- Aug 3, 2015
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The elderly guy who said "every jailbird deserves a prison yard" sold us the mobile coop with 9 layers. His son told us how he had criss-crossed filament (fishing line) over top of the chicken run. So we did that stretching filament from the top of the fence posts with U shaped nails, then added flagging tape near the middle of each stretch of fishing line. I believe the raptors (predatory) birds can see the thin filaments with their eagle like eyes. I put the flagging tape up partly to remind myself, partner et al when working around and in hopes the chickens might gain some solace sensing some protective barrier overhead. I believe raptors survival instinct has them gauging if they can swoop down and fly away with their prey as part of their choosing. This way, and it does seem so far no attempts, they wont bother trying.
Today, for the first time, while I was fixing the clothesline we let the chickens out into the yard for a while, tho watched over them fairly closely. I notice only the adult laying hens ventured out. The chicks mostly stayed back in the run. This was while the cat was sleeping inside the house. The chicks weren't gonna take any chances tho, it so seemed.
A German WWOOFer (guest worker) told us of a chicken farmer back home who wouldn't let his flock out into the run till mid afternoon, claiming the raptors survey the local scene thru the morning, as if looking over a menu in a restaurant, returning to pluck their choice prey later in the day. Being new to this it made sense to me and so I followed thru. Then the previous owners and neighbours related stories of ravens and crows attacking chickens and ducks.
Hmm, you might have to use the virtual magnifying glass to see even the flagging tape, but it is there in the 1st picture. The lines in the 2nd picture is our clothesline.
Is this a common practice, or deemed effective, by those in the know?
Today, for the first time, while I was fixing the clothesline we let the chickens out into the yard for a while, tho watched over them fairly closely. I notice only the adult laying hens ventured out. The chicks mostly stayed back in the run. This was while the cat was sleeping inside the house. The chicks weren't gonna take any chances tho, it so seemed.
A German WWOOFer (guest worker) told us of a chicken farmer back home who wouldn't let his flock out into the run till mid afternoon, claiming the raptors survey the local scene thru the morning, as if looking over a menu in a restaurant, returning to pluck their choice prey later in the day. Being new to this it made sense to me and so I followed thru. Then the previous owners and neighbours related stories of ravens and crows attacking chickens and ducks.
Hmm, you might have to use the virtual magnifying glass to see even the flagging tape, but it is there in the 1st picture. The lines in the 2nd picture is our clothesline.
Is this a common practice, or deemed effective, by those in the know?
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