Coyotes :(

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I spent one day cleaning out my 40x40 shed of feathers, went to feed them the next day and every corner was full of feathers again.

 

[HomesteaderWife]

It was a simple suggestion for people with small flocks. It is not something for everyone, but I appreciate the support. I understand the difference of opinions.

 

[MadamPoofyBrow]

Everyone nearing the end of moult, so I don't think it'd be a big deal to pick up feathers after one big clean. It's worth a shot, and the simplest idea I've read yet. Doesn't hurt anyone.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

As I said I have tried, but some of mine haven't even started molting yet. As far as coyotes marking with scat, my dogs will do this as well when we take a walk back in our pasture, we recently put up some game cameras to see what's out there that's suddenly interesting to the dogs, we haven't heard much from the coyotes lately, thankfully.

 

[RavenBlue]

I scanned through this thread and wanted to make sure the things that I would be mentioning had not been mentioned prior to this. My husband and I trap, so I wanted to offer some pieces of advice. 

1.) If you ever see any coyote scat, usually like dog scat but with hair/fur in it, remove it as soon as you see it. Trappers actually collect scat off the trails and use it right next to traps in order to attract other coyotes, because they usually mark their food stashes like this. If one coyote sees that another has left a mark in the area, they will go "Hey, there is some sort of food source here."  

2.) Look to see if there are any trapper's associations in your area. I know in our state, they provide a list of people that have permits and trap nuisance animals. Trappers around here are required to check their sets every day, so you won't have a predator sitting unnecessarily out there for days on end. Most of them will kill and remove the animal. 

3.) Try to pick up stray feathers or possibly any pieces of fur floating around your yard- this is a visual stimulant for predators. I know you cannot do this all the time, but it is a good practice if you have some spare time. 

These are just some quick thoughts that I hope may provide a bit of help. Please keep us updated on this situation.

Thank you so much for this! We do have feathers around (moulting) and I will look for scat, I had no idea.

 

[LeafBlade12345]

Raven, you convinced hubby on a guard animal of some sort yet?

 

[RavenBlue]

No not yet, my farm has kinda taken over as it is!

 

[LeafBlade12345]

Haha! Have you gotten your electric fencing yet? If so, how's it working out for you?

 

[KGreene]

I'm sorry you got that idea. There have been very few events where children were mildly shocked, and one or two where a child was seriously injured. One of which was when a child was standing in a puddle and touched extremely high voltage fencing meant to keep out mountain lions. I just mentioned it so people would realize the risks involved. I'm sorry to have offended you, but I feel it would have been irresponsible of me to not mention the risks. Almost everyone who owns the fencing has no problems, and, as you can see, the op does not have small children, or else I would reccomend not to try it. Have a good afternoon.

The "idea" resulted from your previous post... I mentioned my 18 month old grand daughter, and you suggested electric fencing. But in the quoted post you say "the op does not have small children, or else would not have recommended it" . I'm very familiar with the various types of electric fencing, and cannot find any substantiated evidence of any recorded deaths caused by electric poultry fencing (as you previously stated). And, no offense taken, I suppose I'm just intolerant of contradictive BS, especially in a forum such as this one, where so MANY people come for advice and to increase their knowledge base....Have a nice day.

 

[LeafBlade12345]

I'm sorry, I'm not here for an argument. I did not mean to upset you, but I would not give someone a reccomendation without telling them the risks. People have been injured and it would be irresponsible of me to not tell the OP the risks that the fencing may impose. Thank you for trying to keep it civil, I will try to. Thank you for stating your opinions, it is interesting to see different sides do the story, I truly hope the issue is resolved well and your granddaughter stays safe. Have a nice night.

ETA: I am sorry, I missed the part about your granddaughter in the first post. I didn't realize you had small children at your house. Sorry, I skip read a lot and usually just get the main idea of the post, probably not the best idea. Good luck with your coyote issue. Have you considered a guardian animal for the future? Livestock dogs can be helpful. You can still trap and dispatch the problem animal, but livestock dogs like Great Pyrenees can be quite helpful. It is just a suggestion, maybe you could get a puppy for your GD, they are very loyal and protective so she would have an extra layer of protection. Once again good luck!