Keeping Chickens Free Range

[Tikkijane]

TJ, in a situation like this, I'd not be above baiting them.  

I'd have to work that out. The issue is hitting cows/calves with them running. Ugh.

 

[SmColorInDaPan]

Sorry to hear of everyone else's woes but GUESS what I found in the backyard today?

One of them DEFINITELY Looks like his RIR daddy. Dashed into town for chick start, have them in hutch with Momma now. I was ABOUT to pen her up, figuring she was Broody, like one did a couple of years ago.. That one disappeared,

VERY Pleasant Surprise. Additional Five...

 

[ShrekDawg]

Sorry to hear of everyone else's woes but GUESS what I found in the backyard today? One of them DEFINITELY Looks like his RIR daddy. Dashed into town for chick start, have them in hutch with Momma now. I was ABOUT to pen her up, figuring she was Broody, like one did a couple of years ago.. That one disappeared, VERY Pleasant Surprise. Additional Five...

Those babies sure are adorable!!!

 

[Tikkijane]

Sorry to hear of everyone else's woes but GUESS what I found in the backyard today? One of them DEFINITELY Looks like his RIR daddy. Dashed into town for chick start, have them in hutch with Momma now. I was ABOUT to pen her up, figuring she was Broody, like one did a couple of years ago.. That one disappeared, VERY Pleasant Surprise. Additional Five...

Our surprise babies survived, too. I'd attach a pic, but I haven't been able to add them here from my phone for around 2 weeks. *sigh*

 

[duluthralphie]

Our surprise babies survived, too. I'd attach a pic, but I haven't been able to add them here from my phone for around 2 weeks. *sigh*

Are you using the app?

I have an iPhone I cannot add pictures from the app but from Safari I can.

 

[Tikkijane]

Are you using the app?

I have an iPhone I cannot add pictures from the app but from Safari I can.

Nope- going to the website in mobile mode. Usually, it works fine. Maybe need to shut down and restart.

 

[Tikkijane]

Sorry to hear of everyone else's woes but GUESS what I found in the backyard today? One of them DEFINITELY Looks like his RIR daddy. Dashed into town for chick start, have them in hutch with Momma now. I was ABOUT to pen her up, figuring she was Broody, like one did a couple of years ago.. That one disappeared, VERY Pleasant Surprise. Additional Five...

Restart seems to have worked.

 

[SmColorInDaPan]

Hutch the chicks & Momma are in is in full sun. have plywood against the sun side & hanging over the top. Should we hual the whole Hutch into the shade? Will likely let Mamma do all the work till they feather out. HOPING we don't get an early Fall, Cold Snap.

 

[Beekissed]

Sorry to hear of everyone else's woes but GUESS what I found in the backyard today?

One of them DEFINITELY Looks like his RIR daddy. Dashed into town for chick start, have them in hutch with Momma now. I was ABOUT to pen her up, figuring she was Broody, like one did a couple of years ago.. That one disappeared,

VERY Pleasant Surprise. Additional Five...

Very good surprise and very very cute!!! I'd mark that hen for later breeding and brooding.

Been having my very first dedicated predator here of late and thus far it has gotten more chickens in two weeks than I have lost altogether in the past 40 yrs of free ranging. Haven't even seen it but am pretty sure it's a Great Horned Owl....got one right in the coop and attacked a few right next to the coop, despite the dogs being on guard and that takes some doing...of the two injured, I culled one and the other died before I could cull her...all signs under the skin showed razor sharp talons were in use. For now the flock are getting locked up in the coop after evening feeding and not let out until full sunrise in the morning....we'll see what transpires after that.

 

[slordaz]

Very good surprise and very very cute!!! I'd mark that hen for later breeding and brooding.

Been having my very first dedicated predator here of late and thus far it has gotten more chickens in two weeks than I have lost altogether in the past 40 yrs of free ranging. Haven't even seen it but am pretty sure it's a Great Horned Owl....got one right in the coop and attacked a few right next to the coop, despite the dogs being on guard and that takes some doing...of the two injured, I culled one and the other died before I could cull her...all signs under the skin showed razor sharp talons were in use. For now the flock are getting locked up in the coop after evening feeding and not let out until full sunrise in the morning....we'll see what transpires after that.

It's been a strange year this year I'll say, ours turned out to be a pack of 6 wild cats hunting in a pack, swift and deadly until started live trapping. been hot and dry, we got fires burning on 3 sides of us , there was a mountain lion attack which is very uncommon here. sorry for your losses Beekissed hard to figure out when they aren't doing signs of anything concrete, we lost ours at varying times at start was one during the night, one about sunrise then they started broad daylight but finally pinned down what it was and took care of the problem, was just frustrating as we couldn't find anything and methods varied it appeared finally caught on when found a cached 2 weeks into the attacks and sitting watching all night and day for 3 days straight and still not seeing the actual attacks didn't give us a clue. They were not going after the little chicks they were taking down my year to year and a half hens