Tell How Predators Got Your Chickens. Save Somebody Else From The Bad Experience - Page 25

Okay we may be moving soon to a property where I can finally raise chickens.
It's deep and butts up against some woods as well.
We have a kitten and I am 110+ sure there will be: Snakes, foxes, raccoons, stray dogs/cats, predator birds, skunks and possums!
That being said, we are also going to do aquaculture in the property.
I was thinking, aside of a stationary coop near the house with an entrance into the garden room for winter, of having a portable smaller coop to put five of them out somewhere in the yard each day and give them and us a great opportunity for chicken gardening!

That being said....

Eventually would like 2-3 goats for milk in a year or more after we move in. I'm thinking of protecting fish, cat, chickens and goats. I was wondering about tall, thick, bamboo fencing. Pricey, attractive, but hope it's a solid guess.

I've also considered keeping a johnny bucket in our one bathroom to collect human urine and early in spring, summer and early fall spreading human manure around edge of property to keep out coyotes and other predators.

CRITIQUES PLEASE???

Thanks
Courtney
 

Recently, something started eating away at the lower edge of the little chicken door of my coop (a wooden sliding door which gets closed every night). One morning, when I went out to open the coop, I saw the varmint - a big gray squirrel with about four hairs on its tail. Gross. While I was in the coop putting out feed and checking water, that brazen critter came into the coop and headed for the feeder bins. I mean, I was RIGHT THERE and this freakish squirrel didn't blink. I chased him out and back he came. And again. And again. I finally went to the house for my shotgun. When I came back, he'd gone up a tree next to the coop. I tried to shoot at him up there, but quickly learned the futility in that. So back into the coop with my gun I go - train the sights on the small chicken door opening, and within a minute or two there he was. BLAM. No more troubles with (cootified) squirrels - not since then, anyway!

 

I've been out here with chickens for eight years now, and this is the first time something has tried to eat its way into the coop. In the past, squirrels have chewed into big plastic feed storage bins in the garage (I now use metal trash cans with big rocks on the lids), but they always stayed out of the coop. I'm thinking of getting some thin sheet metal and wrapping the chicken door with that, just in case this creepy squirrel had copycat friends. GRR.

Edited by Marlons Mom - 7/20/12 at 10:56am

I truly can't believe the post above,"I don't feel that it's my place or right to kill predators which might set foot on my farm".  Their DNA tells them to "Find food, and eat it.",lol that's the funniest statement I ever heard.Its your job since the "chicken" depend on you for protection!!! It says in the Bible~Man shall have dominion over all animals wild and domestic",God give you the authority to do so,,DNA tells them to eat,NO their STOMACH tell them they are hungry NOT DNA. I feel horrible for your chickens.What has this sorry world came to???? People that do NOT think ANIMALS need to be killed? What about the chickens? Do you eat meat? what about Cows "Where do you think hamburger come from? Someone had to kill it so you could eat it???  That's some WILD WILD thinking!!!

 

I assure you anything trying to kill my chickens is going to get shot period.If you have animals THEY BECOME your responsibility period!
 

I recently moved some 12 weeks old birds up to a 4' x 8' coop with a 8' x 12' run consisting of 5' tall fence, no roof.  I put up a frame with 4x8 lattice on the end the end away from the coop to give shade during the day.  I knew the hawks couldn't get in an 8x8 opening to get them.  When I went up the next day, I was two birds short.  I didn't take into account that they might not go inside at night and I also didn't take into account the large owl population in may area.  It seems that they stayed outsie to sleep that night and an owl dropped down in and got two of them.  I now put up a tarp as a temporary roof to keep that from happening again.  Those are the only two I've lost in the year I've been doing this.

I would like to weigh in re the discussion following RaeRae's post about not shooting predators because it is in DNA to prey upon available animals.  (so Larry): I am an atheist so I am not subscribing with the god given rights of dominion over animals etc and I am not fond of guns or the idea of shooting living things. I am, however, a biologist and the domesticated animals we are keeping are selected to taste good and lay lots of eggs.  They are not selected to survive well in the wild and deal with wily predators.  So it is incumbent upon us to try to provide safe domicile for our animals and when we catch a skunk we shoot it.  It has learned it can get into coops and eat chickens and this can not be unlearned.

Hold on a moment, this thread is about the best solution you have for protecting your flock, not a religious debate or childish ranting and put downs for someone else's opinion. Can we stick to it please without shouting?

This is a little too much work for me to consider, I just allow my dogs to mark the boundaries. Depending on where you live there could also be issues with the health dept should they know.

I have heard the use of human urine used on property before to keep out some animals. what does anybody have any comments regarding the bamboo fencing as well?

Do you mean live bamboo, or using the wood? I wouldn't plant live, it's too invasive and harbors more pests than people know, and it would take too long to grow it, if you mean as a finished product, it would be too expensive in this country, and it can be chewed through no problem. If you have some left over planks to use, it might be OK. Try it out and just check it for gnaw marks. I find poplar practically bullet proof, and regular pine very sturdy (and you can actually drive a nail through it or screw without difficulty)

Edited by Achickenwrangler#1 - 7/21/12 at 6:04am