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

[WthrLady]

I like the quote from Finding Nemo.

Dory: Well you can't never let anything happen to him. Then nothing would ever happen to him. Not much fun for little Harpo.

My hens are free rangers. They are miserable when locked up and it shows.

 

[WthrLady]

You are protecting them, that is a good thing.

A serious question..when they do free range, how far do they go?

LOL Mine can disappear into the 80 acre cattle pasture next door. Cracks me up to see them playing in cow patties and seeing them chase the bugs the cattle stir up walking around.

 

[MrsAuberry00]

I would suspect a ground predator as hawks an owls usually do not carry away their kill.

Normally keeping the survivors locked up for a couple weeks would suffice. Most predators would move on. But since you aren't really sure what you are dealing with and you are seeing hawks and owls there is a good chance those will attack, too. Also with this nasty weather predators get desperate. Can you let them out for a little while and be out there with them?

It's dark by the time I get home from work, so they are already roosting. But when the days get longer, if I'm still not letting them out all day, I'll plan on doing this.

 

[MrsAuberry00]

You are protecting them, that is a good thing.

A serious question..when they do free range, how far do they go?

We have a three acre yard but they generally stay within sight of the house. They enjoy scratching and pecking in the tree line that marks our property next to our house on one side of our property and around our outbuilding which is towards the back of our property in a direct line from our house.

 

[llombardo]

We have a three acre yard but they generally stay within sight of the house. They enjoy scratching and pecking in the tree line that marks our property next to our house on one side of our property and around our outbuilding which is towards the back of our property in a direct line from our house.

So is it possible to put an electic fence around their favorite spot and then cover it with a net?

 

[centrarchid]

I would avoid all day free-ranging unless you have some combination of hotwire fence or dogs that patrol and will drive off predators.

We used to free-range chickens over 10 acres at multiple locations without anti-predator measures. That is no longer feasible, especially in light of how red fox and coyotes becoming so much more abundant.

 

[MrsAuberry00]

So is it possible to put an electic fence around their favorite spot and then cover it with a net?

No, that's not an option.

 

[MrsAuberry00]

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.

 

[centrarchid]

After a few days consider giving them a mix of course grains near a patch of cover some distance from coop. Assumption is requirements for protein, vitamins, and minerals already met using feed in coop.

 

[HeyHo]

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.

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....