Predators are one of the greatest fears a chicken farmer has. They can be cunning, fast, and very sneaky. Your chickens will be drawing in predators from the next county over! Well, maybe not that far, however somewhere back in these predators' ancient memories they have eaten wild chickens at some point and will come snooping around for a meal day and night. So keeping them safe from predators should be on every chicken keeper's top priority list.
Aerial predators can aim for one of your chickens, swoop in, and be gone in a matter of seconds. The top of the run should also be covered to prevent attacks from hawks and the like. At the very least, netting is required to prevent attacks. Build it sturdy too, the nighttime marauders are going to climb on, get on top, pick around, and if an area is weak, they will find it. You should be able to stand or put pressure on it, and it should stay put.
Providing secure latches on all doors, including nest boxes, is very important. Raccoons can open simple latches, so a sliding latch will need extra protection. A hasp latch secured by a carabiner is simple to open for people yet is secure from predators. If there is also a concern over theft, a padlock will suffice.
The right fence can and will slow down most canine predators from doing a quick grab and snatch of your birds and also keep your birds contained. Ironically, chicken wire is not the best fencing for housing chickens. The holes in the chicken wire are large enough to let in small predators such as weasels and snakes and the fence is weak enough to allow larger predators access. The ideal fence is a 1/4" - 1/2" hardware cloth. Digging should also be a consideration in the run. To prevent predators from gaining entry, hardware cloth should be buried 12-18” deep and at least 6 inches out in an “L” or “J” shape, and then covered with soil. Build your coop like Fort Knox. If you feel perfectly safe sleeping in your coop at night, then your chickens should be safe too.
A good rooster will sound the alarm before you even see the threat and will have trained his flock to listen and act on it. He's worth his weight in gold when it comes to free-range. Most will not fight a dog or other 4 legged predators, but the rare few will stand off a hawk, challenge a hawk or sacrifice themselves for the flock. Mostly they will get the flock to shelter when a predator is in the area.
A raised coop is also an effective way to deter digging predators. Again, make sure the coop doors and windows are sturdy & impenetrable - critters love to climb the ramp and fiddle with doors.
If your chickens free-range, provide cover for them to hide in or under during the day. When free-range chickens are threatened, they can use the cover of a shelter or trees, bushes, and other vegetation for protection from predators.
An electric fence helps keep things like raccoons, foxes, and any other ground animals out of your coop and away from your chickens. A good-looking, cheap and effective way to protect your flock from 4 legged predators is a simple electronet poultry fence on a solar charger. You can move it to different areas, you can put it away and use it another day, it lasts up to 10 years with good care, you can place it around your coop and not worry about raccoons, foxes, possums, etc at night and it will shock the pants off of most predators..and it will definitely keep the chickens in if you leave it energized.
Nighttime is the most vulnerable time for chickens as they are practically blind in low lighting. Additionally, many predators are nocturnal, so chickens must be in a secure coop from dusk to dawn. There are many predator deterrents on the market. Some motion-activated products are meant to mimic the look of another predator’s eyes, which is said to deter other predators. A motion-activated light may also help, and a game cam can be useful in identifying a predator.
Regardless of breed, any dog can be a chicken killer. Regardless of breed, any dog can be a chicken guardian or at least live contently with chickens. A livestock guardian dog can be an invaluable asset in protecting your flock. But don’t get one unless you can provide the necessary training. Training a livestock guardian dog takes consistent effort and work. But before getting one, learn as much as possible to determine whether one would be right for you and your flock and whether or not you can set aside the time daily for training.
One way predators such as foxes and dogs can gain entrance is by digging under the coop. The best way to prevent this is to pour a cement floor in the coop. Another solution, where this is not possible, is a double layer of plywood with hardware cloth for effective protection and is a fairly simple adaptation for an existing coop.
The above list is made up of results from our poll, How Do You Protect Your Chickens From Predators? which was conducted by our members. Which ones do you implement to protect your flock?
Further Reading:
1. Cover Their Run
Aerial predators can aim for one of your chickens, swoop in, and be gone in a matter of seconds. The top of the run should also be covered to prevent attacks from hawks and the like. At the very least, netting is required to prevent attacks. Build it sturdy too, the nighttime marauders are going to climb on, get on top, pick around, and if an area is weak, they will find it. You should be able to stand or put pressure on it, and it should stay put.
2. Install Secure Latches on All Doors & Nest Boxes
Providing secure latches on all doors, including nest boxes, is very important. Raccoons can open simple latches, so a sliding latch will need extra protection. A hasp latch secured by a carabiner is simple to open for people yet is secure from predators. If there is also a concern over theft, a padlock will suffice.
3. Fence Them In With A Hardware Cloth
The right fence can and will slow down most canine predators from doing a quick grab and snatch of your birds and also keep your birds contained. Ironically, chicken wire is not the best fencing for housing chickens. The holes in the chicken wire are large enough to let in small predators such as weasels and snakes and the fence is weak enough to allow larger predators access. The ideal fence is a 1/4" - 1/2" hardware cloth. Digging should also be a consideration in the run. To prevent predators from gaining entry, hardware cloth should be buried 12-18” deep and at least 6 inches out in an “L” or “J” shape, and then covered with soil. Build your coop like Fort Knox. If you feel perfectly safe sleeping in your coop at night, then your chickens should be safe too.
4. Have one or more roosters on guard
A good rooster will sound the alarm before you even see the threat and will have trained his flock to listen and act on it. He's worth his weight in gold when it comes to free-range. Most will not fight a dog or other 4 legged predators, but the rare few will stand off a hawk, challenge a hawk or sacrifice themselves for the flock. Mostly they will get the flock to shelter when a predator is in the area.
5. Raise Their Coop Off The Ground
A raised coop is also an effective way to deter digging predators. Again, make sure the coop doors and windows are sturdy & impenetrable - critters love to climb the ramp and fiddle with doors.
6. Have bushes & other hiding places for them
If your chickens free-range, provide cover for them to hide in or under during the day. When free-range chickens are threatened, they can use the cover of a shelter or trees, bushes, and other vegetation for protection from predators.
7. Install an electric fence around your perimeter
An electric fence helps keep things like raccoons, foxes, and any other ground animals out of your coop and away from your chickens. A good-looking, cheap and effective way to protect your flock from 4 legged predators is a simple electronet poultry fence on a solar charger. You can move it to different areas, you can put it away and use it another day, it lasts up to 10 years with good care, you can place it around your coop and not worry about raccoons, foxes, possums, etc at night and it will shock the pants off of most predators..and it will definitely keep the chickens in if you leave it energized.
8. Install a motion-activated light & game cam near the coop
Nighttime is the most vulnerable time for chickens as they are practically blind in low lighting. Additionally, many predators are nocturnal, so chickens must be in a secure coop from dusk to dawn. There are many predator deterrents on the market. Some motion-activated products are meant to mimic the look of another predator’s eyes, which is said to deter other predators. A motion-activated light may also help, and a game cam can be useful in identifying a predator.
9. Have a properly trained guardian dog
Regardless of breed, any dog can be a chicken killer. Regardless of breed, any dog can be a chicken guardian or at least live contently with chickens. A livestock guardian dog can be an invaluable asset in protecting your flock. But don’t get one unless you can provide the necessary training. Training a livestock guardian dog takes consistent effort and work. But before getting one, learn as much as possible to determine whether one would be right for you and your flock and whether or not you can set aside the time daily for training.
10. Lay a cement floor
One way predators such as foxes and dogs can gain entrance is by digging under the coop. The best way to prevent this is to pour a cement floor in the coop. Another solution, where this is not possible, is a double layer of plywood with hardware cloth for effective protection and is a fairly simple adaptation for an existing coop.
The above list is made up of results from our poll, How Do You Protect Your Chickens From Predators? which was conducted by our members. Which ones do you implement to protect your flock?
Further Reading:
