Terrified to free range

[Rocky86]

Awesome! I love the built shelter! We planned on free ranging hence we didn’t build a gigantic covered run, lol then I just got scared!

My neighbors free range all day and have yet to lose a chicken to anything other than there dog years ago. They even have a few bantams and a little serama roo currently…thanks so much for sharing!

I hope I'm not jinxing myself, but I have had chickens for about 5 years and I've not yet had a loss due to predation. I don't free range, but I do let them out for supervised foraging time, and I have a very large run and covered yard for them.

I have 19 chickens and 5 ducks. Their coop is 8x8, but the attached covered run is ~215 sq ft, and they have access to that 24/7. There's also a 20 sq ft duck house that opens onto the run, but the ducks prefer to sleep in the run. Divas...

The yard is surrounded by electric netting and covered with heavy duty aviary netting. The duck's pond is in there, too. The yard is 650 sq ft. They have access to that until nightfall when I lock them up in the run. We have pretty much every predator you can name here. When I do let them out on the property, I supervise closely to keep them away from the woods.

Now I used to live in a more suburban neighborhood. The only issue we had were hawks. I just made lots of areas for them to hide, but I am MUCH happier with the aviary netting we have now. If I were back in my old neighborhood, I'd probably rig up the netting somehow.

Truth be told, my neighbors free range their flock, and that's helped keep the predators away. Why work for a meal when you can get it easy? It's all about opportunity vs reward.

Love it! I really like the idea of fencing off a smaller area around the coop and run and covering it with netting. And I think that is the direction we will go in and they can have supervised outings until then!

 

[Greta A]

Hey all,

What is wrong with me? We have a good size yard and I have been so excited to free range. Now my kiddos are ready to be let out (with supervision) and I am terrified. Especially as yesterday I went to and a hawk flew up and landed on the fence eyeing my neighbors chickens.

Any tips for deterring hawks? Adding more cover opportunities for the chickens? We live in the city. I understand having them free range is part of taking the risks, but I want them to as I don’t want them boxed up in just the coop and run.

I will take any advice on anything to do with free ranging.

Thank you!

I have always free ranged.... i feel it is the correct way for me. i do lock them up at night if they want to go in..... usually on really hot summer days they do not.. there are pros and con of course.... this article spelled it out very well for me...https://chickenjournal.com/free-range-chickens/

 

[Wonder Quails]

It really depends on the size of the hawk.

 

[windgirl]

noway three chicken was missed at night time just left a few feathers. So so so terrible!

 

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

Hey all,

What is wrong with me? We have a good size yard and I have been so excited to free range. Now my kiddos are ready to be let out (with supervision) and I am terrified. Especially as yesterday I went to and a hawk flew up and landed on the fence eyeing my neighbors chickens.

Any tips for deterring hawks? Adding more cover opportunities for the chickens? We live in the city. I understand having them free range is part of taking the risks, but I want them to as I don’t want them boxed up in just the coop and run.

I will take any advice on anything to do with free ranging.

Thank you!

Hey there Rocky! i totally understand your concern which is so reasonable. When i first let my little back yard flock of 6 to freerange, they were about 8 weeks old. I remember using a portable fence that i placed right at the run door out and into the grass where they can thrive and do all that necessary chicken stuff, but also keeping my nervous mind at ease. About a week of this and the girls all decided they were confident enough to venture further. I was too, but still nervous. They all jumped over the little, portable, fenced in area, always supervised by me. I stayed very close and talked to them a lot. I felt ok because they were not "taking" off running away. When one would get too far from the flock, or if they would get too far for my comfort, (I live on a dead end, no fences, or barriers), i would think like a herding dog and herd them all together making my arms outstretched and using a specific voice. They are flock animals and naturally go towards one another when somethings going on. This was difficult at first, but I did this every single day for over a year now. The dynamics have changed and i learned that its all in the voice or sound. Our predator here where i live in CT is Hawks. I live in a valley at the base of a state forest and the Hawks do come now regually to check if I'm paying attention. Which, fortuantly i always am. Usually the girls see the hawk before I do but soon we are on the same page and I make my "Its a monster" Run Voice! Its sharp and loud and i move towards the safety of coop at the same time. Every hen is on high alert when i use that voice and make their way to me. Now a days i no longer have to herd them from behind because they want to follow me. Getting behind them now usually results in them waiting for me to go ahead and they will follow. Again, i use a very specific voice which means we are headed to the coop for a food and water break. i usually throw a little scratch in the run to reinforce and encourage them coming to the run when called. I dont know about anyone elses flock but my 5 stick together like glue. We spend 4 hours a day free ranging and they dont leave my sight for a second or each others. If one ever stays away, I instantly tell her she needs to get with the girls. All i have to do is outstreach my arms and shes off catchin' up to the others. If i lose one to a predator, it is my fault and I'm not ok with that. I read one guy that uses a clicker to communicate successfully with his flock. I wish you all the best. Dont let them out of your sight if you freerange is my opinion. Best of luck to you and your flock ~ I hope you thrive and thrive <3

 

[NikkisChickees]

Hey all,

What is wrong with me? We have a good size yard and I have been so excited to free range. Now my kiddos are ready to be let out (with supervision) and I am terrified. Especially as yesterday I went to and a hawk flew up and landed on the fence eyeing my neighbors chickens.

Any tips for deterring hawks? Adding more cover opportunities for the chickens? We live in the city. I understand having them free range is part of taking the risks, but I want them to as I don’t want them boxed up in just the coop and run.

I will take any advice on anything to do with free ranging.

Thank you!

Free ranging 100% comes with risks. That was my plan from the get go and lost a hen in the first week I had them in their paddock. It was a hawk.

I live where there are a lot of hawks. I have 5 acres of unused farmland covered in mice. Hawks are here on the daily.

But some tips are:

Letting them out during the “non hawk” or “lower hawk” times of the day. 2pm and later.

Shiny movements- you can buy bird detergent twist rods that you hang in trees or get some shepherds hooks to put them on. Colored flags and banners.

Noise- wind chimes

An owl decoy or “scare crow”- just know those have to be moved weekly because hawks are very smart! This could be something you set up tho during the times you want to them out since it wouldn’t always be in that one spot. Just know the owl may make your chickens nervous.

Definitely have places for them to hide.

And then some other things that are more temporary fixes but aren’t 100% necessary unless you have fulltime free range are: adding black chickens to your flock. Hawks mistake them as crows and hawks and crows are natural enemies. And then secondly would be adding a guard “dog”. Either a literal dog, but it can be other bigger livestock or simply another protective feathered creature such as a goose or Guinea fowl.

I will say that after the first hawk attack back in summer of last year- there have been no other hawk attacks. Although losing one was awful- it did help my flock know about looking to the sky’s for predators. My chickens stay covered and only go out in the open in the afternoon. My roo is very vigilant on watching for hawks and they travel by running under the natural protections I kept in their paddock.

During this colder weather here in the PNW I was hoping to see less hawks- but I still see them (and bald eagles!) perched in the tall trees in the area.

My Roo does a great job tho although I myself am not opposed to run out and swing my arms around to scare off anything that is lurking

 

[Rocky86]

Thank you all for the tips and putting me a bit at ease! I have let them out in the yard multiple times as long as me my husband or the dogs are outside! They love it so much it makes me so happy when they get to go forage and run around for some enrichment! I can’t wait for the spring as our yard is very open, springtime comes and we will have so much more cover!

My neighbor has free ranged for 8 years without incident lol but I am a bit more attached to my chickens than he is!

 

[Nicci0110]

I let my 13 week Olds out alone for the first time today and was nervous the whole time. I was sooo proud though. They stayed together and watched for hawks. I was so impressed by their natural instincts. I let them stay out for 4 hours as I normally do an hour and sit with them but am hoping to work my way up to all day eventually. I have one rooster and it is crazy how he just knows what to do as do the ladies.