clair.de.lune
Community Member

on ‎08-09-2010 07:55 PM

Oh thanks for all this info fluffy & jo. I was hoping the chooks could run free during the day, we have an area sectioned off but no wire covering over head and it's near the main house so concerned about snakes, rats etc
0 Helpful

joz*garage
Community Member

on ‎08-09-2010 07:57 PM

I used let mine scratch around the back yard, a fox snavelled two of them, easy targets.
Signatures suck.
0 Helpful

clair.de.lune
Community Member

on ‎08-09-2010 07:57 PM

Even in the day time Joz? I mean I have seen foxes here in the day..
0 Helpful

vintage-star
Community Member

on ‎08-09-2010 08:02 PM

I had chooks that were picked off one by one, during the day, by hawks!!.......I even found a hawk in the chook pen one day!!....Do you have a dog??..I lost a chook to my dog as well!!

A friend of mine also had chooks and fed them snails and weeds etc from her garden!!...they also love kitchen scraps!!
iPad user 🙂
0 Helpful

catsnknots
Community Member

on ‎08-09-2010 08:04 PM

Mine roamed the yard all day.. my goose was the day time guard dog.. no problems at all.

My chooks ate rats and mice...

Snakes can be a problem but the less mice and rats the less snakes...

They need a secure place to lay their eggs and roost at night. It only needs to be small because all they do is sit while they are in there.
0 Helpful

joz*garage
Community Member

on ‎08-09-2010 08:07 PM

Both times at night clair, the chooks used to choose different spots in my back yard to sleep, rather than in the pen, i'm on half acre. One night i heard a chook going crazy while i was still up, raced out and saw two beedy eyes at the rear of my yard lol, because i've seen foxes around, i can only imagine it was a fox.
Signatures suck.
0 Helpful

clair.de.lune
Community Member

on ‎08-09-2010 08:07 PM

Yeah I have 2 small dogs but they would be very interested in chikkens! Was hoping we could dog proof the chook area we have in mind but can't really completely cover the top in wire

Thanks mad cats
0 Helpful

clair.de.lune
Community Member

on ‎08-09-2010 08:08 PM

There's also feral cats here or just long roaming neighbours cats
0 Helpful

freddie*rooster
Community Member

on ‎08-09-2010 08:13 PM

OMG there's Clair FA, I missed you. 😮
0 Helpful

catsnknots
Community Member

on ‎08-09-2010 08:18 PM

Clair.. get a goose or a I think I had a Gander.. thats the boy right???

Nothing would come near them during the day as the gander was so territorial. We lived next door to a pub and he would run up to the fence and scare people as they got out of their cars. Very funny to watch..

lock them up tight at night and give them shrubs to scratch under and hide under...
0 Helpful