Tag: predators

Free Roam or a Chicken Coop?

Making the decision to free-roam your chickens has benefits for you and your flock, but there are also risks to consider.

Two Hens

Wondering how big a chore it would be to have a few chickens? Maybe you already have a backyard flock and find them a bit overwhelming to care for. Truth is, I think we’re all a little guilty of fussing over our birds more than we need to. We worry about predators and try to keep them safe by locking them up in a coop, then, watch them unhappily pace their walls of confinement.
Chickens that are allowed to free roam will be busy looking for bugs and scratching around in the dirt. They will require much less upkeep, lower your feed bill, and have a much cleaner coop. In my opinion, coops are for laying eggs and a nighttime safe haven. I lock up my flock at night and do the best I can to protect them from predators. At dawn, I let them out and hope for the best. That may be a little risky, but let’s face it, so is driving in your car.
If you don’t have the free roaming option, then a coop is going to require some work on your part. Even just a couple hens are dirty, and after just a few days the coop will need to be cleaned. Coops can be hot in the summer and freezing cold in winter. Cleaning the coop, feeding, watering, and picking eggs probably aren’t going to make your list of favorite things to do in inclement weather.
Chickens are actually pretty smart, they managed to find food, shelter, and are capable of hiding from danger. They huddle together to stay warm in the winter and are smart enough to dig holes in the dirt to stay cool during the summer months.
I provide a safe place for my flock at night and enjoy watching my chickens enjoy their freedom during the day.

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Can Chickens Fly?

Will Your Chickens Fly the Coop? How High and How Far?

rooster-stock-photo.jpg

It’s understandable having a concern for your chicken’s safety. Especially if you’ve nurtured them since they were little fuzzy day-old chicks.  We have all spent substantial time worrying about their well-being from the brooder all the way to the coop. But when it’s time to move them to the chicken yard or coop, there’s a whole new set of concerns.
Fortunately, your chickens are not a big flight risk. Yes, they do indeed have wings, but I think we both know a chicken has yet to be seen soaring above rooftops. Their wings merely assist them, it’s doubtful a chicken could sustain flight for more than 10 seconds.
Chickens are capable of clearing a six-foot fence, but it would not be effortless and seldom by choice. Their survival instincts are intact, so any predator threat including the family dog, could indeed send them over a fence or up a tree.  But there’s no need to panic, they will come back when they’re ready, usually by dusk.
Will They Wander?
Chickens are very curious, but if you provide them with entertainment, food, water, and comfort, they aren’t likely to wander off. A grassy patch, garden, or even something as simple as a mud puddle will keep them quite busy. They aren’t runaways by any means, wherever you place them from their first day out of the brooder will become their safety zone. I had five-week-old chicks escape through a small hole in the chicken yard and were gone the entire day, but all returned home by dark.
The Alternatives
Another way to curb flight is to clip their wings, especially on lighter or smaller birds. Heavy birds aren’t near as likely to scale a fence, but on occasion, I have been proved wrong.  Aviary netting atop the chicken enclosure also works nicely and also serves as excellent protection from hawks.
The Bottom Line
Whether or not to worry about your chickens flying the coop is probably the last thing you should be concerned about. Keeping predators OUT is far more important than trying to keep chickens in.

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