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Where I live, it is essential to maintain a flock of chickens to provide very secure predator proof habitat for them. I have free ranged many decades ago and it did not work, no matter what I did with fences, guard animals, lights, bells, etc.. I continue to free range some small bachelor flocks...

I agree about the hawks but the crows and deer both have been afraid of my scare crow made to look like me sitting in my lawn chair that I move everyday! I simply stuffed some of my work clothes with walmart bags, including attaching stuffed over calve stocks to the legs and rubber shoes. I then...

I have heavy predator activity in my area. I keep my main flock confined to a fully enclosed run and coop. The two layers of wire are buried one foot and lay outwards one foot and go entirely over a framed up top with corrugated metal covering about half the top. One layer is cheap dog fence and...

Of course, there is no practical, fool proof, predator protection in some areas, for free ranged birds. You just try and improve the odds in your birds favor, as best you can. Long narrow lots with fairly tall fences, electrified wires help and with string/lines strung across them, every 20 feet...

I actually am never without a dog or two or more! I have had dogs all my life and I know they have protected me on many occasions! Still, most of my sheep and goats were killed by dogs. Sad

My dogs were pretty good when I left them living with my sheep. But I loved my dogs too much! I always got hit when my dogs were with my wife/or I ,doing something else, or at the vets. A pair of Great Pyrenees( or some other large dogs ) will keep most anything driven off, but they are...

I am in West Tennessee

I like the idea of catching and using some rainwater for watering whatever, including birds. I collect rainwater in a small water garden/goldfish pond 10 X 16 feet X 3 1/2 feet dp., and in a few large Olive barrels. I keep the water mostly for reserve if the power goes out. Can't flush a...

We were in an area that was last to be repaired in our county back then, but lots of local people went Two or Three weeks plus! This time, so far, not to bad here! We have the heaviest snow in years ay my house, about 10 inches here and 9am temps at 3 degrees today. The snow has stopped and...

That is describing my area as well. Ice is more common than snow here, we just pray it doesn't get too heavy, when it comes, and it usually does not. It might be 74 degrees one day and 30 the next, all winter long here. Typically, we do not get temps below about 20 degrees or more than a few...

We here in the midsouth, are getting hammered with ice and now snow. Temps down close to zero, rare here and expected all week. I have not had the level of damage yet, as some past storms of the 1990's. But trees are still cracking up and coming down. Our local power is off and on. So far they...

I have had coop Knox and no predator losses for 26+ years. (I am building a new small coop/covered run now)Before that I had a long learning curve. Of course I have raised chickens and other livestock in less secured manners in the past, due to size of the herd, flock or the size of the...

Move the mannequin every day and more often if you can. Rubber snakes, plastic owls and Mannequins work well, but predators/birds quickly get used to them, if they are not moved frequently. That is how we have used scarecrows for generations! We moved them several times per day. The mannequins...

The guard emus are your best defense , most likely! I have had large long haired dogs, coyotes and mink totally oblivious to 7000 volts of electric wires or at least not stopped by woven wire and multi stranded electric fencing used together. The dogs/coyotes have killed thousands of dollars in...

That is a good first step! Bobcats, minks, raccoons, grey fox all will climb easily any height fence, 10 feet tall will not stop them. Be sure and lock them in a secure coop every night! If minks get in, they sometimes will kill dozens in one attack and only eat their favorite organs from one or...

Mannequins, rubber snakes, plastic owls,etc. work best if moved every day or two. The animals quickly become accustomed to them, if they never move. A side note: I had a mannequin that worked best on people. They can work well for a while and help on new predators moving in. That is what we did...