Red-tailed hawks with a taste for chicken...

[Jajika]

Hi All:

I tried to find a good balance between being a responsible chicken owner as well as creating a large space where they can run around, jump on bushes and basically have a "free range" experience while still staying safe. I totally get having a natural, open free space for chickens to live the life they should.

It was a choice.

They have lots of dirt to bath in, branches to play on and places to hide from each other.

My previous yard--early on, was not covered on top and when I lost three hens in two days, I had to do something. I could not let my chickens be bait. I'm not home during the day to keep an eye on them all the time. When I am home, I let them out to the larger yard, as I said. However, I need to be outside with them as we have a lot of hawks here.

I feel good about their yard as it's quite large....I think I gave the dimensions, but I'll give them again. 75' w x 25' deep x 15' high. I have six chickens to date. They also have a Hobbit Coop which is 5' x 8' --when they use it, which isn't much.

As I said, I sleep well at night and never worry during the day. My big thing, since I had that tragedy last July, is all about safety. I can never go through losing an entire flock to raccoons or hawks again. It killed me, hence Alcatraz.

Geri

 

[orumpoultry]

I could see why you would want Alcatraz. We have a ton of dogs and don't lose much. I take risks on the yard birds but not the show birds nor the rare breeds.

 

[gotthefever]

Orumpoultry, What do you mean risks, like "fend for yourselves and what happens happens?" Please, I am so not judging just curious. I might could go that way if they didn't always seem to get everyone's "special favorites" from what I read here.

Why can't they get the annoying troublesome birds? That was a maudlin joke.

Seriously, How many yard birds? Do you count or just think,, hmmm, the flock is smaller? Just curious, because I am so not that person yet,but need to get tougher!!! As some of the roosters will (sadly) have to be delicious soup.


-A

Oh, and when do i rate to get to call them yard birds, which will be very cool

 

[kateseidel]

gotthefever - I totally get your "troublesome" joke. I have had a couple of birds that...well....it's not that I "hoped" they would die, but I was not sad when they went. Jessica was the nastiest chicken I have ever known, I was not sad, and I do not miss her. I just wish the hawks could be a bit more discriminating and only take the bad hens of the world. When I had the world's worst rooster, I found myself HOPING a hawk would get him, but no such luck.

Even if I focused completely on hen watching, I am not sure I could provide enough coverage when they are free ranging. I can be on one side of the property, and the hawks are having a field day a few acres away and could not care less about me. Maybe when I retire I can spend my time just following them around - that sounds like a pretty sweet life.

jajika - darn you. I am looking at Hobbit coops this morning (because, I only have three coops now and I have an extra $1,000 burning a hole in my pocket....http://hobbitholestore.com/lightfoot-hobbit-hole-chicken-coop/)

 

[orumpoultry]

Orumpoultry,  What do you mean risks, like "fend for yourselves and what happens happens?"  Please, I am so not judging just curious.  I might could go that way if they didn't always seem to get everyone's "special favorites" from what I read here.

Why can't they get the annoying troublesome birds?  That was a maudlin joke.

Seriously,  How many yard birds?  Do you count or just think,, hmmm, the flock is smaller?  Just curious, because I am so not that person yet,but need to get tougher!!!  As some of the roosters will (sadly) have to be delicious soup.


-A

Oh, and when do i rate to get to call them yard birds, which will be very cool

Oh. We count them. This year we've been lucky. Lost ten in May when one of my new dogs, who had been trying to get them since we brought him home, tore into the flock. Other than that, and countless chick losses to snakes in the brooders / grow out pens... I think we lost less this year than most out of the yard birds. We lock them up sometimes... But, mostly just count them every few days. They're all mutts or culls... Sweetest flock of birds on the yard though. It's run by three roosters and a guinea... The hens are pretty quick to find cover or get under the house if Alarms are sounded.

In all fairness we haven't lost a bird since May... June maybe? When we got rid of Mack. The chicken chaser.

 

[Jajika]

Hi Kateseidel

Yeah, the Hobbit coops are adorable and crazy expensive. I had to think long and hard about treating myself to it. I think because of my "tragedy" I was going over the top in getting it. The crazy thing is that the chickens don't want to sleep in it.

It's their nature, as you all know, to sleep up high if you let them. I've never had good luck training my chickens to go into a coop at night as I have all those inviting trees in their yard. This group lines up on top of the coop at night and poops all over it. Hence once every few days I clean it off. Kind of poetic justice for splurging on an expensive coop.

Think hard before you get one.

All best,

Geri