The coyotes are back

[Flock Master64]

Hello
Recently there have been some coyote sightings around the area where I live, a few days ago my dad said he saw one in the back of our property but I haven't seen or heard any. I'm not too worried about them getting my birds or anything. I have a trail cam set up around my coop and a door closed to they can't get in, but what I'm wondering is how can I get rid of any that show up? I know of several ways to trap and releas animals but all my traps ( wich do not harm anything they catch FYI ) are too small for most coyotes

 

[Howard E]

That was going to be my next question to you. What is stopping them? If the answer is nothing, then yes your birds are at risk during the day.

The best solution is an electric fence around the perimeter you want to establish to keep them safe within. Type of fence depends on how large of a perimeter you want to establish.

For small areas.........poultry netting. For larger areas, light wire systems.

 

[aart]

Hello
Recently there have been some coyote sightings around the area where I live, a few days ago my dad said he saw one in the back of our property but I haven't seen or heard any. I'm not too worried about them getting my birds or anything. I have a trail cam set up around my coop and a door closed to they can't get in, but what I'm wondering is how can I get rid of any that show up? I know of several ways to trap and releas animals but all my traps ( wich do not harm anything they catch FYI ) are too small for most coyotes

Please do not trap and release predator or pest animals....if you're going to trap it, kill it.
It's unhealthy and usually illegal to relocate/release.

 

[RPClark]

I just wanted to say, "THANK YOU for following your local laws. They're there to keep nuisance animals in check and not unwittingly dump them for someone else to have to deal with

On the coyote subject, as mentioned dogs are a good deterrent, as is a shotgun

Eta: my mom uses firecrackers, to make them think she's shooting at them. Firecrackers are cheaper than shells, too

And consumer grade fireworks are illegal in my state; however, coyotes may be taken anytime with a continual season and no limits. It's also illegal here to relocate nuisance animals.

I can hear coyotes often at night, and they're not far away, often within a couple hundred yards. I don't actively hunt them; dependent on the situation, I'll take it if I see it. I need a certain amount of predators to keep rabbits in check, which I also predate to protect garden and landscaping.

My main protections for the birds are mostly passive actions. Though we do free-range when we're home, the birds are always locked up at night in the totally closed coop. The coop is also situated in an open area. The coop is not backed up against a tree line or cover, and the predators have to cross a lot of open ground to be out there. I find they don't care to do that too much. Not that they won't, but when they do, they find a secure coop.

If I put out a trap, it's only so I can get the target nuisance animal stationary for a quick dispatch.

 

[Howard E]

This is starting to sound like a convers

Six inches? Oh. Well, I guess just about anything woukd get tripped up by a wire six inches off the ground.... But now I'm curious; what are you fencing in at 6 inches? Chickens?

I meant "typical", as in typical electric fence around the cow pasture. That's at 3 feet, and they run right under it.

Makes sense that at 6 inches they've definitely been zapped and probably remember the sound. Just not so sure that the ones around here give a hoot about the 3' electric fence lol

Oh, but I also just remembered, there's a motion activated water repellant too... It sprays water at whatever gets close. Not sure it would work at night though. I think I saw that in a gardening magazine, to keep critters out of the garden. Wonder if coyotes like being sprayed with water?

This is starting to sound like a conversation I recently had with lady I'm married to. She didn't like being told "you are not listening" either.

You are confusing a cattle / horse/ maybe sheep fence with a poultry electric fence designed to keep chickens in and predators out. Yes, most predators would happily run around under one of those. But we are not talking about a cattle / horse / maybe sheep fence designed only to keep those livestock in. We are talking about a poultry / predator fence. That is a different thing entirely. The four wires I currently have up are set at 5 inches, 10 inches, 15 inches and 20 inches. That fence has pretty much stopped all traffic in or out, and that now includes deer**. So yes, chickens get zapped by it and avoid going near it. Predators, including dogs and cats, raccoons, possums, skunks, foxes and coyotes also get zapped by it and also quickly learn to avoid it. So a properly designed electric fence becomes the silent sentinel that nothing wants to mess with.

I asked my folks a while back how they kept chickens safe back in the day (they are both +/- 90 years of age) and they said everyone kept a mean yard dog. My dad has told me when he was over to visit my mother he got attacked by their dog more times than he could remember. So no varmints came around. BTW, back then, there were a lot fewer varmints to begin with. They had a bounty on coyotes, so they had been all but eliminated. Not many coons or other varmints either. They were all shot on sight. Times were tough and chickens were a reliable source of food, so they didn't mess around. They would have used an electric fence too, but they didn't have one back then. I can't speak for anyone but myself, but frankly I would not want the liability inherent in keeping such a mean yard dog. At least not when I have available to me the effective deterrent of that electric fence. It only bites what touches it. A good thing.

** On that low electric fence and deer, a while back I was gone for a week, so the birds were kept locked up. Since they were locked up, I turned off the electric fence. Inside that protected area is a patch of fall turnips, which to a deer must be more addictive than crack to a crackhead. When I got back it looked like a Texas cattle drive had gone through there. So I fired up the fence and that has all stopped. Not a single track since. They tend to visit after dark and either walk straight into the light wire they have trouble seeing, or else try to step over it and it hits them in the belly. There were more than a few dents put into it and wires loosened. But the learning curve with a really hot fence is pretty short.

Electric fences really do work, but you have to adapt the right fence to the right condition.

 

[Flock Master64]

I know where mine are. Locked up tight. Got my live cam ready too.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

In most cases relocated predators return, hungrier, smarter and more trap suave than when you first captured them.

For-instance, Relocated rock pythons (a reptile) have returned to their former Florida home range from a distance of over 100 miles.

Coyotes however are 4 legs up of snakes in their ability to move or travel.

 

[cavemanrich]

 

[Flock Master64]

How do you know what traps I have? I have a lot of traps and I'm sure I can find one that can catch a coyote without harming it. They don't call me Trapper Jake for nothing

 

[Howard E]

Hello
Recently there have been some coyote sightings around the area where I live, a few days ago my dad said he saw one in the back of our property but I haven't seen or heard any. I'm not too worried about them getting my birds or anything. I have a trail cam set up around my coop and a door closed to they can't get in, but what I'm wondering is how can I get rid of any that show up? I know of several ways to trap and releas animals but all my traps ( wich do not harm anything they catch FYI ) are too small for most coyotes

What do you mean "get rid of"?

If your birds are safe from them, what is your concern?