Well...I just lost my second hen out of 15. Last night I counted and one was missing, and after walking around I found the feather pile. Now, this morning when I went out to let them out of the coop to free-range, I saw what I am guessing is the predator. A huge bird swooped over my head as I was walking out. I know there are hawks around, but I can't imagine that this was a hawk, if so it was the biggest hawk I have ever seen. I think perhaps it was a Great Horned Owl. It was grayish and brown in color, but I only got a quick glimpse of it. I am only interested in having free-range birds. Any advice on keeping birds-of-prey away from my flock during the day. I really didn't want to fence off an area and put a fenced roof over it, I like the hens out in the yard wandering around. FYI, I have a flock of RIR's, (now 12 hens and 1 rooster)
I just read in another post the other day about someone building shelters out of pallets (I think) for their chickens and that it helped with their hawk problem. Do they have anywhere to go? Other than that, I think you may have to resign yourself to the fact that you WILL lose some to predators if they're only free-ranged. My chickens have a coop with attached, covered run for when I'm not home, or we have family visiting with their dogs. Otherwise they free range.
If you are only interested in free range, then you are going to lose some birds, it's a given. I can't really think of anything you could do to keep them safer when they're out in the open.
I've heard you can provide things they can quickly run under for protection against flying predators, like picnic tables. Also, the roosters tend to be the watchers and typically are the ones who send an alarm call to the others, so provide more roosters?
Try letting them out a little later each day and putting them up a little earlier each evening. If it is a horned owl that should help. Although they are primarily nocturnal, they will hunt at dawn or dusk if really hungry. I only ever had one daytime attack and that was on a very overcast and rainy day.
