Lost two of my girls in broad daylight yesterday. The other two do NOT want to be kept in an enclosure. What do I do?

[McChooky]

Mine have only been out once since November but I plan on letting them out a couple hours so I clean their coop next week (the sunniest clear day ) Predators watch us and know our routine so try to be unpredictable when you free range

 

[catballou]

I'm posting this for advice but also just to lament the loss of my Prairie Bluebell and Production Red. I did not know how absolutely devastated I would be. The red especially (named Red aka the Colonel) was the sweetest bird. She would run up and greet my husband when he got home from work. She would run up to my kids for treats. She would let me put her in my lap and pet her. It feels like I've lost my dogs. So if anyone has any therapeutic advice outside of predation advice then I will take it.

Back to the predators. My girls started with me on a quarter acre and we moved twice before settling on 2.5 acres in the country. We're in rural Florida. They have always been allowed to free range, and I've never had issues with them straying past the property line. I also have three ducks that free range, three goats on ~an acre and some chicks and keets that are kept in a fully enclosed run (they're only about a month). Yesterday was a cool day. I had the windows and doors open and spent a lot of time outside... but about 2 PM I walked the property looking for my girls and found a large amount of Red's feathers. No blood. I followed the trail all the way to the property line. My husband came home and went out into the brush and followed the trail another 200 yards or so and continued to find feathers but no blood and no predator, only boar scat. We couldn't find any trace of the Bluebell but my guess is she is gone as well. The other two girls were hiding in the bushes on the side of the house.

I know we have coyotes, boar, raccoons, owls, hawks, and have heard of (but not seen) bobcats, bears, and panthers. I have no idea what took our girls mid-property in the middle of the day and carried them back through the dense brush.

My other two girls (a Calico Princess and another Bluebell) do NOT want to be in an enclosure. I'd built the Ana White run for the ducks a while back and am keeping them in there during the day (all birds sleep in tight enclosures at night, I'm not worried about nighttime). But they hate it. They have never been cooped up. I'm 50/50 on wanting to let them free range and dealing with the potential for predators vs. keeping them locked up but being miserable.

I'm looking at fencing and some Pyrenees guard dogs but that obviously takes time and money. Does anyone have suggestions? Can I assume whatever took the girls will be back looking for an easy meal?

If you don't keep then in a safe pen, you will lose them.
I had 10 beautiful hens last year. I have 3 now. I only let them out at 6 pm after the hawks quit flying, but tonight I lost my sweet calico princess. They will be locked up the rest of their lives now. I feel horrible. I just wanted them to get some grass.

 

[McChooky]

If you don't keep then in a safe pen, you will lose them.
I had 10 beautiful hens last year. I have 3 now. I only let them out at 6 pm after the hawks quit flying, but tonight I lost my sweet calico princess. They will be locked up the rest of their lives now. I feel horrible. I just wanted them to get some grass.

Since I lost 2 my flock is afraid to leave the coop

 

[McChooky]

If you don't keep then in a safe pen, you will lose them.
I had 10 beautiful hens last year. I have 3 now. I only let them out at 6 pm after the hawks quit flying, but tonight I lost my sweet calico princess. They will be locked up the rest of their lives now. I feel horrible. I just wanted them to get some grass.

Every other day I collect fresh greens and herbs that grow wild and cut it in small pieces before feeding it to them so it won't cause an crop issues.They devour it!

 

[FAVEROLLES LOVER]

Your girls might well hate being "cooped-up" but I think they would hate being mauled and then eaten-up more. I've had to lock my girls up on a few occasions, and no, they don't like it at first, but they DO get used to it. A protector dog is a great idea, but as you say, they take time before they can be in any way effective. Unfortunately, and especially considering what beautiful, good natured and intelligent creatures they are, almost EVERYTHING is a potential predator to them. From mid-sized mammals to much smaller rodents, from the most miniscule of ticks and mites to other similarly tiny, but internally-based parasites, to common household threats such as cats and dogs and other domestic hazards (such as um... cough, cough... humans!), from reptiles that hiss and slither to wings of death circling silently above, it seems that our girls have enemies lurking simply EVERYWHERE. So, what to do?

I guess it mostly comes down to your personal philosophy. You can either think "Well, chickens don't live forever anyway, and better that they get to lead shorter, but more natural, lives than it is for them to lead longer - but more artificially protected - ones." Which seems a fair enough ethical position to take. Or, if you don't like to imagine the horror and fear that your pet will undoubtedly feel as... Well, to put it simply, I DON'T like to think about it! EVER! And our monthly cotton-wool expenses reflect it.

Look, you've obviously had a think about this already, but the TLDR (as the kids say) is this:
• Do you love your girls? Yes.
• Will the ruthless killers that took your other two lovely girls be back for another helping? Yes. Yes, they will. Bank on it.
• Will a K-9 companion help protect them? Yes.
• Will that k-9 companion arrive in time to save them? No. In fact, I'd be surprised if your girls are still alive by the end of the week. Sorry, that's just the way it is.
• Will your girls initially dislike being cooped-up?
Probably... But not for too long. And especially not if you show them some extra attention. And if you try to make their coop as natural and as stimulating an environment as possible.
• Would your girls thank you for saving their lives if they knew human philosophy? Well, unfortunately you'll just have to answer that last question... Both for yourself AND for them.

Anyway, I'm really sorry for your loss. Wishing yourself and your girls all the very best. The best of both life AND luck. Sometimes there just aren't any easy answers., I suppose. Sorry.

I have never let my chickens free range for as long as I have had them. Been a long time now and I can sleep at night knowing they are safe. I am responsible for them and don't want them mauled and eaten by predators. They have never known free range so don't know what it is. One good size coop and runs on each side with plenty of roosts and space. Husband calls it the B&B for chicks. Organic feed, supplements for health, treats and the comforts of home. Coop has a metal roof and so does the runs and also mesh wire skirted around the whole chicken complex. I am breeding Salmon Faverolles and their complex is similar. I live in New Hampshire and have many predators and learned from the old folk up here "don't feed the predators" put the food away and water away at night. Keep the coops clean and the chickens safe and secure. I can sleep good at night and so can the chicks.