There go my dreams of Free Range...

[Esteri]

Hello! Hi! Only my second post - and no one responded to the first one so, practically, this is my first post But, I've been lurking for some time.

ANYWAY... Today I was cruising through the forums - hoping to find someone in the area (Sacramento CA) who can help with butchering - and thinking about the chicks arriving at the feed store on Thursday, and how many should I get - or should I just bite the bullet and order 25, when I look outside to see a big old Red Tail sitting on my fence post. It pounced down into the grass, where it stayed hidden for a while, back up to the fence post, and over to a tree, where it now sits and preens.

So, I'm thinking it'll be hoop houses for me (we're on 2.5 acres) rather than free range. I'd pretty much come to that conclusion anyway since we have trained bird dogs (Weimaraners) who will have a difficult time telling game birds from chickens - and who wants to run the risk? But the Red Tail sort of put the nail in the coffin on any thought of free range. Though - I'd think a full grown bird wouldn't be at risk from a hawk?

I do have a coop construction question for anyone in the area... It seems to me that heat is the enemy here, not cold. Yes? Do we need solid sides at all? Is sturdy wire, and shade cloth enough for flocks here?

If I'm keeping layers and meat birds - do they need to remain separate? Can I house them together? I know that eventually, the layers will need a more permanent coop - which is destined to be the other half of the llama shed. My husband has a "chicken tunnel" in mind so that we can attach it to the hoop house and move the hoop house around for better pasturing. Does that sound completely crazy? Or maybe when they get full sized we can have them free range on occasion - though not until the dogs figure out "Chickens are friends, not food." - which may never happen.

Anyway - I've got a ton more questions. But will post them into the proper parts of the forum. Guess it's time to come out of lurk mode...

I'm off to the Meat section and on to Breeds...

Esteri

 

[The Chicken People]

 

[Kittymomma]

1. A hawk will take a full grown chicken.
2. Keep the meaties seperate. They're a lot messier and the others will pick on them too.

Two down and I'm sure a zillion to go. You'll love your chooks, they're sooo much fun! What breeds and numbers are you planning on getting?

 

[joletabey]

Esteri - do you get wind and rain? You may need sides of some sort to keep them dry.
I am sorry no one answered your post before- sometimes people slip through the cracks, but no one here would do it on purpose. Glad you are back with a second question.
And, yes, if you have a hawk, you need a covered run. I think Rustyswoman started a thread in the coop and run section dealing with run covers to prevent hawk attacks. Check it out, there are some great ideas!
What kind of chickens are you going to get?

 

[silkydragon]

i free range my chickens knowing ill lose a few to redtails (havent lost 1 yet) i seen an owl on a post right next to my coop the other day in middle of the day watching the coop and chickens walk around right beside the post.why did he not kill 1 i have both big birds and small i would think he wouldnt pass up on a silkie? but i ran him off i have a chocolate lab that chases birds but leaves my chickens alone dosnt go out of its way (trips over 1 sometimes) just completly ignores them

 

[Esteri]

Quote:
Don't worry about the no-answer. It was at the tail end of an older thread - and I wasn't all that surprised that it wasn't replied to.

Basically, no rain May to October. The delta breeze comes in at night in the summer which is a huge relief to the heat and something to be enjoyed. If the delta breeze doesn't come up then we're in for 105 degree weather over multiple days. Yuck! At least it's low humidity so shade provides significant relief.

The permanent coop we have designed to have drop-down or removable sides - to maximize air flow. Then the sides can go up in the winter, though wind and rain still aren't much of a problem even then. We have pretty mild weather. A really cold day is freezing. My parents found a lot of corrugated metal roofing on their place and gave it to us. We're thinking a double roof - one to take the sun, and one about 3 inches below it to provide insulation / shade. We're probably over engineering it - we have a tendency to do that.

For the hoop house (for the meaties) I figure we just throw a tarp over it to make it rain / wind proof in the spring / summer. I'm not planning on raising meaties during the winter.

Thanks for the direction on the Hawk thread. It was really interesting.

 

[write2caroline]

[/img]

Let me introduce you to Gladys...She is our neighborhood red shouldered hawk.

I have two coop like this :

[/img]

My son is really into learning about falconing and has observed this bird since we moved in. She is past her first molt and is a juvenile female. When I first put my chicks in the coop she actually flew down onto the ground and had a looksee into the tracker area on the bottom which is why I added the additional paneling to the bottom which is removeable but it has also made it harder for the occasional dog that shows up to take a look at my babies. I do not let my chickens out unsupervised around my yard without being with them and she has never tried to fly off with any of them while I am with them. Not that I trust her. I also have a chicken run and I do not yet have flight netting but I have a very observant rooster and when he hears Gladys cry out he calls the girls and they all go under the huge cypress tree in their run until she goes off to find easier prey. I know Gladys has a male friend now and I am not foolish enough to believe my chickens are safe but they are much bigger. If you free range you run the risk of losing a chicken to a predator. Chickens are not too bright but if something flies over they look for cover and hide like good little prey. So if you have coverage for them you can at least insure some protection. I only have 6 chickens outside and 5 bantams soon to go out. I cannot afford to buy the flight netting but I definately am saving up for it. Gladys and I have an understanding for the time being. I watch her and photograph her and she avoids me and my chickens for now.

The nice thing about my coop is that even if a predator gets into the tractor part at night, my chickens are securely locked up in the roost coop section. An animal would have to be very determined to get them.

Caroline

 

[annie3001]

Quote:
ha!! you named your hawk!

oh and

Esteri!!! from ct.!!

 

[texasgal]

Don't give up your free range dreams .. buy a GOOD Livestock Guardian Dog ...

 

[Buck Creek Chickens]

I use pomeranian geese to keep the hawks and owls away, I've got a nesting pair of both by my house, and since I put the geese in the hawks just sit in the trees and scream at the geese. A full size goose will go after a flying predator