Sadly, I lost another Muscovy duckling to a bird of prey yesterday. That's two ducklings that I have now lost to a predator. :( Obviously this makes me extremely unhappy. Every time I lose a featherbaby to a predator, I go through the same thing; I second guess myself on freeranging and wonder if they'd be safer if they were penned. However, it only takes a quick visit to any of the poultry oriented Facebook groups that I am on, to remind me, my decision to freerange is the right decision. Reading daily posts from people losing every one of their birds because something go in the pen is heartbreaking. I can't even imagine losing all my birds at once. That would be devastating. It would also be extremely expensive and would be a serious blow for any small farmer. I've seen people lose 50 plus birds from one predator getting into their pen. That's a hard thing to recover from!
Many people think that penned birds are safer than freerange birds are, but I strongly disagree. As a freeranger, I lose a couple of birds each year. In the 15 months I've been in Nova Scotia, I've lost 5 birds to predators ( two chickens (killed by land mammals); one adult Muscovy duck (killed by a bald eagle) and now the two ducklings). I've had chickens for about 6 years and on average I lose two chickens per year. So, in the 6 years, I've had birds for, I've lost a little less than 20 birds. That's not that bad.
Farmers that pen their birds will go several years without losing any; however, when disaster hits them, it hits hard! Problem is that there will always be predators and trying to keep a pen secure 24 hours a day is hard, eventually someone will get in, and when they do, it will kill every bird in the pen.
When a predator attacks a freerange bird, the other birds have a chance to run like hell. But, when a predator gets in a pen, there is no where for the birds to run, they cannot escape and the predator ends up slaughtering them all.
Here in Nova Scotia, the biggest predator of chickens and ducks are birds of prey, so people who pen their poultry have to also cover the top of their pen. If you don't cover the top of the pen, you might as well not pen them at all, as a eagle or hawk will get the chickens or ducks.
Although I don't pen my birds, I still do many things to help ensure their safety
- I ensure there is lots of places for them to get cover- trees, bushes etc. Heck, I even started parking our truck in an area that had no cover just in case one of the chickens or ducks was in the area and needed cover quickly./
- I have good males; roosters, drakes and Toms. I went the longest time without a rooster as I was worried he would be too loud and drive me crazy, now I'd never be without one! I have two excellent roosters and I have good drakes, and I have a turkey Tom to help protect the flock. Good males watch the skies and help to keep their charges safe! My Muscovy drake Rocky fought a hawk this summer and saved the chick the hawk was after. Good males make a difference!
- Cats and Dogs: My cats have saved my chickens more times than I can count. They chase foxes, fishers, rats and other small predators off the property. My dogs help to keep the larger predators away such as coyotes. I encourage them to pee around the coops and around the property edges to help keep predators away.
- Bird of Prey Deterrents: In the main area the flock hangs out in, I have hung CDs and crisscrossed ropes. The CDs flash in the sun which deters birds of prey and the ropes make it difficult for a large bird to swoop in.
- Patrols: Us humans patrol the property regularly. During the day, we make sure we walk a patrol from the coops to the pond every two hours and during the evening we do patrols mid evening and right before bed. We try to be big noisy stinky humans and let the wild animals know we are there. We don't want any wild animals up around the house and coop area, so go out of our way to scare them away. We do have a bear that lives on the property. He is very welcome. We feel privileged that he lives here, but he is not welcome in the area around the house. Wild animals are generally afraid of humans and we try to use that to our advantage.
- Larger Birds: I've noticed that as a general rule, the smaller the bird, the more danger its in. The two hens we lost here in Nova Scotia were both small (One was only 2 months old and the other was a skinny leghorn) We try to purchase only large breeds of both chickens and ducks. The larger the bird, the less likely it will be prey for eagles and hawks.
- Security Camera; I also recently purchased a security camera so I could keep an eye on the flock even better. At the slightest sign of trouble us humans with dogs can be outside in seconds.
- A super secure coop: If a predator manages to get in a coop, they can slaughter everyone in a very short time. I check our coop daily in an attempt to ensure its secure. In the evening, after dark, I walk around the coop with a flashlight (Being a loud stinky human) to help scare anyone with ill intent away. I also encourage the dogs to mark the coop.
- Guinea hens: I don't have any yet, but I plan on adding guinea hens to my flock asap. Guinea hens are extremely observant and watch for predators constantly. They will scream an alert if they think a predator is nearby. They are suppose to be especially good for watching the skies.
All farmers lose livestock, it just is what it is. It hurts the heart and the wallet. We do the best we can. Most of us small farmers care deeply for our "livestock' and do everything we can to keep them healthy and safe. Being a farmer is not an easy job.
I also freerange as it's healthier for the birds, and saves me a fair amount of money. The chickens are amazing foragers and get 90% of their own food during the spring, summer and autumn. In addition to saving on food, I also don't have to purchase grit for the birds as they find it naturally themselves, and I rarely have to give them calcium for their eggs as they get such a balanced diet foraging. My chickens eat weeds, insects, snakes, small rodents, frog and toads and anything else they can find. My ducks love weeds and grass and also eat insects and fish they catch at the pond. If they were penned, they could still get some of their own food, but not near as much as they can freeranging.
Hugs and love!!
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