The question of predators

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LisaDouglas1964

LisaDouglas1964

Hatching
Aug 5, 2015
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Hi, everyone.

My family is considering raising backyard poultry for egg layers. We plan to buy a very secure and sturdy coop but I'm still concerned about accounts I've heard where coyotes in the region, (specifically Goochland county) have been stalking around and attempting break-ins.

I'm mostly concerned because I have 4 indoor/outdoor cats and one is blind. I would also be concerned with attracting raccoons and other larger predators that could present a danger, not only to our cats but to family and unwitting neighbors.

Has anyone had any experiences with wildlife nuisances such as these?
 
Hello
frow.gif
and Welcome to BYC!
We live in a house surrounded by woods so we have seen raccoons, snakes, opossums and the hawks before we had chickens. Our biggest problem was raccoons, we were new to chickens and sadly didn't know much about them, we had a very bad coop also. So we lost about 10 total from raccoons, they will keep coming unless you either relocate them to a different area or kill them. We had 2 hens that were killed by black snakes (make sure the fencing is secure). I would also suggest making your run area covered so they can't be caught by hawks or eagles or any other predator from the air. Sorry If I'm making absolutely no sense....
 
Welcome to BYC!

Chickens have a lot of predators so it's good to know what to prepare for. I think almost every poultry owner has had to deal with them at some point if they've had birds for any length of time. There's some excellent information on various predators in the Learning Center:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/chicken-predators-pests-how-to-protect-treat-your-flock

There's also a forum for addressing questions about them:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/13/predators-and-pests

If you have questions, always feel free to ask. There are some very knowledgeable and helpful members here.
 
You may want to check out the predators threads. If you plan to 'free range,' the flock, basically that provides easy snacks for preds. Some folks like to run a few strands of electrified wire around the run and coop. That can send unwanted visitors on their way.
 

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