Scared to let my first flock out!

[CCtheflockboss]

New flock owner... my babes are about 4 weeks, so they will be moving out of the house soon, and into their coop. My husband has built an amazingly strong run and coop (concrete floor and all), but lately I’ve been hearing more stories from people saying fox and other predators have been attacking them during the day time while they’re out free ranging. At this rate, I’ll never let them out if I’m not there! I don’t want anything to happen to them! Any tips or tricks to prevent daytime attacks? We live a mile from a town, and have houses around. Have seen only cats, beavers, and we’ve only heard a fisher cat once at night. But I’m sure there are fox and raccoons! Ahhhhh please ease my mind!

 

[Sonya9]

As far as free ranging I only let mine free range when I am home and only for a couple of hours in late afternoon so they go back in the coop at dusk. If anything tried to get at them I would hear it. I also have a large fenced yard in a rural area.

If they are out running loose all day it may attract predators.

 

[CCtheflockboss]

I had thought I was going to let them roam the yard during the day, when I was home or not, but I’m leaning more towards not having them out in the yard, except for what you say, a few hours when I’m either outside with them, or close by doing chores and such...

 

[Flockincrazy]

New flock owner... my babes are about 4 weeks, so they will be moving out of the house soon, and into their coop. My husband has built an amazingly strong run and coop (concrete floor and all), but lately I’ve been hearing more stories from people saying fox and other predators have been attacking them during the day time while they’re out free ranging. At this rate, I’ll never let them out if I’m not there! I don’t want anything to happen to them! Any tips or tricks to prevent daytime attacks? We live a mile from a town, and have houses around. Have seen only cats, beavers, and we’ve only heard a fisher cat once at night. But I’m sure there are fox and raccoons! Ahhhhh please ease my mind!

They are to young to have unsupervised free-range as for the rest i would do the hot pepper trick I use ghost peppers but you can use the hottest pepper you can get your hands on smash them especially the seeds put them all around your coop and run redo every month or after a big rain

 

[ChickNanny13]

I have a fenced yard but then my neighbors got dogs and chickens fly ... I live in a residential area (10K sq ft) so decided on a 8 x 12 x 7 enclosed Chicken House. Saves on the worries & flying over the fence & tempting the dogs on both side of me.

 

[CCtheflockboss]

They are to young to have unsupervised free-range as for the rest i would do the hot pepper trick I use ghost peppers but you can use the hottest pepper you can get your hands on smash them especially the seeds put them all around your coop and run redo every month or after a big rain

Interesting, I’ll need to look into this trick, the peppers. I am way too protective over these chicks, they won’t be out of my sight for a while!

 

[CCtheflockboss]

I have a fenced yard but then my neighbors got dogs and chickens fly ... I live in a residential area (10K sq ft) so decided on a 8 x 12 x 7 enclosed Chicken House. Saves on the worries & flying over the fence & tempting the dogs on both side of me.

Our chicken area will be about that large as well, heavily protected from predators! But I still worry!

 

[Sonya9]

Interesting, I’ll need to look into this trick, the peppers. I am way too protective over these chicks, they won’t be out of my sight for a while!

Actually you are not too protective. Four weeks is still very young and these chicks know *nothing* about the outside world.

I have a hen raising 9 week old chicks in the coop. She has been teaching them everything they need to know since day one such as what is safe to eat, how to deal with different types of predators, where to roost, where to go when it rains, on and on. The chicks take those lessons seriously since their life literally depends on it. At 9 weeks they are just now starting to explore on their own for short periods of time.

You might want to start putting them out in the run for an hour or two when the weather is nice so they can have a little outdoor time scratching around and get used to it (I assume your run has netting over top). Ease the transition for them.

 

[TheOddOneOut]

I had thought I was going to let them roam the yard during the day, when I was home or not, but I’m leaning more towards not having them out in the yard, except for what you say, a few hours when I’m either outside with them, or close by doing chores and such...

This is a good idea.

 

[CCtheflockboss]

Actually you are not too protective. Four weeks is still very young and these chicks know *nothing* about the outside world.

I have a hen raising 9 week old chicks in the coop. She has been teaching them everything they need to know since day one such as what is safe to eat, how to deal with different types of predators, where to roost, where to go when it rains, on and on. For the first 3 weeks the chicks literally did everything she did every minute of the day (i.e. ate, drank, sun bathed, groomed, copying her constantly). At 9 weeks they are just now starting to explore on their own for short periods of time.

You might want to start putting them out in the run for an hour or two when the weather is nice so they can have a little outdoor time scratching around and get used to it (I assume your run has netting over top).

I’ve been taking mine outside for 2-4 hours per day to let them roam free! They are never too far from me, and they always are together. They’ve been eating all the bugs, and know to hide and protect themselves. They are insanely smart but I am not ever more than a few feet away from them at all times! They Love being outside! I just worry about the day when they CAN be totally alone, when they are older, I worry about their safety when I’m not there and they are out...