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mjsk442

mjsk442

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6 Years
Apr 4, 2013
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Hi! I'm from Bflo NY area and my husband and I just got our first Sex Link Pullets yesterday (10 of them). We've never had chickens before but we did do our homework. However, there's nothing like the real lesson of actually been through it. Any suggestions and tips are welcome!

One of my concerns is letting them roam on our land. We have almost 8 acres and have horses. Are there any suggestions you have to help with "training" them to stay in an area and not go near the road? If it's safest to just have them in a fenced pen, we'll do that, but I see so many of my neighbors let their chickens roam around and I never see them get hit. I know the chickens would be happier and it will help us with bugs/flies.


Thanks!

Mjsk442
 
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I don't think it is possible to train chickens not to wander too far, or keep out of the road. When they do it is a happy coincidence. They may love free ranging but predators love that too.

Maybe you could put up some fencing in a good sized area to keep them nearer to home.
 
mjsk442 said:
Hi! I'm from Bflo NY area and my husband and I just got our first Sex Link Pullets yesterday (10 of them). We've never had chickens before but we did do our homework. However, there's nothing like the real lesson of actually been through it. Any suggestions and tips are welcome!

One of my concerns is letting them roam on our land. We have almost 8 acres and have horses. Are there any suggestions you have to help with "training" them to stay in an area and not go near the road? If it's safest to just have them in a fenced pen, we'll do that, but I see so many of my neighbors let their chickens roam around and I never see them get hit. I know the chickens would be happier and it will help us with bugs/flies.


Thanks!

Mjsk442





Welcome! All growing up I had free range hens on my parents horse farm. We had substantially less land then you have as well as a busy road! We lost a few to the road, but very many to predators.
To help keep them in the area, just keeping them in the coop and a fenced area for a while will help. Eventually you can try letting them roam, but be aware of the risks. Accidents are unavoidable, but it may be helpful to make sure that everyone in locked up tight well before it gets dark. If you are able to provide a fenced area for the majority of the time, you will avoid some of the risk. That being said, my Mother now keeps her hens in the fenced area during the week, and gives them some free range time when she is around to keep an eye on them on the weekends.

It is a personal preference and assesment of risk, regardless, enjoy the new pullets!
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Thank you for your advice. I think we would keep them penned. We do have predators and I'd much prefer to keep them safe.
 
Greetings from Kansas, mjsk44, and
welcome-byc.gif
! Pleased you joined us! What drumstick said is spot on! I always balance the risk with the rewards with free ranging. I've lost 3 birds in 3 years - to me that is acceptable risk. Your circumstances may differ, making the risks higher, thus not worth...it's all up to what you are willing to live with. Good luck and enjoy your flock!
 
Yes my husband and I had anticipated we would lose 2-3 birds along the way... I hope to keep that at 0. I know realistically, that the odds are we will lose a few... I'm not sure of our "predator" situation, but we do have them (coyotes, weasels, fox, raccoons, feral cats, skunks, possums) as we live out in the rural area.... We don't keep the horse grain in the barn so our predator situation is minimal. Fortunately we have a creek that surrounds our property so that does help keep predators deterred somewhat. (It's a fairly big creek to cross).

A few years ago my neighbor ended up with 50 roosters... 8 of them came over to our house everyday and the other 42 stayed across the street at his barn. Yes a few got hit by cars, but overall, none got killed by predators which surprised me. I wondered if it was because they all were roosters and not hens? I know there was family of raccoons lived in the upper level of his barn and never bothered them either.

One thing I am worried about is we have "feral" cats that lurk around our barn. They come from the neighbors barn across the street and catch the mice/critters that may be in our barns... However, they also room with the chickens but the chickens are penned so they cannot get at them. I'm not sure how they will handle our chickens.... When I've been over there the cats seem to ignore the chickens and just go for their cat food... I'm hoping they will leave our birds alone...

. We have chicken wire and will use that with a frame... My husband and I thought about using electric on the bottom, middle, and top on the outside of the pen to help detour would be predators from digging or climbing...

Any suggestions on keeping predators away are welcomed as well


Thank you all for your time and sharing of your knowledge!

Mjsk442
 

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