We've lost a few chicks to predators in years past, though not last year when 12 distributed between three clutches all survived unscathed.
A dog fox is the male of the species.
A dog fox is the male of the species.
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I'm at home most of the day. I pay constant attention to the rooster warnings and the sky, from where most of the danger comes here, and check on the chicks when there is cause for alarm.Great update !
It surprises me that you are so concerned if any of your chickens get sick, but you let Lea walk around with her chicks. Same for Perris letting Polka and Fez free range.
It makes we wonder if I could do the same here. I was always convinced it would be too dangerous to let the mamas free range with their chicks in my backyard. With four/five neighbour cats hanging around. And high grass behind the garden where life gets dangerous as far as I know. I probably lost one of my adult RIR’s out there last year.
I see that the mama’s are very eager to leave the run to take the little ones outside. Sometimes it breaks my heart to keep them locked in.
Did you ever loose chicks in the past while they where out and about with their mama’s?
PS. What is a dog fox @Perris ?
Then it could a good idea to let the bunch out for one or 2 hours every day , if we are outside supervising a little too. But we are still hesitating because we have small bantams.I'm at home most of the day. I pay constant attention to the rooster warnings and the sky, from where most of the danger comes here, and check on the chicks when there is cause for alarm.
Like last year, I will only leave them on their own completely for one to two hours, when I go running.
Of course, they could be taken by a cat or a fox. But I also see it as an investment on the future : they are learning free ranging, and will be cautious chickens as adults.
I think it was either Shadrach or Perris that said last year that the most dangerous time for them is the weeks when the broody has just left them to their own devices.
Yes, last year my cats also eyed Merle, the bantam chick, much longer than the others as she still looked like a baby bird!Then it could a good idea to let the bunch out for one or 2 hours every day , if we are outside supervising a little too. But we are still hesitating because we have small bantams.
The chicks are 4 weeks old now. So the mama’s probably keep an eye on them for several more weeks to go.
We can do this most evenings. Around diner time, one or both of us is usually outside anyway if the weather is fine. And getting them inside again should be easy peasy because the bunch still goes to roost quite early.
But we are still afraid the cats, the jays and other bigger birds are a real treat for my tiny chicks.
And where did Polka and Fez sleep tonight ?poor Piou-piou!
I'm sure you'll think of something to solve the problem
@ ManueB Can you make an angled kind of roof on top of the crate? Chickens don't like to roost on a slope.poor Piou-piou!
I'm sure you'll think of something to solve the problem
Maybe but I'll have to make sure the "roof" doesn't risk falling off !@ ManueB Can you make an angled kind of roof on top of the crate? Chickens don't like to roost on a slope.
Polka and Fez were in the border again, and when I went to open up discovered that Dyffryn slept out for 2nd night running too I hope she's not getting ideas...on the other hand, she has been a fantastic pullet - 1 year old tomorrow! - and I'd be happy to let her breed if she becomes so inclined.And where did Polka and Fez sleep tonight ?
(I loved Fez when I visited in 2005. I don't know how much it has changed by now. Still had live animals butchered in the city market then.)
@Perris I'm still toying with the idea of getting a Nestera coop to put on the terrace that's just beyond the chicken yard. I believe I have asked you before, but I couldn't remember the answer, and didn't manage to find it with the search engine. Do you think it's possible to raise them on the front, maybe on cinder blocks, to handle the slope we have ? And, is there any possibility to anchor them for strong winds ? And do you think a big rooster like Gaston would fit in the M size ? I don't think just my partner and I would be able to carry the L down there.
I'm still not sure it would work out because our problem is that all the chickens want to be in the same place, and so the roosters end up fighting. It seems like they won't give up on their territory.
Oh, and the chicks had also managed to spill their water plate inside their coop. So this morning cleaning the main coop, washing the crate, and taking all the wet bedding out of the chick's coop took me an hour- not very efficient! Good thing I've retired early from having a "real" job !
Just kidding .