Bear attack!

[cluckcluckgirl]

I can speak from experience here. About 2 1/2 years ago, we went to bed with all 8 of our chickens doing just fine. We woke up to complete carnage. A bear had broken into our coop and killed 7 chickens, only eating 1. A year later, after adding an additional 11 hens to our flock, the same bear tried to come back for more. Luckily, we were able to scare him off before he got a hold of any of my girls. Once a bear finds out where a food source is, he's gonna keep coming back, and possibly also see if your house has any food in it too. It's best to get rid of the bear before any further destruction is caused. If you don't stand up to the bear and get rid of him, he'll keep coming for your chickens and might even go for your house. And I've had plenty of bear encounters, so I'm speaking from multiple experiences.

 

[ChicknCommander]

I agree gotta be pro active when it comes to predators! A lets see what happens and if one comes then we take care of it is not a good plan.

 

[cluckcluckgirl]

Agreed. To tell of all the damage bears have done by me would take a long time. And the bad thing is, they're starting to become less and less scared of humans.

 

[Chickeneedy]

Check with the local DNR authority. Some states will compensate you for losses caused by bears. (Part of that money comes from the cost of hunting licenses.) If you can prove you've tried to disuade the bear and it keeps returning, the state may not only move the bear, but pay you for your livestock.

Alternatively, find a hunter who hunts with dogs. Not necessarily to kill the bear, but he/she could use the bear as an opportunity to train their dogs. And a bear who's had a pack of dogs chasing it for miles may be less likely to return to your property. I live in WV, and even though bear season isn't in for hunting right now, you can still see people running their bear dogs every weekend. Just a thought.

 

[barredgirlsmum]

Uh! Tha'rt all giving me worries! I love my sweet little bears! But I hate them, too! If tha' think I should kill th' bear, or eat the bear, I start squirming uneasily and tha' think I should kill th' bear! Tha'rt hearing a little Yorkshire, thy is

 

[NEChickenNoob]

Uh! Tha'rt all giving me worries! I love my sweet little bears! But I hate them, too! If tha' think I should kill th' bear, or eat the bear, I start squirming uneasily and tha' think I should kill th' bear! Tha'rt hearing a little Yorkshire, thy is

Make no mistake. There is nothing "sweet" about a bear. Bears are apex predators and have a high intelligence capacity (in the animal world). They do look like cuddly little cubs and don't look near as bad as they are. Black Bears kill livestock, pets and people. Many of the ideas shared here will help you out in avoiding killing the bear. Just remember, you have a responsibility for you chickens. They are you're a part of your life and you should only have them if you can protect them from reasonable threats. A bear now is a reasonable threat in your instance. You should take some action to prevent this from reoccurring. He/she will come back, not if, when. Be ready for it!

 

[kallan]

Called animal control to see if they could relocate, etc. this bear, but was told to just let it pass on by. He has found my food cans inside my shed, etc. and has destroyed things. I saw him climb a tree, sit on a stump and chew on the twigs, etc. Yes, the bear is very cute, but I don't want him around. I've read suggestions on here and live in Bedford County, VA and don't know what to do at this point. Looks like a young bear and he is not afraid of me. I have a fully stocked koi pond, etc. and lots of chickens so he will not wander far on my 4 acres. I am afraid for my chickens and very large koi. Any more suggestions?

 

[FishaRneKed]

Sling shot and M-180's might scare it off if it is young.

Or just piss it off...

 

[kallan]

Sling shot and M-180's might scare it off if it is young.

Or just piss it off...

Fireworks....I may have a few I could use............

 

[Bowslayer2]

I have an idea that may work for you. It works for beekeepers and we use it successfully to keep deer out of our haystacks.
Put up an electric fence/wire around the coop. Take tinfoil and wrap it around the electric fence wire, then coat it in peanut butter. You may have to re-coat it weekly.
The animal will come up to the electric fence and bite/lick the peanut butter and get quite a painful and scary shock. We used to have deer tearing our haystacks apart, but after a couple nights of the peanut butter on the electric fence they usuall don't even come onto our property anymore. We don't keep the peanut butter going all the time, just when needed (i.e. when hay is stacked new). Now once or twice every couple of years seems to keep all deer off the property.
We also use this around our bee hives and although we have not had bear problems, i am sure if a bear came by they would not like the "treat". My in-laws had a bear tear apart their coop and kill some chickens a couple of years ago... since then, they have used the peanut butter trick with no more chicken casualites.
May be worth trying.....since once a bear knows there's food available they tend to come back.