Predator eyes

[chefman4u2]

For anyone out there thinking about buying the "predator eyes" Don't waste your money. I have had them surrounding my coop for a year now and they do not work with coons, cats or dogs. I can't say with foxes because I've only had foxes in my yard twice in the last two years. I know this because I also have cameras all over the property. The best deterrent I've found is a good motion control system and a shotgun. I haven't seen a coon on my cameras or in my yard for close to 7~8 months. The first time they come, they get rock salt. If they return they get birdshot in the tail. If they come back, they don't leave. P.S. rock salt don't work with skunks, they will come back till you makem stay. I've had no losses ever other than natural causes.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Don't buy an owl decoy to scare away hawks either.

 

[nab58]

Great video! That hawk just couldn't get it through its head that the owl was fake!

 

[annie3001]

I've often wondered if those fake owls really work, great video.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

I've often wondered if those fake owls really work...

Owl decoys sure seems to draw in a lot of hawks. I had trouble deciding which fake owl real hawk video to post. Glad you found it enlightening.

 

[chefman4u2]

interesting!

 

[chiknhurder]

I wondered about how effective they were. I know that predators eventually get use to all of the gimmicks that are supposed to scare predators away like fake snakes or owls in trees. I meet a lot of my clients at the Starbucks on the Country Club Plaza in the Kansas City Missouri area and they have a deck outside with a huge tree growing up out of it and many tables scattered around to enjoy a treat and some of their great coffee. Birds are a problem there, especially the sparrows so they put a fake owl in the tree. The birds don't even pay any attention to it and even land on it.

I'm slowly coming to the conclusion that the only way to be 100% sure that your chickens are safe it to cover the pen/run and place an electric fence around the perimeter. If you allow them to free range outside their pen, they're always going to be prone to attack. Even with a chicken tractor you have to worry about something digging under it to get what's inside. If they free range, you'd better be right there with them all the time. I wasn't and learned a hard lesson.

 

[chefman4u2]

I can see the electric fence working very well. We free range our girls every day, but one of us is out there with them in an enclosed 1/2 acre area. Our rooster is very diligent at spotting trouble and giving the girls time to retreat. He himself fought off a hawk for 6~8 minutes one day before I intervened, so he is very aware of them. I also treat the crows nice. We have a pecan tree that they like, so I let them hang out there.

 

[chiknhurder]

I can see the electric fence working very well. We free range our girls every day, but one of us is out there with them in an enclosed 1/2 acre area. Our rooster is very diligent at spotting trouble and giving the girls time to retreat. He himself fought off a hawk for 6~8 minutes one day before I intervened, so he is very aware of them. I also treat the crows nice. We have a pecan tree that they like, so I let them hang out there.

I recently read something that said that crows will take young birds and I've seen some pretty big crows around my area. Just FYI.

 

[chefman4u2]

Young should never be left out in my eyes and since we watch them when free ranging I'm not worried about the crows...the adults make the crows move away anyway. My chickens will chase the local feral cats, it can be amusing sometimes as the cats freak out when a doz chickens come running at them.