Protect

ebuckman

Hatching
Sep 28, 2015
8
0
7
Hi before I get my chickens, does anyone have any ideas of how to protect them from foxes and other predators?
 
I use Premier electric netting to keep 4 legged creatures from my girls. We have hawks here but none have ever bothered anyone's chickens in the neighborhood so I don't worry about them. The netting is good up to bears from what the videos on YouTube show. Most animals like foxes could easily jump over the netting. However, they are curious animals and check it out with their noses first. Usually one zap is enough to keep them away. Several people on the forum use electric netting. Just use "electric netting" or "electric fencing" as a search term and you'll find lots of posts.
 
Does the electric fencing hurt the chickens?
No, it does not hurt them. Might startle them, but it's made for use with poultry so it's not going to harm them. You will want a nice, secure coop for them at night, and I would build an attached run on it. That's how mine is set up, anyway. My chickens free range most of the time, but there are times when I'm going to be gone, or a hawk or other predator decides to come visit, or we have family that brings their dogs when they visit, that I like to have mine locked up. My run is made of 2x4" welded wire (it goes over the top of the run, too), so they actually are still vulnerable to something small like a weasel, but my runs are also too big for me to afford covering them completely with 1/2" hardware cloth as some do. There is no such thing as a "predator proof" run, but there are some that are far more predator resistant than others. It has been pointed out at various times here on the forum that a predator has all night while you're sleeping to figure out how to get into your coop. If there's a way, it will be found.
 
Put emphasis in coop first as that will be the core area even with poultry netting. Poultry netting will not by itself stop raptors so make certain chickens get into the closed coop each night. Also make so birds roost clear windows or side of coop that predator can get a strong sniff or visual through-.
 

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