Piper Notch
In the Brooder
We have a flock of 80 chickens, various breeds, all great egg layers. Two very protective roosters keep the girls in line, and are great at fending offf small predators, such as hawks, fox, and raccoons. Last Spring we drove into our yard toward the barn and coops, and realized there were chickens out and about. Our birds have free run of the property during daylight hours, but we coop them at night for safety. There was blood on many birds, and when we approached the barn we found the coop door and part of the actual barn siding ripped off... two feeders were out on the lawn, and there was a mess of shredded chickens, and a pile of dead girls. The culprit was a bear... approx 300 lbs, as approximated by the game warden and bear biologist, using the paw prints and length of reach. All in all, we lost 40 birds, and had several thousands dollars property damage. With their help, we installed an electric fence, and auto lighting, and had no more carnage, but the bear still visited us many times. One day, at NOON, he stood on his hind legs and stared us down, not 15 ft from us! So now it is the season again, and I want to know what else we can do to prevent attacks this year, along with the fence and lights. I am sure folks have little tricks to keep their girls and guys safe and stress free! Kim Heath, Piper Notch Farm, Colebrook, New Hampshire (yup, 8 miles to Canada)