Spotted a Bobcat…when can I free range?

[Nicoleb94]

Two nights ago my husband and I woke up to the sound of the Guinea hens in our coop freaking out…we got a high powered flash light and investigated from the house windows and saw a large bobcat stalking the run and getting the birds all fired up. I screamed and clapped from the window and scared it away but a couple of hours later we heard the Guinea hens again and saw it had come back and was in our neighbors yard watching them from a distance…again we made noises and scared it off. My run is pretty secure with hardware mesh all along the bottom and aproned off (we have motion lights but of course they stopped working the night this happened so I am getting new ones). I know predators are a part of owning chickens but I don’t know much about Bobcats…some posts I read it says they move on pretty quickly if they don’t get any food and others say they will come back until they eat all the chickens…how do I know when I can free range everyone again? I have the Guineas and a rooster to help protect the ladies but have had birds go missing even with both so I am not sure how much I can rely on them outside of the coop/run. It is also winter where I am although the weather has been very mild so far this year which is why I’ve been letting them out but being winter means I am not out there with them and there is less coverage. Thanks in advance for any advice on this!

 

[Geena]

Unfortunately it's hard to know when because it depends on several factors. Animals tend to move around a lot in the spring. If the cat is just passing through, it could keep on going and you may never see it again. If it's a resident cat that's expanding it's territory, it will most likely keep checking back, looking for an opportunity to snag a meal. Game cams are very useful for determining the movements of critters.

 

[SwampPrincessChick]

I would say to wait until the bobcat seems to have moved on to a different hunting spot. They prefer to attack at dawn and dusk, though they will attack any time of the day or night. Bobcats will kill several birds in one attack, so it is better to let the chickens and guineas stay in the run.

 

[mowin]

It lives in your area. It smells food. Even if you lock the chicken's up 24/7, it will continue to visit randomly just to make sure someone wasn't left out.

 

[WallyG74]

Is this a close neighbor, like in town?