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

[okallthis4eggs]

Countrykitty you can get a live catch trap for the rats and bait it with peanut butter and wipe out that rat poplation pretty quick. Set it every time you see a rat. To kill them drop the trap and all into a trash can full of water. They will die quick. To me its more humane than a slow death by poison and much safer

 

[harveyhorses]

I have a chain link run, covered with hardware cloth/chicken with and tarps, the bottom is lined with hardware cloth and surrounded by electric fence. Look at your set up and think like a predator. I have a little bit of everything here, Hawks, owls raccoons, fox, coyotes,
What would a coon do to get to my chickens? A hawk? Weasel? So many people say "w e don't have predators" but that was before you opened the buffet.
Mine get free range only if we are out with them. but their run is large and safe. The coop is completely enclosed inside it.

 

[EeyoreD]

Another lesson I learned the hard way this weekend was that you can have an absolute Fort Knox of a coop... but it won't be worth anything if you haven't put the same effort into the flooring/ground protection. If you have a dirt floor its especially important.

I had a hardware cloth apron extending out 2-4 feet laid on the ground and staked down around the entire perimeter. The night a coon (or several) got in and killed 11 of my 16 chickens they tested out several places before they found a weak spot they were able to dig in. (it wasn't close enough/secured to the coop in that spot and they were able to pull it back more and dig).

Now I have 1500 pounds of cement block on top of the cloth, right up next to the coop in two rows all around. I'm charging a solar charger for an electric fence that I'll put a couple of wires up at two heights around the coop. And I'm also performing a vigorous trapping regimen.

I don't know if this is true or not, but after my hard lesson I've decided that one solution or fix isn't enough to make me comfortable. So I'm instituting multiple tactics as several lines of defense.

 

[prettychicks]

I agree totally about the coons! This is my 1st year with chickens. I hatched my whole flock, 12 birds. I was wiped out on Sunday night. What they didnt eat the simply murdered! It was a horrific site. I was ready to tear down the coop and pen but regained composure and decided the coons will not win. So far I have trapped and killed 2 coons. I am planning on hatching again in a couple weeks. Right now we are making our chicken coop and yard as secure as Fort Knox!

So sorry to hear of your loss. It is heartbreaking to come out and see that. Happened to me years ago with my own dogs. Out of 25 Buff Orps, I had 7 left. After I invested in the hardware cloth and got rid of the chicken wire, I never lost anymore. Got rid of the dogs and decided, no more bird dogs. They were labs and killed them for sport. They had been around those chickens for 2 years and never did anything like that, but one day... Can't trust your own dogs. Hard lesson to learn.

 

[BroodyChknMomma]

Well, I didn't lose any hens but, I almost did. I had a very well protected coop, we had double welded wire run, a rock trench and a very strong coop. Well, unknown to us a rat must've chewed a quarter size hole in the corner of the coop and an Ermine got in. I went out to shut up my chickens for the night and I heard them cackling loudly. I went out and I thought it was a ferret because, I'd never seen an ermine before. I chased it out of the coop and went over to the neighbors asking if they had a lose ferret. No, they didn't I went back into the coop and the ermine was back and it was attached to one of my GL Wyandotte hens. I pulled it off with my bare hands and I had to kill it since it kept coming back.

We promptly lined the flooring of the coop with 1/4 wire hardware cloth and stuffed any holes with steel wool and hardware cloth.

I also put a 500' range baby monitor out in the coop so I could keep an ear out in the coop, so if the chickens started cackling I could go out and make sure there wasn't a predator.

So far no loses.

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

Mothballs are for snakes, lead is for coons!

 

[koko]

A couple of weeks ago one of my barred Plymouth Rock roosters got killed by a fox. The day after when I noticed him missing I quickly looked at my surveillance camera and saw that the fox dug under the coop and was scared out by the rooster picking at the fox's neck and legs. when the fox picked up one of my 14 hens, the roster (Jimmy) went crazy. He put up his wings and ran all around the fox and picked at him and everything. (P.s- The fox took the hen by it legs and dragged it out of the coop, then the roster followed the fox, the other hens were too scared to leave the coop). the next day I saw a couple of feathers, and beside it was Jimmy who had blood all over the higher portion of his body. Both his breasts were eaten the blood appeared to have come from inside the throat of Jimmy.


I was going to upload a pic, but it was just too sad and nasty. RIP JIMMY YOU WILL ALWAYS be remembered! :'(

 

[Adenium]

Oh my goodness. We plan to keep a game cam trained on the coop, and I imagine it's heartening to see your roo doing his best to protect his hens, but I feel for you watching that footage. I can't imagine finding my poor chicken and then seeing his final moments - don't know if it would be better or worse. Thanks for sharing your story.

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

Very nice place, and it looks secure. My chickens are lucky to have a secure coop to sleep in. They come from stock that doesn't, alot of people let them sleep in trees. Owls like white it seems. Now, there has been a panther sighting half a mile from me...I have only seen tracks at a spring near the house. So it has taken the last of my old layers, glad I bought replacements this year. This type of predator is very difficult for them to evade...they have also been known to attack and kill people..so any predator like that, what which isn't afraid of me and comes into my yard will get shot dead...no question...we have small grandkids too...a few chickens, no big deal..they can be replaced. Now broodies and chicks get a protected pen until they can fly out of it...I've been told my game hens have flown after and chased off hawks....I can believe it, ferocious little monsters. My chickens wouldn't be very happy living in a coop and run, they aren't bred for it. As far as dogs, strays don't last long chasing livestock, sorry. I will catch a hunting dog and wait for the owner to come pick it up ( as long as it's not chasing livestock) and then the owner get an education on property lines. My own dogs get bootcamp...they are the solution and not the problem and they best know it.

 

[cuisinista]

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.