How to raise Backyard Chickens: [CHICKENS-101] Re: Free Range? Yes or no...

I have 6 bantam hens in my Western NY yard. My yard is fairly small and I have great negighbors with whom I share eggs. I have been letting them free range for about 3 years and have lost only one. I think the risk is worth it. We also have all manner of 4 legged animals around. I have a couple of pet dogs that are on leashes in the yard. They protect or at least scare away preditiors. I bring the dogs in at night but maybe their scent keeps preditors away. During the winter the hens stay in thier coop at night with a heat lamp and I lock the door. When they are asleep they are very vulnerable. In the summer they roost at night in a large pine tree next to thier coop. I think this helps protect them. Yes, there is some damage to our flower garden but not too bad.
They are great lawn ornaments.
Phil

--- In CHICKENS-101@yahoogroups.com, "Old George" <barnmanager@...> wrote:
>
> Shalonne,
>
> Free Range is the ultimate in a chickens life. They will hunt bugs, eat vegetation, destroy a garden, turn over the soil, and have the best health a chicken can have. No chicken feed can equal what they can get for them selves. If will cut your feed bill by 3/4. Use the money you save to put some coated chicken wire around the bottom of your stockaded to keep chickens in and predators out. Predators can be a problem. Fox, Raccoons, Owls and Coyotes tend to be nocturnal hunters but don't count on it. I lost a hen to an Opossum in the middle of the day. Loose dogs are a real problem especially in RI, home of the law suit (lol). Yours are a bit young yet especially on cool days, (they do happen some years). I'd wait another couple weeks.
> Ol' George
>
>
>
> --- In CHICKENS-101@yahoogroups.com, Shalonne Halstead <shalonne@> wrote:
> >
> > Hi,
> >
> > I was hoping I could get some advice on whether or not I should free range.
> > I live in rural RI on a 3/4 acre piece of property. The back yard (where the
> > coop will be located) is fenced in - some stockade and some chain link. Not
> > critter proof. Area predators are coyotes, foxes, racoons, possoms and
> > hawks. I have not seen any of the four legged animals in our actual yard. I
> > do see hawks flying. We have several big evergreen trees and a couple of
> > deciduous trees in our yard. I think trees provide protection from
> > predators? We have RI Reds, Araucanas, Barred Rocks and Black sex-linked.
> > They are all the same age born around 5/15/10. There are 12 chickens. We
> > have no other pets. We will have a garden but it will be fenced in
> > separately.
> >
> > I would really like to free range them because I think they will be happier
> > and healthier (other than if they get eaten) and that the eggs will taste
> > better...But, I can make them a really nice large run if that is the best
> > option. It will just be very expensive...
> >
> > Thanks in advance!
> >
>