Predators and free ranging

[chickengeorgeto]

If it's a heavier chicken they won't be able to necessarily "fly" away...but full wings will give it an advantage.

We have guinea fowl and I trimmed their wings so they couldn't roost on the joists of the coop over my head last winter. We've have a predator, very confident it's a fox...slowly picking away at the guineas the as they venture farther away away from the yard. It appears the guineas that have been taken have been the ones with trimmed wings.

We have poultry netting on hand for such an event, this is our first time using it. The remaining guineas will occasionally fly out of the fence. But then they will also fly back into the fence if something was to rush at them. We will keep the fence up until the foxes have been taken care of. I may keep it after as well but the flock will be allowed to free range again.

The red dot is where the last guinea was taken from. I was in the yard at the time. Foxes are very brazen.
View attachment 1121696

Back in my misspent youth I belonged to a fox hunting club. On Trade Days and First Mondays my fox hunting buddies and myself looked for guineas to buy. They were then released free range on our fox hunting club land, you know the better to feed mama and baby fox.

 

[Wickedchicken6]

Back in my misspent youth I belonged to a fox hunting club. On Trade Days and First Mondays my fox hunting buddies and myself looked for guineas to buy. They were then released free range on our fox hunting club land, you know the better to feed mama and baby fox.

You probably wouldn't want to do that up here now. They're worth $30-$50/bird...lol.

 

[KentuckyRooster]

You need to train those dogs and make use of them. I never felt comfortable ranging my birds until I started using the dog.

I use a heeler to protect my flock. She isn't out all the time but the time she is out is plenty to keep even airborne predators far far away. They don't want to tangle with her. Being a livestock breed as soon as she was shown not to chase them, she adopted them as her charges in place of cattle and guards them furiously. She even knows what chickens and ducks belong to us and which do not. If wild ducks come into the yard she will chase them away.

I also use her to herd the birds if I need to bring them in during the day for some reason. Heelers are bred to work cattle on ranches and it runs in their blood to do this sort of thing, so even though they are chickens and ducks, she loves what she does and takes it very seriously.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

It really depends on your environment and luck.

But, in my opinion, with the environment you suggest, you will absolutely have to do something about the risk with the neighbor's dog. More flocks have been decimated by an uncontrolled neighbor dog. I would not let the birds free range until that situation is under control unless you are willing to go out to dead birds.

I have hawks, raccoons, opossum, and an occasional coyote....with some fox in the area to boot.

I do not live right next to heavy woods. (That makes a big difference in your risk factor.)

At first, I had no losses. For several years I had no losses.Then the wild animals figured out we had chickens. I inadvertently left a coop open. That's when the killing started. I've gone to locking them up tight at night if I want birds.

I have friends who have had their flock cleaned out 3 times over by a coyote, in a similar set up as yours.

I have other friends who lost their flock twice, and can't keep a rooster more than a few months if they let them free range.

Mine free range on my 1/3 acre. I have lost generally a bird a year to hawks. I won't free range my bantams or any grow outs any more until they are full sized as those were picked off too easily. I lost small birds almost as fast as I set them out.

In farm land, the poultry savior is electric fence or netting and livestock guardian dogs.

Some dogs will do the job. Others will not. I've had a string of dogs, and know how to train dogs, but not every pet makes a good livestock guardian.

So my recommendation to you is talk to that neighbor or call Animal Control then put up electric netting and lots of hawk netting or be prepared to lose some birds on a regular basis....maybe not right at first...but soon.

LofMc

 

[Crooked Chicken]

Well, I nearly lost a chicken late today to a large bird of prey. Half of the chickens were in my backyard (they hop the fence) and the rest were on the other side. I had just gone in the house and was talking to my mom in the back porch. All of a sudden this bird swoops down and makes a grab. Luckily Butter Butt attempted to fly into the shrubbery and the bird didn't get a good hold on her. This happened so quickly that there is no way a rooster or dog could have helped her.

I rounded everyone up and into the run, much to their disapproval. It wasn't quite time to go in yet. They always take themselves home to roost just before dark. I did a quick head count and gave Butter Butt a going over and no injuries.

I know we have all kinds of predators here, and made sure their house and pen are tight and secure as possible. I've never had the predators during the day, but now they know the chickens are here. So, this just may be the end of free ranging for the foreseeable future. Covering the entire property with poultry netting is not possible. They are going to be very unhappy being cooped up. This makes me very sad as well. Maybe some short, chaperoned jaunts in the yard, but probably not for a few days because that bird is likely going to return.

 

[KentuckyRooster]

It really depends on your environment and luck.

But, in my opinion, with the environment you suggest, you will absolutely have to do something about the risk with the neighbor's dog. More flocks have been decimated by an uncontrolled neighbor dog. I would not let the birds free range until that situation is under control unless you are willing to go out to dead birds.

I have hawks, raccoons, opossum, and an occasional coyote....with some fox in the area to boot.

I do not live right next to heavy woods. (That makes a big difference in your risk factor.)

At first, I had no losses. For several years I had no losses.Then the wild animals figured out we had chickens. I inadvertently left a coop open. That's when the killing started. I've gone to locking them up tight at night if I want birds.

I have friends who have had their flock cleaned out 3 times over by a coyote, in a similar set up as yours.

I have other friends who lost their flock twice, and can't keep a rooster more than a few months if they let them free range.

Mine free range on my 1/3 acre. I have lost generally a bird a year to hawks. I won't free range my bantams or any grow outs any more until they are full sized as those were picked off too easily. I lost small birds almost as fast as I set them out.

In farm land, the poultry savior is electric fence or netting and livestock guardian dogs.

Some dogs will do the job. Others will not. I've had a string of dogs, and know how to train dogs, but not every pet makes a good livestock guardian.

So my recommendation to you is talk to that neighbor or call Animal Control then put up electric netting and lots of hawk netting or be prepared to lose some birds on a regular basis....maybe not right at first...but soon.

LofMc

Livestock guardian breeds are the best option...some herding breeds are a close second. My heeler is excellent and she is a herding dog. She's actually not even pure heeler, she's mixed but she inherited the drive.

Bless her heart I cannot thank her enough for what she does for my flock.

Crooked chicken, a good dog will have seen it in the sky and come for it before it even started down- and most birds will not come down to a yard with dogs in it, and if they try once, they get run out fast and if they grab a bird it is usually at the expense of their life- a dog will be on the hawk very fast. I watched a guardian spaniel who ran hawks and that dog knew the property line. As soon as hawks hit the line he ran beneath them, foaming and barking. He followed to the edge of the line and stayed until they were out of sight. No bird could have come down in that yard with him in it. He was a beast.

 

[Crooked Chicken]

Livestock guardian breeds are the best option...some herding breeds are a close second. My heeler is excellent and she is a herding dog. She's actually not even pure heeler, she's mixed but she inherited the drive.

Bless her heart I cannot thank her enough for what she does for my flock.

Crooked chicken, a good dog will have seen it in the sky and come for it before it even started down- and most birds will not come down to a yard with dogs in it, and if they try once, they get run out fast and if they grab a bird it is usually at the expense of their life- a dog will be on the hawk very fast. I watched a guardian spaniel who ran hawks and that dog knew the property line. As soon as hawks hit the line he ran beneath them, foaming and barking. He followed to the edge of the line and stayed until they were out of sight. No bird could have come down in that yard with him in it. He was a beast.

That's great that you have a good dog with that kind of instinct.

I have lots of big old trees on my property and believe it flew out of one very close by due to the angle it appeared from. My dogs are chihuahuas. One of them was in the yard at the time. It very well could have been her that got attacked.

 

[Folly's place]

When you have a raptor attack, it's best to confine your flock to their coop and covered run for at least a week (or three!) until that bird gives up and moves on. Don't let your chickens out at all for a while!
A dog can be a huge help, but not instantly! The best ones need training time, sometimes over years. Mary

 

[aswartzalso]

If it's a heavier chicken they won't be able to necessarily "fly" away...but full wings will give it an advantage.

We have guinea fowl and I trimmed their wings so they couldn't roost on the joists of the coop over my head last winter. We've have a predator, very confident it's a fox...slowly picking away at the guineas the as they venture farther away away from the yard. It appears the guineas that have been taken have been the ones with trimmed wings.

We have poultry netting on hand for such an event, this is our first time using it. The remaining guineas will occasionally fly out of the fence. But then they will also fly back into the fence if something was to rush at them. We will keep the fence up until the foxes have been taken care of. I may keep it after as well but the flock will be allowed to free range again.

The red dot is where the last guinea was taken from. I was in the yard at the time. Foxes are very brazen.
View attachment 1121696

Will this keep out fox?

 

[aswartzalso]

Will this keep out fox?