New Member from Southern Maine

[mainelyzal]

Just wanted to introduce myself to BackYard Chickens. In early July of this year we purchased eight chicks - four Rhode Island Reds and four Plymouth Rocks (Barred Rocks). They're just over two months old now and growing fast. The birds are in a 6' X 8' hen house with a fenced in run that's 60' X 30' next to an acre fenced in area. We would like to introduce the birds to the large area after they've grown a bit more and when they've learned to come easily when we give them scratch.

We have the usual predators in the woods and skies with the most concern being directed at the large red-tailed hawks that constantly are flying above the property. Part of the fenced in area is wooded so the birds can easily get out of the sun and hopefully, harms way. I would love to hear from others with these challenges and what steps they take to protect their birds. How old should the chickens be before letting them into the large area?

 

[BantamFan4Life]

Welcome to BYC! I'm glad you joined us!

 

[trailrider330]

Welcome to the BYC flock! We are glad you joined us!

It sounds as though your birds have already been coop trained so you should have no problem getting them back into the coop at night if you decide to let them out into the larger area. You can start small, by letting them out later in the day, and by nightfall they will all come back to the coop to roost. Then just work your way up to having them free-range all day if you like. There are of course dangers in letting your chickens free-range. It sounds like you have wooded areas that they can get to for cover, but if you have any large open areas you may want to consider building them other forms of cover to provide protection in the open areas. One option would be to use branches to form a type of teepee structure that the chickens can hide under, or provide other brush piles they can escape to.

Here are a couple good free-ranging thread that might give you some ideas:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/897953/keeping-chickens-free-range
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/890106/free-ranging-pros-and-cons

Good luck!

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

Hi

Glad you could join the flock! I'm afraid unless you keep your birds in an enclosed covered area they will always be at risk from the predators, especially the air born ones that can swoop down and take them. Over here in the UK we have buzzards and we often have them flying over the house and garden. I only let my birds out when I can supervise them, this way o can keep an eye in the sky. Only the other day I had a hen and her chicks out and the buzzards started circling above. I'm afraid they had to go back in until the coast was clear again. You may like to drop by the predators section for other members advice on predators. Here is the link ~ https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/13/predators-and-pests

Wishing you the very best of luck with your birds in the future. Be sure to ask all the questions you need to, everyone here to help and very friendly.

Enjoy BYC a,d all the chicken chat

 

[Michael OShay]

Welcome to BYC. Glad you decided to join our flock. When chickens are allowed out of enclosed runs in areas with predators, there are always going to be some losses to those predators. It is up to you to decide whether or not those losses are acceptable. There is a good article at http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2013/07/11-tips-for-predator-proofing-chickens.html on predator proofing your chickens. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have. We are here to help in any way we can. Good luck in protecting your flock from predators.

 

[drumstick diva]

Wooded areas may have good cover for hiding but, a lot of predators can jump /climb down from trees. Roosters aren't even great protection accept for sounding the alarm. If they are a nuisance, predators will kill them first, the flock is still vulnerable. People with large areas often get livestock guardian dogs to safeguard the flock.

 

[N F C]

Hi, welcome to BYC!

Our girls have a large covered run but I let them out to scratch & peck in a fenced garden area when I am outside with them. Even with me being close by, that's no guarantee they won't fall victim to a predator (we have red tail hawks that fly overhead a few times a day). One tip I picked up on BYC is that crows are enemies of hawks so when I hear the crows squawking, I pay close attention and round up the girls to herd them back into the run. They know when I shake a plastic cup with sunflower seeds in it, they have to go inside the run to get the treat. So far (knock on wood) we've been ok.

But as already said, anytime your chickens are outside, there is a risk so you have to judge for yourself if letting them free range is worth the risk.

Good luck to you and I hope you're enjoying your flock!