Which breed is best for avoiding predators?

[imanerd]

Is there a specific breed that is known to be wary of predators? I have free range chickens that are safely locked up at night. The problem is that the local raccoon population has learned to steal chickens during the day. The raccoons are tame-ish because my neighbor feeds them everyday.

I keep chickens mostly for entertainment and a few eggs. I don't care about egg color/production as long as I do get some eggs. I also don't care if the breed is known to be flighty because a couple of my best hens were white leghorns (they wanted to be house chickens and would always look at us through the glass door lol). But staying close to home is a must because a different neighbor hates birds on his dirt lawn and I had to get rid of my roaming guineas and peafowl several years ago because he called animal control on me. We're all on 5 acre lots so the birds can't just hop over a fence to get next door.

Thanks in advance for the help...

 

[Puresilk]

set out some live traps...get rid of the coon

 

[Chic-n-farmer]

Red Jungle Fowl.

 

[imanerd]

Quote:
We do have a live trap but haven't had any luck with it. The coons are very smart...I actually love the little pests but I know that we can't all be happy together if they come around during the day.

My DH shot one in the coop one last week and he cooked it in a potato stew. That's the second time that we've ate one and it tastes just like beef...way better than venison IMHO (no, we're not rednecks...just don't like killing unless it is for food).

 

[Oven Ready]

Yeah, the red jungle fowl looking chickens live an area around here, have for many, many years and they have no protection from predators...dogs, cats, coons, hawks, they seem to have the smarts and ability to avoid them for the most part.

We have them here, but they are proper wild birds. The big difference between them and chickens seems to me to be their ability or judgement to fly. They never run from predators, like our chickens do - they always take flight and they have no trouble clearing 15-20 metre trees despite the males having huge long tails.
They also don't seem to have such a fixation on food, instead of the whole flock feeding (like ours do, for hours on end in one spot) only one or two feed at a time while the others just stand and watch and then the whole lot quickly move to another place.

I was wondering about catching a few and keeping jungle fowl but I suspect they wouldn't adapt well to free ranging (or they would and they would free range their junglefowly butts way, way, over to someone elses land.)​

 

[Goose and Fig]

I agree with the others- the best thing to do is get rid of the coons. We have been lucky and they only come around after dusk- but my coops are like Fort Knox. They will peel off chicken wire like it's paper if they're desperate enough- so I had to shell out the big buck for welded wire

As for the geese- I have tolouse. They free range all day, and I coax them into the coop at night with a bowl of feed. They tend to stay out of the woods- just wander around and eat grass and swim and sit in the shade. They are alert at night though- even if it's dark and you walk over to the coop, they all stand up and start chattering. Might work- maybe you can find a freebie gander somewhere.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Perhaps an emu or ostrich?

Seriously, I don't think breed makes huge amounts of differences.

 

[Sweetfolly]

Maybe a couple geese?

I know someone who lives near me and was losing lots of birds to raccoons, and since she got geese she hasn't lost a single bird. I want to say she has a couple of African ganders and a pair of Toulouse (but I'm not 100% sure on the breeds).

 

[imanerd]

Quote:
Any specific breed of geese? Will geese stay close to home? Do they need water? I have a creek that splits the property that empties into the Biloxi river at the back property line but all this is wooded.

Thanks for the info.

 

[ellieroo]

OEGB have had a flock for yrs sometimes 27 strong have lost one hen to large bull snake when she defended her chicks. They are very good flyers and that helps! But they are locked up at night,other than that theiy're out there somewhere!