A bear killed all but one of my chickens

[Evadig]

Free-ranging. Massacres only happen to trapped chickens. I feel pity for all of the poor animals I read about being killed by predator break-ins

I don't want to get involved in these particular threads...but I can't help but ask about the the animals that get killed free ranging? I mean, like if I leave my ducks out on the pond at night they are sure to be eaten by the owl that lives in the neighbor's tree. And if I let my chickens run around during the day, hawks will take them, one by one. My birds (except the geese and possibly the turkeys) are so unobservant sometimes they wouldn't probably even see a predator coming for them.

 

[Folly's place]

Some predators are so efficient (think dogs) that many free ranging birds can be killed in a short time. Happened here once. And another time, ten birds killed one afternoon by a fox.
Our coop is very secure, only once did we loose anyone (three bantams at night) to an invading rat. Otherwise, no losses in our coop.
Mary

 

[No Coop No Problem]

Some predators are so efficient (think dogs) that many free ranging birds can be killed in a short time. Happened here once. And another time, ten birds killed one afternoon by a fox.

I've had many dogs invade here thinking they could score an easy meal and not once has a chicken been harmed. The foxes barely even try anymore either

With the correct breeds, region and terrain predation truly becomes irrelevant

I don't want to get involved in these particular threads...but I can't help but ask about the the animals that get killed free ranging? I mean, like if I leave my ducks out on the pond at night they are sure to be eaten by the owl that lives in the neighbor's tree. And if I let my chickens run around during the day, hawks will take them, one by one

Free-ranging chickens is like baking a cake. It requires the correct ingredients. Most people free-range in grassy fields which is automatically a death sentence to most poultry

 

[Evadig]

I've had many dogs invade here thinking they could score an easy meal and not once has a chicken been harmed. The foxes barely even try anymore either

With the correct breeds, region and terrain predation truly becomes irrelevant

Free-ranging chickens is like baking a cake. It requires the correct ingredients. Most people free-range in grassy fields which is automatically a death sentence to most poultry

We have a half acre of woods and still need to worry about hawks…I once had two chickens taking a sunbath right under a tree where a hawk was perched not five feet above them. Then again, I don’t have gamefowl .

 

[McChooky]

Today was only the 2nd time I let my chickens out all winter and after I saw some crows chasing 2 hawks it made me nervous so I didn't leave them out but 3 hrs

 

[McChooky]

We have a half acre of woods and still need to worry about hawks…I once had two chickens taking a sunbath right under a tree where a hawk was perched not five feet above them. Then again, I don’t have gamefowl .

I'm not sure if one games harder to keep up than another but I've heard they all love roosting in trees and that bothers me (seriously)

 

[Australorpismyfav]

I’m still in shock but the night before last a bear ripped the hardware cloth off the back of my coop and killed all but one of my chickens. The only survivor is in a rabbit cage in my bathroom and I’ll be putting her temporarily into a hutch in the garage until I can figure out what to do with my coop. At some point I’ll get her a companion so she doesn’t have to be alone but that’s another discussion.

I’ve been reading that hot wire is the best way to deter a bear but last year a bear went right through my neighbor’s electric fencing and destroyed his beehives. I don’t think a little piece of hot wire would deter a hungry bear.

My rabbit barn is right next door to my coop and the bear didn’t touch it. It’s made from a powder coated steel dog kennel. I’m thinking of buying some more of those panels and using them to fortify my coop. Basically I would just keep the structure in place, replace the hardware cloth to keep out smaller predators, and have that extra wall around the coop. But I also wanted to see if anyone here had better ideas. If it wasn’t for that one survivor, I think at this point I’d be giving up chicken keeping.

Thats so sad. I'm lucky the worst thing I have is foxs

 

[McChooky]

I've had many dogs invade here thinking they could score an easy meal and not once has a chicken been harmed. The foxes barely even try anymore either

With the correct breeds, region and terrain predation truly becomes irrelevant

Free-ranging chickens is like baking a cake. It requires the correct ingredients. Most people free-range in grassy fields which is automatically a death sentence to most poultry

We live under a canopy of trees that hide our chickens from aerial predators .When we free range them they love to go in the woods behind us and scratch around in the leaves for bugs( hilly terrain)Its also cooler there in the summer. Our Brown leghorns, Welsummers, Ameraucana's and Dominiques all go up there and stay all day but our Australorp's and Sapphire Gems have never left the yard.

 

[No Coop No Problem]

We have a half acre of woods and still need to worry about hawks…I once had two chickens taking a sunbath right under a tree where a hawk was perched not five feet above them. Then again, I don’t have gamefowl .

It probably depends on the species of hawk, the breed of chicken and maybe the forest type. The woods here are filled with yaupon holly which grows horizontally

The one time I saw a hawk attack directly in front of me, the hawk crashed into a juvenile yaupon maybe 2 feet tall

 

[Evadig]

It probably depends on the species of hawk, the breed of chicken and maybe the forest type. The woods here are filled with yaupon holly which grows horizontally

The one time I saw a hawk attack directly in front of me, the hawk crashed into a juvenile yaupon maybe 2 feet tall

Definitely don't have any of that...lots of trailing ground vines, yes, but trees are all oak or maple. Mine do free range when I'm outside, and even when I'm not outside. But I feel that death by hawk, picking off my hens one by one, is much more possible than a potential massacre...so they stay locked up when I'm not there to supervise .
Like I said, I don't want to get involved in this thread, I just wanted to know how you keep your birds from being killed while free ranging. Now I know !