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

[okallthis4eggs]

Just wondering how many people would be willing to share their horror story of how they lost their chicken or chickens to predators. I think it would be helpful to the people who are just getting into raising chickens to understand what could happen if the necessary precautions are not taken when putting together their coop and run.

 

[Kyoht]

I have a coop with a run covered in netting. I had no problems since I had moved here -4years. But this year my chickens started disappearing one by one. I couldn't find out how the predator was getting them out. One day I found a chicken carcass halfway pulled through the fence and I placed my game cam there. It showed a raccoon climbing up the fence and there was a weak spot where the fence connected to the coop and the netting.

I started reinforcing the coop door for the night but it got that open too. Finally I placed triple wire over the spot and used concrete blocks in front of the door. Then I placed a live trap with marsh-mellows and I ended up trapping 3 coons.

I would suggest to make sure that the coop and fencing around the coop is secure during the night. If you can pull it up then a coon can too. I even had thick welded fencing (not chicken wire)- but it wasn't nailed properly at that spot. Also use locks that coons can't just lift up and get in - that's how they got into my coop.

As for what caused the attack - I believe it was due to my refrigerator going out lol. I had to dump a bunch of stuff in the back of my property and I think it lured the raccoons to my house. I was used to dumping things like that when I had dogs at my other place and I think that the dogs kept the coons away. So I would advise not dumping food and feeding wild predators - even though they can be cute.

 

[EeyoreD]

Wow! Keeping chickens safe is harder than I thought

Yes and no. Don't be discouraged by this thread. I've posted here and lost a lot of birds in one go, but if you read around (and it seems like you are) and you adopt a multi-prong approach to safety you'll be fine. By your posts you already know that chicken wire is useless but hardware cloth is good. Not perfect but good.

My experience on this thread was basically - I had Fort Knox above ground but I didn't account well enough for digging. And while I won't say that everyone here made the obvious mistake I did, this is a place to learn about vulnerabilities.

I lost a ton of birds my first year. Since then I have extended the apron on the coop to prevent digging under, use hotwire (electric fence) in periodic places and aggressively trap. After that first year? I've only lost birds to disease brought in from wild birds.

But a lot of what I learned to protect my birds I learned from this thread - from others (and my) mistakes. Threats to your poultry will vary by region and habitat. This thread alerts you to what MIGHT be a problem and often tells you how to protect against it.

I guess what I'm saying is that I hope you're not discouraged by this thread. I don't think that's the intent of it.

 

[okallthis4eggs]

Would everybody agree that coons are enemy #1 to people who keep chickens? Seems they are at least the smartest from what I read in kyohts comment and others like it.

 

[firestrike09]

An old man at a feed store told me how to catch a all the coons/opposums/coyotes/ Take a Metal fence post and a raw chicken (dead and full of vitals) Drive the post thru the chickens brest and into the ground. Have 10 leg hold traps hooked to the fence post and set around the chicken. You'll catch something eevverry night

 

[RaeRae2]

I in fact stated clearly that my job is to PROTECT MY CHICKENS, not to kill anything that might set a foot on my property. If you kill 1 predator, 10 more will take its place. You have to PROTECT YOUR FLOCK with a strong, sturdy, predator secure run and house. That's what we did. We built Fort Knox so we have a 99% chance of the chickens staying safe.

You feel "horrible" for my chickens?! You jest, right? LMAO! Yes, they are so abused and neglected. Daily watermelon, meal worms, 4 types of feed, tomatoes, lettuce, apples, cucumbers, 2-3 hours of freedom every evening with me in the yard watching them to guard against hawks or dogs, a 24x27x6 foot predator secure run, and a 12x14x8 heated, air conditioned chicken house. Feed and water both in the run and in the house. Permanently installed fans both inside the house, and in the run. They are total pets. Sit on the ground and you will have a lap full of chickens. Two of them fly up and sit on my shoulders every day. One of my hens just had a visit to an avian vet over 1 hour away for a calcium deficiency. She received treatment for $140. One week after her treatment she was doing excellent, and today is completely back to normal. When my chickens are ill beyond repair, they are humanely euthanized at the vet's office. Not heads chopped off in my back yard (NOT that there's anything wrong with that - there's not! That is perfectly fine! I just can't do it.) My oldest hen is 7 years old and is a family pet. That is her in my avatar at the vet's office for a general wellness check about 6 months ago. Yeah, that's horrible isn't it.

But yes, do go on feeling horrible for them because I won't kill a raccoon or stray dog or hawk that sets foot or wing on my property.

Look, I don't believe it's my right or my reponsibility to KILL predators. My right and my responsibility is to PROTECT my flock with secure fencing and supervision. If that's abusive, and horrible, then so be it.

And no, I do not eat meat or consume animal products. Haven't in many years.

There are other ways to protect your flock than flashing a gun around. This isn't the Wild Wild West and I don't feel the need to be a rootin' tootin' shootin' cowgirl. Instead my husband and I have built a facility that we feel is safe and adequate for their protection. Nothing is 100% of course, but we have done all we can do. We have 3 big dogs who make their rounds multiple times a day, and they help deter predators as well.

Yes we own a gun, and yes my husband shot and killed a fox 2 years ago that killed one of our hens (before the secure run was built.) But the reason was because he was extremely mangey and ill and was suffering badly. He was bald, it was the middle of winter, the poor thing was so weak and cold he was shaking, and he couldn't leave the barn. I called a couple of rescue places and a vet and they all said if he's that bad, it would be almost impossible to rehabilitate him. So my husband put a .22 shell between his eyes. Ended his suffering instantly. But he wasn't killed because he was after my chickens. He was killed because he was miserable and suffering and a bullet was faster than starving and freezing to death.

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!

 

[kcfuerst]

When I first knew I would be a chicken mom, I read as much Backyard Chickens material as I could inhale, then set about to build a secure home and run for chicks I didn't even have yet. Predators at my home which backs up to a riparian creek area are skunk, 'possum, racoons, hawks, beavers, snakes, dogs, and two-legged troublemakers. My cat has never been a problem, nor has any of the feral cats that occasionally drop by.

My coop is 8x8x8 built on a concrete slab. Nothing can dig under it The coop has welded wire coverings over the ventilation on both sides at the roof line, an automatic pop-door that "little fingers" cannot open at night should anything get inside the run area. The attached run is 8x40 and the welded wire is buried in concrete 24" deep. Knock on wood, I have never had predators try to get my girls in all these 5 years, even though I have trapped numerous skunks, 'possums and racoons when observing their presence. Hawks fly down the corridor of the year around creek in my backyard, but don't stop for a second look since I'm standing outside with a rake in hand during the one hour at dusk that the girls get to go "out to play". The power lines at the rear of my property seems to help deter hawks as well.

Here are some pictures:



Besides being buried 24" in concrete, one side has a planter as an additional barrier.



The bottom 12" of the inside of the run is lined with ripple roof plastic mostly to keep the sand from being kicked out of the run. This also serves as an additional shield from "whatever" might lurk around.



Two entry gates have red brick pavers in front of them to prevent diggers.



The run is covered by a tin roof and a bit of shade cloth to keep the girls dry in the winter and cool in the summer.


Inside the run the girls are happy and have lots of room to play and climb while I'm at work.



Broody box inside the henhouse. Safe enough to use cardboard.


Happy and safe girls makes lots of eggs!









It made sense to me to build a secure place for my girls to prevent heartache down the road. Not to say something couldn't happen, but at least I have done all that is humanly possible to prevent an accident.

 

[bruceha2000]

Quote:
I wish you luck with getting all the hardware cloth up with no losses. Chicken wire won't keep out any daytime predator. Given your large predators, even a layer of welded wire fence AND the hardware cloth might be in order. In fact, if it is cheaper, you might want to do the welded wire fence over everything and hardware cloth along the bottom (remember to bury it 18" out from the run!!) then go up with the hardware cloth as finances permit. The predators you worry about getting through a wire fence are things like weasels that mostly attack at night when the birds are asleep or snakes (if you live where there are big snakes that eat eggs and chicks). The rest, dogs, foxes, bobcats can't fit through the wire fencing but can reach through it, thus the reason to run 1/2" hardware cloth UP a few feet so the birds, even if right next to the fence, can't be grabbed. Bruce

 

[okallthis4eggs]

Good information bj taylor. People sometimes forget that even their pets can be predators as innocent as they may appear.

 

[jak2002003]

I had my ducks free ranging for over a year with no problems. Then some of their young ducklings started going missing. I thought a large fish was eating them. After all 5 ducklings vanished the half sized ones started to go. I could not believe a fish was big enough to eat them! I thought maybe the aggressive drakes had chased them away into the rice fields.

Then after they had gone I started loosing the adult birds at about 1 a week. (4 went missing) I thought someone was stealing them! Normally the ducks are smart and will make a lot of noise and go onto the lake if a predator like a dog is about. I never heard any noise. I never found any feathers or evidence of a struggle. I was at a loss.

Then I came home late (4am) and went to check on the ducks with my torch before I went to bed. I saw them all snoozing on the island in the middle of the lake. I turned my torch away and was about to go into the house, when I realised something was not quite right. I thought I saw something different about the island. I shone the torch back.

I was shocked to see (only inches from one sleeping duck) a long thick 'tree branch' laying nearly the entire length of the island ... about 7 foot. I took a closer look and froze as I realised it was a huge PYTHON!!!!!!

It must have grown that big eating my birds! My ducks did not recognise it as danger as it moved so slowly and made no noise. They were literally 'sitting ducks'. I made some noise to wake the ducks up, but they just looked at me and quacked, annoyed I had disturbed their sleep. I had to throw a palm frond out to the island, which did not bother my ducks (who thought I had gone mad), but the snake vanished in a split second into the water - with out hardly a ripple.

It was no way like on the TV. I was shocked by the speed of the thing. After that day I sadly had to re home my remaining ducks to a friend. I kept 2 in my chicken run, but they were not happy without the lake to swim on, so I gave them away too. So sad. About a week after seeing the snake my neighbour found a huge snake skin in his garden, but no one has seen the sneaky reptile since. Now his fast food shop is empty I think he was gone away looking for new prey.

At least my chickens are still safe as I lock them in METAL dog crates in their run at night. I live in rural Thailand, so its not too unusual to get snakes about. If the farmers see a big python they will kill it and eat it. They say its delicious. I quite like snakes (despite what this one did), and I hope he is still alive some where else.