Needing advice...or therapy. Too chicken to let the chickens out...

[RNPAULIE69]

No no. I get it. We dont even have a rooster. We havent been letting them out to free range because theres so much snow on the ground. I feel bad about it because they are pitching the biggest fit in the run but id rather their feet stay dry. Theyll get out when its greener. And then the hawks will leave them be.

I have only one coopers hawk around in the winter, when its greener there are tons of hawks and eagles!

 

[Ninjasquirrel]

I have only one coopers hawk around in the winter, when its greener there are tons of hawks and eagles!

For us its the opposite. We didnt start seeing hawks until late August!

 

[Stockpilejoy]

I thought I'd update the the past few days, I've been able to let them out for about 30-45 before dusk while I stand guard. I'm not sure how you'd judge it, but they seemed thrilled. One of the hens stayed very close to me...I wonder, can chickens remember events, I mean, if she was near one of the other two hens who were killed, would it be something she'd remember? She never used to be this wary and cautious.

Two of my hens were in the coop and witnessed the other two hens that were free-ranging being attacked & killed by hawk. It happened down in woods right below their run..So I'm sure they witnessed it all. At the time I was in house preparing lunch and heard commotion but felt the girls in coop were protesting because they weren't free ranging and it was supposed to be their turn Since I'd only been in a few minutes I didn't check on them at that time. My two remaining hens had no desire to free-range after that. And when I did start back months later they stayed right by my side. The slightest sound sent them running to the coop. They definitely acted as if they remembered the traumatizing event.

 

[Stockpilejoy]

Just 2 weeks back a friend and I witnessed a hawk go up and land on top of a squirrel's nest high up on a tree that boarders our grass...It then killed, and carried baby squirrel off. The cries of the squirrel made me think it was possibly a hawk chick anxious to get food from its mother. I've never been able to determine a squirrel's nest from a hawk's nest. The person with me said it was not that time of the year.
We hear and see hawk sightings daily year round here and find they are more active just after storm has subsided. Where one lives may determine presence & activity of hawks. Thankfully we have lots of crows too.

 

[LulaBell]

Good for you! It is so hard to come back from a loss like you've experienced, but it's all about balance isn't it? And tolerance levels. I'm sure your chickens appreciate the opportunity to get out. I do the same thing when I get home from work (if there's enough light). I call it "chicken recess." But I often wonder if my "supervision" is really as protective as I like to think it is. And I'll bet your nervous girl does remember exactly what happened and stays close to you for protection. They know these things....

I was raising my first flock (13) and they were just starting to lay. Something got into their coop and killed all but one. I found them when I went to let them out that morning. The one remaining girl was very skittish for a long time, she stays close to me and generally does not like to roost in the coop. I have to go get her from the bush in our yard and take her in. I agree with @HeyHo , they remember traumatic events!

 

[Barbz]

I lost one of my free range chickens in November to a hawk. I put up a fake owl, some cd reflectors , and fenced their coop in a 16 × 12 area with a net on top. Although I wish they had more freedom, my three remaining chickens seem happy with this arrangement. Athough I will occasionally see a hawk fly by , my chickens have been unharmed.

 

[cmom]

I have game cameras around my property. Years ago I had some losses due to a bobcat, fox, hawks and owls. My Coops and pens are very fortified. I don't free range unless I'm out working around the coops. Most chicken owners will have a loss at one time or another especially when free ranging. The game cameras showed me what I was dealing with. I had a loss recently. Somehow a coyote got a gate open to one of my grow-out pens and killed a couple of birds.
This was the next day. I wired the gates shut so there was no way it was going to get a gate opened.

 

[LulaBell]

I have game cameras around my property. Years ago I had some losses due to a bobcat, fox, hawks and owls. My Coops and pens are very fortified. I don't free range unless I'm out working around the coops. Most chicken owners will have a loss at one time or another especially when free ranging. The game cameras showed me what I was dealing with. I had a loss recently. Somehow a coyote got a gate open to one of my grow-out pens and killed a couple of birds.
This was the next day. I wired the gates shut so there was no way it was going to get a gate opened.

I have been thinking about cameras around our property. Yours looks like it has good video. Do you mind sharing what brand/type you have?

 

[cmom]

This camera is a good camera. This is the one that took the video in the above post. I just ordered another camera that has the same specs as this one. It is supposed to be delivered tomorrow. I'll set it up when I get it and post the pictures. I'm mostly interested in nighttime video since that is usually when I see most of the predators on at least one of the cameras. I use rechargeable batteries because I use the cameras in the video mode and that uses more battery power. I always have a couple of extra sets of batteries charged.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N10WVL7/?tag=backy-20
Last nights visitor, a fox.

Another visitor, a coyote.

 

[LulaBell]

This camera is a good camera. This is the one that took the video in the above post. I just ordered another camera that has the same specs as this one. It is supposed to be delivered tomorrow. I'll set it up when I get it and post the pictures. I'm mostly interested in nighttime video since that is usually when I see most of the predators on at least one of the cameras. I use rechargeable batteries because I use the cameras in the video mode and that uses more battery power. I always have a couple of extra sets of batteries charged.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N10WVL7/?tag=backy-20
Last nights visitor, a fox.
View attachment 1666931
Another visitor, a coyote.
View attachment 1666932

Thanks for the info!