Should I give up on raising chickens?

[BrownScratch]

Hi, I’m coming here as a last resource and to speak to experienced chicken owners. 1 year ago me and my father purchased 12 chicks which we raised from birth to live in a chicken coop we built together. Over the course of the year to one week ago, we have lost 10 of those chickens due to fox attacks, dog attacks, and a hawk. We recently got 8 more chicks which I’m now beginning to think was possibly a mistake. The chickens do not have a fully functioning run, meaning that we have a fencing around that is not dug in and the birds can fly over it anyway. Recently, my fathers solution to deterring predators is just to keep the chickens locked up all day in their coop, and they often tip over their food and water. My father does not work and stays at home all day due to disability, and very often he does not get out of bed to bother feeding them. I worry everyday that they do not actually get fed until I get home at 5:00. I believe this is inhumane and I refuse to let it happen any longer. I have two options that I’m considering, the first option is to just set out on my own and dig an entire run and just deal with the occasional animal biting through the netting and losing more birds and face more trauma. The second option is to just give them to a local farm where I know they will roam free and be cared for. I worry about them everyday and I hate to see them like this, and I hate to face the trauma of losing more birds. Thank you.

 

[Chickendigger]

If you enjoy the birds, don't give up too soon! I think we have to take the responsibility of raising chickens seriously which it sounds like you do too; it also does take a decent amount of effort which you also have learned. The question is, do you have the time, money, and resources to make it safe for the chickens and enjoyable to you?

Automatic feeders, even home made ones, will take a lot of the strain of feeding off your shoulders, either suspend them or secure them so that the birds don't knock them over and waste valuable feed; water in the same way. Then fill them each evening. I have 3 feeders made out of old bleach bottles, suspended by a bunji cord, that I fill each evening, they still have feed when I come home home each evening, 2 are inside the coop and one is outside. When I raise the door each morning to let them into their outside enclosure, a quick glance lets me see whether I need to refill anything. They can go in and out all day as they chose and they have plenty of place to eat and drink.

I secure mine each night in the coop and the preditors can't get to them, which provides peace of mind for me and the chickens. As far as a secure run. Mine is 10x10 made from PVC, chicken wire is secured to it with plastic wire ties, an inexpensive bird netting secured on the top makes for a pretty safe daytime place to roam. I have the outside pen, secured to the coop so I pull a rope, a door lifts and lets the chickens out for the day, as I said I close it each evening. I also secured the PVC pen not only to the coop but also to the ground so a preditor can't lift it up. I put decorative rocks, piled on top of each other around the perimeter if the pen to discourage animals on the outside from digging in, a preditor would definately have to do quite a bit of digging and work to get underneath the pen during the day, hopefully the birds would make enough noise that someone would notice but they also could get back inside. I secured some old CDs to the bird netting on top to reflect and create movement so hawks, etc may get spooked off if they try to attack from above. Ihave a lot of racoons and several hawks. I've just been diligent to try to look at my set-up as a preditor would and look for the weak spots.

Good luck, chickens are so enjoyable that I hope your bad experiences thus far doesn't scare you off!

 

[BrownScratch]

I will definitely try some automatic feeders, and that CD idea is brilliant, I would have never thought of that. Today I dug out a small enclosure so they can temporarily be outside and safe until I have the time to build a full run. Thank you!

 

[Chickendigger]

I've also read twine or fishing wire run back and forth over the top prevents hawks from flying into the pen, the bird netting I use is from Lowe's for about $6 for a 14x14 net

 

[Pahlavinka]

Keeping chickens in a secured run/coop is not bad and they can be happy but you can't have too many. I thought about giving up too. Hawks got tons of my chickens and one lived and just ended up dying 2 months later probably because she became septic. the injuries are worse than your chickens getting killed. That's usually more of a blessing. You just have to learn from your mistakes and constantly make improvements in safety mesures. if there's an attack always check every bird for wounds. Pay attention if they're acting funny after a predator attack. Have medicines on hand before something happens. Owning chickens is about being pre emptive. Not responding to a problem but preventing it. we all make mistakes and we all have things happen that are out of our control.

 

[DellaMyDarling]

Look into electric fencing!

Net styles could even be moved every few days. I often see it for sale used on Craigslist.

Perhaps what you need is more of a chicken tractor?
Tractors can have weaknesses too, however.

Chicken wire does not stop any predator at all.