Keeping Chickens Free Range

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MountainPea said:
Do you guys free range your chickens when you are away from home for a few hours or for the day? I've only had my flock a couple of weeks (they're about 22 weeks old), and if I know I'm going out that day I wait until I get back to let them out. There was just one time I went out unexpectedly for a couple of hours and didn't put them back (they are hard to catch during the day and have too many good hiding spots under dense foliage). So I took my chances and left. All were there when I returned. Plus yesterday we spent several hours down the back of our farm cutting firewood so we were effectively out as we have 84 acres and 'down the back' is nearly a kilometre away (3 miles?).

Just wondering what others do. We are in Australia, so the only predators we really have to worry about is foxes and wedge tailed eagles. The chooks have good tree cover so I'm less worried about the eagles, more so about the foxes.

The peacock we used to have survived here 8 years before it got sick and died, and I've never seen a fox near the house, if that helps ( though I'm sure they're there and have seen them down the road)
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Everything goes great, until it doesn't. I got away with free-ranging my flock for just over a year. Then, one day come home to find 9 out of 11 gone. All that was left was piles of different colored feathers all over the yard. The fox showed up around here. Took him awhile, but he got here. 650' of electrified poultry net was the answer for me.
 
I now have the pair of cochins in the pen. One injured roo in the coop. And my free rangers are down to two roosters. We put out a trap yesterday. Nothing yet.

I suspect one of the roos of being THE EGG EATER!! Of course, he has no eggs to eat right now.

My roo in the coop has just been hanging on since he was injured so i am guessing we should cull him, sigh. He was my favorite.

I hope we catch something today so i know what we are dealing with.

Im going to a sale saturday, but i dont know if i will buy anything if we dont have another pen put up by then.
 
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SmColorInDaPan said:
Yes, Both my dogs are NOW munching on my 1 mature hens eggs. Keeping them inside till I hear the egg song.
Gggrrrrrr
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My one dog is under close human supervision when outdoors or finds herself locked on the deck because of her egg eating habits....and her chicken feed eating habits...She thinks she is under fed. Even though she is over 100 pounds!
 
I am down now to my pair of little Cochins and the two injured roos. I free ranged for 1.5 years without too much trauma. Now that the dog is gone the predators have gone crazy. I really didn't want to get another dog as i think it would be difficult to train him to leave the chickens alone. Big Dog just did not bother the chickens.
 

Wanted to get a pic of the 7 week old chicks having a fun time, first day after a night outside. Inadvertently caught the older hen giving the dirty eye in regards to fresh viddles, egg shells, I had just thrown out..
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