problem

[Johndale]

i was wondering about freeranging i have about 10 acres and about 55 chickens and was wondering if they would eat strawberries becouse we raise strawberries and would not want them eating them but there a ways off and i also have a dog and cant keep him locked up and i dont know how that could work and i also have wild animals like oppossum and raccoon but i can catch them in a trap, and id put the chickens in a little coop at night and leave it open in the day so they could lay eggs can you figure out my problem and will this work?

 

[buckeye lady]

They will without a doubt eat every strawberry they can get to.
What kind of dog and what does the dog think of the chickens now?

 

[Chicken Woman]

Free ranging in an area where you have critters is sometimes difficult. They will get them during the day as well as night. Neighbors dogs can also be a problem. I free range only when I am able to be outside and keep an eye on them while I work in the yard. My chickens love my straberrie patch so I keep bird netting ober the top of a fence that is around them.

 

[Johndale]

mine is a quail and pheasent dog he has chased after them and got them in his mouth but never ate them, and the strawberries are far away and even if they go to them i dont think they will realise what they are,and people are always around in the day to scare pest away, the dog is what scares me

 

[MissPrissy]

Free ranging doesn't mean they don't have borders and bounderies. Give them a nice big run and opportunity to use it daily and your chickens are 'free range' - free to range outside at will.

If you want those strawberries keep the chickens VERY far away from them. They will scratch and dig up the plants eat the leaves and berries and leave you a nice tilled dirt field.

 

[Matt A NC]

With a bird dog, you are not going to be able to freerange the chickens. The dog will wipe them out in a hurry as soon as one of them gets spooked or excited and takes off running.

Your best bet would be to build a large lot for the chickens. Even then you will have to re-enforce the lower few feet and make sure the dog can't dig under.

Matt

 

[buckeye lady]

Free range with your supervision only. Preferably away from berry patch, unless your willing to share. (they get 90% you get 10%). During free ranging contain dog. Bird dog will fetch a bird for you, but if you aren't there to give bird to-Dog will kill bird. My neighbors have 6 bird dogs and when we started with chickens we agreed that any chicken that came over fence into their yard would likely be killed and there would be no reprocussions.

 

[Chicken Woman]

Once a dog does eat a chicken they will be very aggressive in getting more ! Chickens are very vulnerable and I would not at anytime have the chickens out and the dog out at the same time.

The chickens will destroy your starberries. And if someone is always out there they will constantly be fighting the chickens off. THEY KNOW A GOOD THING WHEN THEY TASTE IT !

 

[Johndale]

one guy said that if i hit the dog in the head everytime he goes near them he want go around them, and i let them out today and the rooster started fighting the dog and scared him away!

 

[snowydiamonds]

Yeah, there are those kind of idiots who hit animals over the head for various reasons...I kind of think its more cave man days but sometimes I really wanted to conk some sense in my two ex men by conking them in the head, too. I would never recommend hitting anything on the head unless you plan to eat it -depending on size of course. Don't plan on hitting a bear over the head...won't work! And don't ruin your dog either, that'd just be a crying shame to waste a good dog like that... build a pen, a fenced in area, that's the responsible way to free range.