Keeping Chickens Free Range

[dipilu2]

Maybe you could SHARE honey with the bears. They are hungry too.

 

[vpatt]

Maybe you could SHARE honey with the bears. They are hungry too.

Lol, sharing honey might not be so bad.....but I bet its not good for the bees. Wouldn't it destroy them? I don't know.
And I don't want to share my chickens.

 

[jtn42248]

Are bears a danger for chickens? I am considering keeping bees and I know that in my area I would need electric fencing to keep the bears out of the beehives. But if they are drawn to the honey do you think they would bother the nearby chickens? Maybe beekeeping is not a good idea.

I am not a specialist in either bears or bees but I suspect that a hungry bear is going to go after the thing that is closest and easiest to get. If you protect your honey bees with a fence that is adaquate to keep out the bear you would want to do at the least the same thing for your chickens and anything else that the bear might find tasty. From what I have read that would be just about anything on your property right down to your trash cans. Good luck. I am sure glad I only have to worry about Bobcats and Mountain Lions.

 

[dipilu2]

No, don't share your chickens. Ours are like family. We have a new chick hatched on the new year....she's heavily guarded by all my critters. i think you can find harmony with all creatures. I can attest that everyone can get a long if they are shown how to....I've got peacocks, dogs, rabbits chickens and a turtle and they all get along. There is a pecking order and everyone respects it but at the end of the day they all cuddle together. I found my rabbit kissing my dog, my peahen grooming the rooster and my chick playing trampoline with my other dog yesterday. It's all about the love. Bears might need a little more attention, lol

 

[vpatt]

No, don't share your chickens. Ours are like family. We have a new chick hatched on the new year....she's heavily guarded by all my critters. i think you can find harmony with all creatures. I can attest that everyone can get a long if they are shown how to....I've got peacocks, dogs, rabbits chickens and a turtle and they all get along. There is a pecking order and everyone respects it but at the end of the day they all cuddle together. I found my rabbit kissing my dog, my peahen grooming the rooster and my chick playing trampoline with my other dog yesterday. It's all about the love. Bears might need a little more attention, lol

We have not been bothered by bears even tho there are lots of them around. As much as I would like bees I don't think it would be smart to draw the bears in to honey and then expect them to stay away from other goodies.

I have been watching some of the Tv reports on the bears in Florida. I want to see how they deal with it. Basically in this area they do nothing that I know of....years ago they trapped and relocated.....now they tell people to use ammonia as a deterrent in trash cans. I don't know how well that works.

 

[Free Feather]

No, don't share your chickens. Ours are like family. We have a new chick hatched on the new year....she's heavily guarded by all my critters. i think you can find harmony with all creatures. I can attest that everyone can get a long if they are shown how to....I've got peacocks, dogs, rabbits chickens and a turtle and they all get along. There is a pecking order and everyone respects it but at the end of the day they all cuddle together. I found my rabbit kissing my dog, my peahen grooming the rooster and my chick playing trampoline with my other dog yesterday. It's all about the love. Bears might need a little more attention, lol

I have had no such luck with any dogs we have had around chickens...

 

[cmf12230]

I have a question so I just ordered my first bunch of hens due to be delivered mid February. I built a run onto the coop but plan to mostly free range all day. What age do you start letting them out of the run? Thanks!!!

 

[Free Feather]

I have a question so I just ordered my first bunch of hens due to be delivered mid February. I built a run onto the coop but plan to mostly free range all day. What age do you start letting them out of the run? Thanks!!!

Usually around eight weeks is smart. Not that I ever follow that...I usually have week-old chicks running around the gardens.

 

[dpenning]

Well, I started with six girls, about 7 months in one was MIA when we got out to the country. This morning the 5 remaining girls were out free ranging doing their thing. We went to go work on the front of the property for a few hours and when we came back they are all MIA. The only thing we can think of is that they went over the fence into the neighbors yard. They don't normally do that but we have searched in all the areas they normally range and beyond with not a feather in sight. It will be interesting to see if they come back. We were probably about a 1/4 mile away on the other side of some trees so I don't know if we would have heard anything or not. We have to leave now and go back to the city so I won't know until Friday unless my neighbor happens to see them. This may be the end of the free range experiment.

 

[Free Feather]

Well, I started with six girls, about 7 months in one was MIA when we got out to the country. This morning the 5 remaining girls were out free ranging doing their thing. We went to go work on the front of the property for a few hours and when we came back they are all MIA. The only thing we can think of is that they went over the fence into the neighbors yard. They don't normally do that but we have searched in all the areas they normally range and beyond with not a feather in sight. It will be interesting to see if they come back. We were probably about a 1/4 mile away on the other side of some trees so I don't know if we would have heard anything or not. We have to leave now and go back to the city so I won't know until Friday unless my neighbor happens to see them. This may be the end of the free range experiment.

They should come back soon if they are okay. If not, something or someone probably got them. Hopefully they are just at a neighbor's.