Keeping Chickens Free Range

[Victoria-nola]

Quote: I disagree we need predators, there is more then just your flock that need managing. Rabbits without predators quickly become a nuisance. We do however need to keep the predator population down (humans took away coyotes, racoon's, and foxes population control when we eliminated the bears, wolves, and many large cats). Nature is not clumsy, it is very elegant in its precision. Humans tend to go over board and make a mess of things. I live very close to nature and have a decent respect for it.
Now yes, if a fox (racoon's is more likely here) comes into my territory, I will shoot it without hesitation. We have rabies in the area, so we take a zero tolerance approach to any nocturnal animal out during the day, whether in our yard or surrounding area. But there is a place for raccoons, foxes, and coyotes.
Thanks, I really agree with you here. And yes, we have rabies too and I would agree with your practice.

 

[rottlady]

I live in a very rural area of NH. We are on a mountain at 1800 feet on 50 acres surrounded by 2000+ acres of woods.
WE have Black bear, Bobcat, Fisher, Coyote, Red Fox, Grey fox, Raccoon, Mink, Weasel, Possum, skunk, domestic cats, Goshawks, Red shouldered hawks, Barred owls, Great horned owls (they hunt at dawn and dusk not just night)

There is simply no way for me to free range a chicken even for a day and expect it to live. My neighbor lost over 20 in a month. I had a Black bear trying to climb my front door this spring

I could sit outside 24 /7 and kill every animal that came in the field and still lose chickens. I don't even try to free range

My 7 big chicks (3 months old) are in a movable tractor type coop in the daytime and locked up tight in a predator proof area at night. The smalls are not outside yet. (1 and 2 months old)

I will be building as predator proof coops as I possibly can and that includes cattle panels UNDER the coop pen floor with sand on top. The tractor coops are NOT remotely predator proof so they are where I can see them from the kitchen and no birds are out before 8 am or after 8 pm or when we are not home

 

[ChickenChaser9]

I know this issue is divisive. It is not my intent to argue but I need to make one thing clear. "Nature" has her own set of rules and they are way different that the ones we humans play by. I do not live in the wild. When the Wild comes into my domain it gets to play by my rules as much as I have to play by its rules when I leave for a trip into said wilds. These predators will not respect your boundaries nor your attempts to secure your birds. I am not going to build Ft. Knox when my chickens deserve to free range. If a predator thinks that coming around my domain to grab a quick meal is smart then I am doing the Wild a favor by taking that stupid creature out of the genepool because such activities are not at all smart and the meal not at all easy.

 

[OrganicFarmWife]

We are a farm. We have wild turkeys that tear up our fields, overpopulation of deer that eat our new wheat, geese are a menace. Coyotes keep those populations in check, I respect that. I keep the coyotes population in check. Any animal without a predator can become a nuisance, I cannot devote every waking moment controlling my rabbit population. We do hunt our turkeys and deer, and even our rabbits, but me alone is not enough.

I understand that. I have my own deer problems.  But I do not want deer predators, I would rather fight the deer. BUT I am not raising acres and acres of a cash crop either.

I am not saying I like coyotes or racoon's, I hate them. But I respect the fact that in controlled quantities we need them. I do not want a return of wolves or bears, I would much rather it be a coyote who is more likely to run from my children (or even a cow) then something that will turn and attack. But I also do not want to be overrun with turkeys (we have enough) and cannot shoot every one I see.

 

[islandgirl82]

They are awesome. The biggest thing is it's so easy to pound in a t-post and drag over a panel. No post hole digging, concrete, stretching fence, and you can reconfigure any time. We've generally used the UV-protected black zipties to attach the panels to the posts-- the zipties have lasted for 5+ years in our old place. You can cut panels into shorter lengths with bolt cutters so you can build in gates (we find that cutting the gate piece large enough to overlap the closure 8-12" is a good way to ensure the gate has better security, and we use straw-bale twine or 14g galvanized wire to wrap/make hinges). And trellising, and structures... and and... truly wonderful medium! Oh, and curves! You can make curves with them in the landscape, really a nice effect.

--V

I have one. I had leaned it up against the side of a shed to grow peas. It was great and I thought I was being so innovative (this was years ago) and then I started seeing how creative one can truly get with them and realised my level of creativity hadn't even scratched the surface. lol

I live in a lobstering community; the hardware used to make traps is insanely easy to come by and would also make great hinges, though more semi-permanent.

 

[ChickenChaser9]

I am not saying I like coyotes or racoon's, I hate them. But I respect the fact that in controlled quantities we need them. I do not want a return of wolves or bears, I would much rather it be a coyote who is more likely to run from my children (or even a cow) then something that will turn and attack. But I also do not want to be overrun with turkeys (we have enough) and cannot shoot every one I see.

Once more I need to reiterate that I do not need coyotes nor raccoons. For anything. If there were a turkey "problem" then we'd just eat more turkey. I've yet to run into a problem where there were more pests on my property than bullets.

 

[rottlady]

different schools of thought I guess.
I hunt, husband hunts, our friends hunt. But there is no evil or bad animal that is native (not meaning animals brought in from other countries that are ruining life like the pythons in the everglades or the feral domestic pigs in the South) they all have a place in my world

I carry at all times. And yes we have a lot of rabies here too. IF a wild animal attempts to attack me or my animals then yes I will shoot it. But no I don't try to kill off all the predators just so my chickens can free range (and during baby time most nocturnal animals hunt day and night trying to feed them so seeing a fox in daytime is no big deal). If I want less predators I will move closer to town

EVERY natural predator has right to be here and do their thing like I do. The wild predators eat lots of rodents, rabbits, woodchucks etc that make farming and home life difficult I appreciate their efforts. I don't begrudge the coyotes or fox or bear the deer and other game animals they eat. and all populations need managing so yes we shoot some periodically according to the laws (be it deer or predator) and there is no closed season on coyotes here but I have personally never shot one. They are not a big problem right now

It is my job to keep my chickens safe and here that means no free ranging and I am good with that, but I WILL kill a predator breaking into a coop or destroying a hive

 

[OrganicFarmWife]

I am not saying I like coyotes or racoon's, I hate them. But I respect the fact that in controlled quantities we need them. I do not want a return of wolves or bears, I would much rather it be a coyote who is more likely to run from my children (or even a cow) then something that will turn and attack. But I also do not want to be overrun with turkeys (we have enough) and cannot shoot every one I see.

  Once more I need to reiterate that I do not need coyotes nor raccoons. For anything. If there were a turkey "problem" then we'd just eat more turkey. I've yet to run into a problem where there were more pests on my property than bullets.

And once more I reiterate talk to someone in Australia about rabbits. You do not have a pest problem because you have coyotes, not because you have guns. You cannot shoot, or eat, enough prey without predators. It is a balance that you enjoy weather you respect it or not.

 

[ChickenChaser9]

And once more I reiterate talk to someone in Australia about rabbits. You do not have a pest problem because you have coyotes, not because you have guns. You cannot shoot, or eat, enough prey without predators. It is a balance that you enjoy weather you respect it or not.

you say i can't shot all these predators but the reason Australia can't is because the have given up all their guns. I assure you i do in fact hand enough ammo for each and every coyote.each and every fox .each and every raccoon. Any one or any hundred that want to prove me wrong are welcome to try.

 

[rottlady]

I'm a hunter. we have lots of guns and ammo. we live on what we kill for much of the year and I just don't get the "kill every animal that might kill or eat something I have" mentality


Kill the animals actually breaking into your pens and thin the prey animals - legally- that consume the crops. and kill prey and predator animals within the legal seasons. But it is my responsibility to fence or contain my animals and crops so the wildlife does not get them while allowing the wildlife to live as best as I can before resorting to blasting and trapping.

ah well