leery of letting chickens free-range

[davecash]

Quote:
same here

 

[beameuplord]

Ikept my first two silkies in a lot all the time but started letting them range this spring. They were in chicken heaven and I don't have the heart to keep them in all the time. When I got 4 dibbies for my hen she kept them close and they stayed very near the house or in the very edge of the woods.

I gave two of the little ones away and kept a pair. the other day I went out to call them and the hen (Dixie chick) came alone. Ut-oh....where was "Drum -stick", the little rooster? I went around the perimeter the yard and called. I think I got a glimpse of him fluttering down through the woods. I couldn't go after him because I had the kids I keep with me. When they went home, I looked everywhere with no luck, but I found a little heap of feathers in the woods. Idon't know if he was scared and never looked back or became dinner. NOw I am very protective of Dixie. I have been bringing her in my house at night to make her more tame. She sits up on my shoulder and plays with my hair.

I will only let them out when I am outside now because I don't want to lose another one.
But I think it is the natural way for them to roam and I would rather them die happy than be cooped up all t he time. Just my thoughts. good luck with your decision. TJ

 

[wendy]

Quote:
this did not work for us! lost a barred rock yesterday to some predator. don't know what got her!

 

[Marmalute]

I let mine free range in the evening about an hour before dusk. Then you don't even have to bother herding them back in the hen house....they will go in to roost naturally.

Also only on days that it's not windy. If there is wind, then the hawks are sure to come around. Hawks do not make an extra effort to fly distances or hunt because it's a constant flap of their wings inwhich the sound scares their prey. The wind helps them "cruise" so they can hunt quietly. So make sure the wind is very calm before letting them range.

Don't forget neighbors cats and dogs. They love the stalk / attack / kill just as much as hawks. But they normally don't eat them.

 

[schmoo]

Everyday I think about letting mine "out" I just don't dare. There is ALOT of brush for them to hide in (from me) LOL and I have 26 of them, so I could never keep my eye on them all. I would only do it in the evening so I could watch them.

Should I try letting "some" out instead of all? I know one of these days, I'm just going to do it. I know how much they would LOVE it.

 

[Grammi]

I have approximately 70 chickens in 5 different coops and runs. I let one run out at a time. If I only have one hour to spend with them, I let 2 runs out each for a half hour. Then the next day 2 more runs get their chance. I know it isn't like being free range, but they get a chance to be out, and I watch over them. IF I am home all day and working outside, they get longer time, and more runs get a chance. Their runs are right next to our garden and orchard, so they don't travel far. Also, I herd mine in with two long sticks. Course my dh usually is there to help but not always. I know my neighbors are snickering behind their curtains watching me herd chickens.

Oh well, such is the life of a chickaholic!!

 

[CoyoteMagic]

I have skunks, possums, raccoon, snakes, coyotes, owls, hawks, dogs, foxes, and on rare occasions bears in the area.

I could keep my 8 girls confined to a 10x10 dog run but I don't. I know I risk loosing every last one of them by allowing them to run as I do.

But then again, one of these 90ft pine trees could come crashing down on the coop and they would all be gone in a giant poof of feathers.

Life is a risk. That's what makes it worth living.

 

[southernsibe]

NOw I am very protective of Dixie. I have been bringing her in my house at night to make her more tame. She sits up on my shoulder and plays with my hair.

Beameuplord,
I have a couple of bantams that would love to come inside, but I have to say, I don't want chicken poop in my house. What do you do to prevent this?
Thanks
Rachel​

 

[ruth]

I agree with Coyote - I just got in from finding my chickens in the woods and herding them back to coop because it's about to storm - anything's possible and even probable but if you worry about all that could happen you can waste your life away. That's why I like the scripture I have from Matthew about not worrying - as the Lord said - it won't add a minute to your life. As a mother of three, I could have worried about sending them off the school (look at Columbine and others), I could have worried about letting them learn to drive (and yes everyone single one of them had accidents and walked away), I could have worried about letting them go off to college (a man flagged my daughter off the highway, knocked her over the head unconcious and was dragging her to his truck when she woke up and fought him off and got away), I could have worried about what would happen to us and our home during Katrina (over 100 trees fell all around our home but did not harm it or us), finally and most important, I could have worried myself sick when my real baby, my son, had to do a tour of duty in Iraq (but he's safely home now despite being blown up twice). If you get my point - there's much more important things in life to worry about if worrying is what you want to do. Trust in the Lord - let those chickens run and play. Yes you may lose a few but they are chickens (now I know I'm gonna get hit hard with that statement). I like my chickens but they get to free range and so far so good and we have woods, river, and every predator God created. Heard a panther in woods the other night. My run is not covered and I leave the chicken door to coop open at night. Am I just asking for trouble - depends on who you talk to. From the posts I've read those who have their chickens locked up in Fort Knox are losing them to disease - oh wait, I could worry about that too. As my signature scripture says, don't worry - the Lord provides for his birds too. Trust and Believe in the Lord because when we start to think that we are in control and can control things - we'll I won't go there - but that's really something to worry about.

 

[pattycake]

I've been letting my chicks out for a little while of supervised free ranging since they were a few weeks old. They love it so much, and I love seeing them peck and scratch in the grass (their run is just dirt and wood chips).

They like to go in the brush, which makes me nervous because I can't reach them. But I've trained them so they come running when I hit their dinner bowl with a spoon and call for them. It's amazing -- I don't have to do any herding at all, they just go right inside the coop for their dinner.