kasey08, do you have silkies penned with RIRs? That might prove a difficult group to manage, as I know those RIRs are much more aggressive and might pick on the silkies.
Now RIRs should be a good group to try to free range if this is something you are interested in. Free ranging has its risks, but there are plenty of folks on the forum who do this with pretty good results. How much space do they have to range in? Is it perimeter-fenced, or is it truly open land? This makes a difference, too.
Some folks who free range try things like:
- running geese or guineas with the chickens as guardians - - they are good at sounding alarms when predators appear.
- limiting the free ranging hours
- tying CDs to fishing line and hanging them around nearby trees, fences, wash lines, etc. to keep hawks away
- placing things in the free-range yard for the chickens to hide under if a hawk appears, like crates, chairs, or other things with a lid that the chickens can run underneath. Bushes work great too!
- running a large, protective rooster with the flock
Unfortunately there are fewer things that can be done to protect against dogs, wolves, coyotes, and big cats. Perimeter fencing is the best thing I can think of. Other folks might chime in with more ideas.
If you do decide to try free ranging again with newer birds, you could try it for just an hour or two at a time, and then teaching the birds to return to the pen when you call them by giving them some scratch or a treat. Extend this free range time a little bit each day until the birds are used to the process and are familiar with the coop location.
As I said, free ranging is risky, and free ranging chicken owners have to be tolerant of a certain amount of bird loss over time. However, it is a much more natural way of chicken keeping that many folks here advocate. Hope that helps. Good luck!
