund, otoh, is absolutely not to be trusted- even a little- around babies. My other dogs and the cats are completely fine.

My guess is mine are raised to be hunters. That is there job, they are around to kill all the mice and other rodents that are always around a farm. And some of them are very skilled, I have one mama cat that has caught a couple song birds.

 

[Tikkijane]

My guess is mine are raised to be hunters. That is there job, they are around to kill all the mice and other rodents that are always around a farm. And some of them are very skilled, I have one mama cat that has caught a couple song birds.

Mine hunt and catch everything- including squirrels {and birds, of course}, moles, etc. The last 3 were born {and then abandoned} in the barn. They just know to leave them alone.

 

[SmColorInDaPan]

That's interesting. I've got 10 cats; 8 outside full time. They have never {not even once} gone after babies. My dashchund, otoh, is absolutely not to be trusted- even a little- around babies. My other dogs and the cats are completely fine.

LOVE IT! Some are so convinced Cats are murderous. LOL.
My year old kitten was waiting for the chick she caught to move, so to play, from what I could see. Big dog, I think, was waiting to take chick away, or impede the kitten. He's taken the chick away from kitten b4. I've never experienced/SEEN a cat eating a chick, chicken. I KNOW I missed a couple of eggs recently, but think a Coon reached into nesting box. Coons are LAZY eaters...
Running low on chick start so mixed up a batch of ground up chicken feed, flour, corn meal, water, cut with a pastry blender. They woofed it down like there was no tomorrow! Course, I mixed in a diced up bologna slice also....

 

[SmColorInDaPan]

Mine hunt and catch everything- including squirrels {and birds, of course}, moles, etc. The last 3 were born {and then abandoned} in the barn. They just know to leave them alone.

Sounds reasonable if they don't have dry food around. Rabies only concern but if not prevalent in your area, No worries. My 4 ONLy get dry, the recent kitten is the most playful I have EVER known. drives me a bit nuts....

 

[Tikkijane]

Sounds reasonable if they don't have dry food around. Rabies only concern but if not prevalent in your area, No worries. My 4 ONLy get dry, the recent kitten is the most playful I have EVER known. drives me a bit nuts....

Mine have a spot in the stairwell for their big feeder- was the only real place we could put it where the neither the chickens nor the dogs can get to it. Heh.

 

[Tikkijane]

Sounds reasonable if they don't have dry food around. Rabies only concern but if not prevalent in your area, No worries. My 4 ONLy get dry, the recent kitten is the most playful I have EVER known. drives me a bit nuts....

And everyone is utd on rabies, too {and fixrd}. There was a rabid fox in the general area last year. And we have racoons, opossums, etc.

3 of our 6 dogs were 'country dumps ' that we didn't find owners for or could rehome. Everyone gets flea meds and the dogs get heartworm prevention. The dashchund was so loaded with heartworms that even after his treatment, his heart will always be mishapen.

So, they all get fed dry food and have active vaccines. I figure they do their farm jobs pretty well {except a few who excessively bark at the horses, which drives me crazy}, so the least we can do is try to prevent illness and keep them fed.

 

[Tikkijane]

  LOVE IT! Some are so convinced Cats are murderous.  LOL.
     My year old kitten was waiting for the chick she caught to move, so to play, from what I could see.  Big dog, I think, was waiting to take chick away, or impede the kitten. He's taken the chick away from kitten b4.     I've never experienced/SEEN a cat eating a chick, chicken. I KNOW I missed a couple of eggs recently, but think a Coon reached into nesting box. Coons are LAZY  eaters...
   Running low on chick start so mixed up a batch of ground up chicken feed, flour, corn meal, water, cut with a pastry blender. They woofed it down like there was no tomorrow!  Course, I mixed in a diced up bologna slice also....     

Ugh. 3 of the dogs go right into the coop to eat eggs out of the nesting boxes. The dashchund is the one who taught them they could fit through the pop doors. Of course, one of the border collies taught the others how to open the house door- and how to lock it from the inside. We totally need new door handles, but they'd prolly figure that one out, too. Maybe it's really a zoo here and not a farm.....

 

[SmColorInDaPan]

SO GOOD to hear folks vaccinate their cats, even farm cats. Had a neighbor dump 2 kittens on his property for mice and rats, no food, as though they will know after being used to having food given to them.. There are foxes, a bobcat occasionally, mountain lion, around. They said to keep the mice down but since 1 F, 1 M, the mice will be gone, the CATS will multiple, then the ones who Prey on cats get closer, any pigs, calves they have in the future will be at serious risk. Is it that hard to figure out??
Discovered the dog that watches me drop a bit of wet dog food for my 2 adult chickens was nabbing her eggs, gots to be on my toes, with him... he learned to catch mid air by a senior dog I adopted some years ago...
Much as I hate to leave house on weekends, when Nosy A** neighbor is home, so easily comes up here, talk about how MUCH I NEED HER HELP,

Pretty sure lots of Nuts NEEDS to hear her BS too......

We NEED cat food, chick start. Made my own chick start, but not everyone so game on that idea. They ate it rather fast...Need grain for horses too.

LOVE how everyone chimes in on their animals hijinks... Wish i knew how to post video of bigger dog opening screen door on his own. Not that computer savvy, I guess.