How do people free-range their chickens??!!!?

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

I have dealt and still deal with a hawk problem. Sadly we have lost many chickens over the years due to these predators. The problem actually got so bad that we have had a hawk nest on our property for two years and the parents come back every year to hatch and raise their young. As many suggestions that are out there I think the only effective ones are just diligently keeping an eye or ear out for any type of ruckus any time you let them free range, and the other one would be a chicken guard dog to watch over the chickens when you can’t.
I would love to get others advice or input on this.

Hi CherriesBrood, Having expected to have red-tailed hawk problems, and instead getting a Cooper’s hawk, I’m wondering what hawk species you have trouble with?

 

[CherriesBrood]

Hi CherriesBrood, Having expected to have red-tailed hawk problems, and instead getting a Cooper’s hawk, I’m wondering what hawk species you have trouble with?

Well we have a wide variety of hawks that live in our area, some that just wanted a quick snack would come down and take off with one of our banties so quick I couldn’t get a look. Because of these instances only our big birds can free range... but even occasionally if a hawk is hungry enough they’ll take one of them too.
However the ones living on our property are broad-winged hawks. Surprisingly every time they nest I don’t think they’ve ever gotten our chickens, it’s always been an “out of the area” hawk that has gotten one.

 

[RyderTheChicken]

I let my chickens out for a few hours and then put them back in but I always watch them since we have had eagle problems.

 

[cmom]

I release mine into a small chicken tractor. I have a fence tunnel for them to run through to get to it, then I can pull it to wherever I want them then back to the run in the afternoon. They love it. Maybe if I had a totally enclosed backyard but we have too many stray dogs, cats, traffic, hawks, and a 'no free ranging' ordinance to chance it.

I see you joined us a little over a year ago,

 

[cmom]

I had 4 White Leghorn females that would find their way out of a coop and pen no matter which one I would put them in, they were Houdini 1, 2, 3 and 4. Eventually they all disappeared. A couple of the Houdini's there was no sign of them and the other two I did find some feathers behind the coops.

 

[Reno]

 

[Reno]

Be aware because they are always looking .

 

[TexasTurkeyMama]

This year the score is hawks, 3; TxTurkeyMom, 0. We are keeping the flocks inside, hoping the overhead predator will move on...to the neighbor's yard.

 

[New2Chicks97]

I free range our girls for a few hours every afternoon until they head into the coop around 7 PM. We had a near miss the other day with a Hawk. I managed to chase it off. So now we are getting a new rooster as my girls just don’t pay attention. I am getting cockerel from a local breeder who free ranges her birds or at least some of them so he is used to free ranging already.

 

[cmom]

My neighbor was free ranging his birds and had a nice big rooster but a hawk got him. My neighbor looses a lot of birds to predators especially hawks because he lets them out on their own from dawn to dusk. He is constantly buying new birds. I don't sell mine anymore to him to feed the predators with.