Trying to get my heart rate down!

[NashChic]

Oh my gosh! I just looked out my window to see where the girls were in the back yard. I thought "wow, that barred rock can really get up off the ground." Then in an instant it hit me... it wasn't a barred rock. It was a HAWK... right over my girls about 6-8' above them... all fanned out! I could see the stripes on the tail! I don't know if it went for one or what, but I flew threw the house and out there ASAP! It was gone, but it had scared a few of the girls through the fence into the dog area. OMG! I'm not out of the woods yet?!?!? Luckily he was asleep in his house and hadn't noticed them yet. I went in and grabbed him by the collar. The girls wouldn't get out so I took him over to them and kinda let him scare them back through. I know, kinda mean, but I want them to be scared to go through there.

We have iron fencing with spaces between the bars that are about 4 inches. The barred rocks are about 16 weeks and they have to squeeze a bit. Everyone else is about 13 weeks and they don't really have a problem getting through. Do you think when they are full grown they will be able to get through? Oh man! I thought "they survived the hawk now the dog's gonna get em!" Is there no end?!?!?!? "Everybody in...everybody in the coop! Free ranging is over for today!"

And I was having a good day too! My incubator arrived today and I've been busy setting it up and checking it out... Can I really handle more chickens?!?!?!

I need chocolate....

 

[chickensioux]

Whoa, that kinda stuff does play havoc on the blood pressure. Definately chocolate time....

 

[thebritt]

Can you wrap the bottom 3' of the dog area with chicken wire? I think that's what I would do. Even my adult birds can squeeze thru 4' if they want to. Good luck....deeeep breaths....

 

[lavacaw]

I bought 18" chicken wire on a roll and wrapped 4x4" stock panels for a day run... it is plenty to keep them from going out. Just twist tie it to the fence rods top and bottom in a few places.
Really good dark chocolate time!

 

[rweiners]

Blast a shotgun into the air. Hawks hate this. Good luck and safe farming.rcw

 

[LilbitChicken]

Breathe just breathe.
I am glad you saw this whole ordeal they went through...first the hawk, then the dog yard!

At least they are safe.....BUT YES chocolate would do you good.

 

[emvickrey]

Yes your chickens as adults can still get through the fence. Mine have done it and almost lost their lives for it. I have a St Bernard that thinks they are squeeky toys. He has gotten 2 but they survived. We saved them before he chomped down. He broke one toe and thats it besides puling out tail feathers. They are much faster than he is. But then again, If I had something that much larger than I am after me, I thnk I would be fast too.

Our chickens learned to stay out but they where lucky to have the opportunity to learn that lesson. You can always add chicken wire to the bottom few feet to help keep them out. But they could always jump or fly up higher. I had one that would walk along the top of the railing of his fence. (part of it is a picket fence) It was very lucky he didn't see it. He can easily get it there. He stands as tall as I do on his hind legs. The fence is only 4'. He stands there with his fromt paws on it like a human would.

 

[NashChic]

We were having a terrible time keeping the girls out of the side yard, so we did actually put the 2" chicken wire (36" tall) around the front and one side of the back yard. The common fence with the dog is across the back. DH said he wasn't putting up any more tacky chicken wire. We have a huge yard and I won't even tell you how much we spent having it fenced in iron

but that was earlier this year before we even thought about getting chickens. But, it only took $30 worth of chicken wire to tacky it right up

He's not home and I haven't yet shared the days events, so maybe that will change his mind. I keep telling him the wire is temporary and they will get too big to go through. If I tell him we'll have chicken wire forever, he's gonna croak

We didn't get a fenced yard until one of our cats was mauled to death by a neighbor's loose dog

Hopefully it won't take something like that to motivate him this time.

 

[The Chicken Lady]

The problem with the larger wire is that predators can reach right through and grab what they want. I have heard more than one story of a crafty coon reaching in, grabbing a bird with one paw, and pulling it through the wire piece by piece. (Yes, this sounds frightening and rather gruesome, but it has happened!).

You guys might look into getting some hardware cloth; it is stronger than chicken wire and looks nice. You could always spray paint it to match your landscape fencing.

 

[NashChic]

The girls have a very secure coop/run with 1/2" hardware cloth, so they're always secured there at night and when I'm not home (to at least walk by the window and check on them). The predators I'm mostly worried about during the day when they're out are hawks (especially after yesterday) and my own dogs (strays can't get in). Coons definitely can get through into the backyard. We see them almost nightly coming to get the cat food on the deck. We were starting to think of them as feral pets until we got chickens, then they started to look a bit different! But the girls are all locked up at night and we haven't had a problem. I don't mind the coons eating a bit of leftover cat food. I figure if they're not hungry they won't be as motivated to try and get the girls!

I mostly just want the girls to stay IN the fenced back yard and out of our dog yard, more so then trying to keep predators out. Hopefully the 2" chicken wire will be enough for that. It's kept them from going through in the areas we have it put up. If I can just convince DH to put some up where the dog yard is!

Thanks for all the advice and help

I am sad to hear they will probably always be able to squeeze through