A short walk to freedom

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A short walk to freedom

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Duckhead

Joined: 24 Oct 2009
Posts: 2069
Location: Up the hill, Italy

Posted: Sat Apr 17, 10 6:22 am Post subject: A short walk to freedom

We have had our three hens and a cock for just over a week now and intend to let them go free range soon.

We, they, live just about in the middle of our 12 acres, but as there is no tradition of boundary fences or walls here they could go for miles without any restriction.

The plan is to keep them in their run for a couple of weeks so that they know where home is. I don't use a feeder as I hope that scattering their food for them morning and early evening will bring some sort of routine. I am undecided as to clipping their wings feeling that a full complement of feathers may help them get away from a fox if our dogs go to sleep on watch.

Question is, is any part of the plan sensible and what else should we be doing to prepair for the big day?

Brownbear

Joined: 28 May 2007
Posts: 14929
Location: South West

Posted: Sat Apr 17, 10 6:26 am Post subject: Re: A short walk to freedom

sfolati wrote:

what else should we be doing to prepair for the big day?

It would be useful to know how many foxes live on your land.

Duckhead

Joined: 24 Oct 2009
Posts: 2069
Location: Up the hill, Italy

Posted: Sat Apr 17, 10 6:49 am Post subject: Re: A short walk to freedom

Brownbear wrote:

sfolati wrote:

what else should we be doing to prepair for the big day?

It would be useful to know how many foxes live on your land.

Not a clue.. We see the odd one first thing but once the dogs have done "dawn patrol" we don't see any through the day. We do suffer from wild boar during the night, don't know if this would keep foxes away.

Brownbear

Joined: 28 May 2007
Posts: 14929
Location: South West

Posted: Sat Apr 17, 10 6:52 am Post subject: Re: A short walk to freedom

sfolati wrote:

We do suffer from wild boar during the night, don't know if this would keep foxes away.

No.

If you're in the South West, I can, erm, assist you with the wild boar problem. They're much less menacing as salami.

Duckhead

Joined: 24 Oct 2009
Posts: 2069
Location: Up the hill, Italy

Posted: Sat Apr 17, 10 6:54 am Post subject:
Thanks I'm in Italy, no shortage of boar recipes, edited to say also people willing to "assist"

Castle Farm

Joined: 17 Sep 2008
Posts: 457
Location: Powys/Hereford Border.Near Hay-on-Wye

Posted: Sat Apr 17, 10 7:29 am Post subject:
Don't wing clip. Having extra power to elude capture by a preditor may just be enough to save their lives.

judith

Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 22789
Location: Montgomeryshire

Posted: Sat Apr 17, 10 9:10 am Post subject:

I wouldn't worry about them knowing where home is even now - chickens are pretty good at getting themselves back to bed at night. As you say, just feed them by the house in the evening and they will sort themselves out.
As to the predator business, if they are ranging over that sort of area I think you have to accept that there might be losses from time to time - and possibly to cars as much as animals. I wouldn't clip their wings though for the reasons already stated.
Having the dogs around all day will help though.

Duckhead

Joined: 24 Oct 2009
Posts: 2069
Location: Up the hill, Italy

Posted: Sat Apr 17, 10 2:38 pm Post subject:
Thanks for your thoughts, 7 days and ticking till we open the gate. Obviously resigned to potential losses but thankfully cars don't enter into the equation, bit to remote for that. Still worried for them though but what more can you do short of watching them like a hawk. That being our air based worry as we are close to the town of L'Aquila, which translated is The Eagle.

Vanessa

Joined: 08 May 2006
Posts: 8324

Posted: Sat Apr 17, 10 6:43 pm Post subject:

Definitely do NOT wing-clip free-ranging birds. They need those wings to get out of trouble.

I went one step further than you with the evening feeding routine, and fed them IN the hen-house. I found it a very useful trick, as it got them all in when I wanted them in ... particularly handy if I wanted to shut them in before an evening out.

If you've got dogs that patrol your land freely, (and presuming they're trained to be chicken-friendly) you shouldn't have too much trouble with foxes during daylight hours.

Duckhead

Joined: 24 Oct 2009
Posts: 2069
Location: Up the hill, Italy

Posted: Mon Apr 26, 10 5:28 pm Post subject:
well, we let them out. Up to now without upset, thanks for the suggestions. Next question, what breed are they? It's not a trick question, we honestly don't know.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45525
Location: yes

Posted: Mon Apr 26, 10 5:56 pm Post subject: Re: A short walk to freedom

Brownbear wrote:

sfolati wrote:

what else should we be doing to prepair for the big day?

It would be useful to know how many foxes live on your land.

yep

my chookmobile experiment has had fox troubles but some chooks seem evasive ,hope they prove fertile

Duckhead

Joined: 24 Oct 2009
Posts: 2069
Location: Up the hill, Italy

Posted: Mon Apr 26, 10 6:03 pm Post subject: Re: A short walk to freedom

dpack wrote:

Brownbear wrote:

sfolati wrote:

what else should we be doing to prepair for the big day?

It would be useful to know how many foxes live on your land.

yep

my chookmobile experiment has had fox troubles but some chooks seem evasive ,hope they prove fertile

mmm thanks for that!!

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