a black bear got 2 of my 9 wk olds yesterday!

[kodiakchicken]

Mom2cool -

No worries at all. And I totally understood the frustration you were going through. As I said, I just get frustrated with the folks who believe that every predator should be killed on sight, regardless of whether they are threatening or not. They are the opposite side of the bear folks you are talking about and both ends of the spectrum need to chill out and recognize there's a happy medium.

So sorry that there is such political pressure from the animal hugger groups to not allow a bear season. All animals become problems when their populations are allowed to get out of control. Hopefully someone won't have to die before they get the message! Maybe they should make all the bear people live with the bears in a pen for awhile. Then they'll see what a problem they are!

 

[Mom2Cool]

ok I wanted to post a pic I'd received the other day of the cubs all over someones playset they'd jut put together for their kids! They thought it "cute" the next day when the woman looked out the window & the cubs were all over rumbling & tumbling. & it was except it won't be cute 3 days from now when the kids are out there on it & the cubs come back.... People here do not get this....

Anyway I found a video that was put up online tht may give an idea of how many bears are in any one persons yard. the cubs here are seperate from the adult I believe

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see how many people there say "it's kind of cute" & it IS kinda cute until you're taking a nap in that hammock.

but yes I agree that just going and declairing any animal a danger is ridiculas.

 

[kettleCreeker]

Boy does this bring back bad memories. We live deep in the mountains of PA, and there are all kinds of wild things living around us. We had 36 chickens 2 years ago - several different breeds, and some that were real pets. Anyway, it was April, and I happened to get up at 5:30, and looked out the window to the coop. The door was open, so I yelled to my husband, and we both ran down and out to the coop. The door, a heavy door with bracing on the back, was split from top to bottom. There was the biggest pile of bear scat ever right in front of the coop. Well, the bear killed more than half the flock. It ate the chickens and piled the wings up in the middle of the floor. There were pieces of our chickens everywhere. We were sick. Only 4 big chickens survived by hiding in the nesting boxes, and the rest were bantams. And we never heard a thing!

Now that they've gotten a taste of chicken in your case, you may have problem with them again. The bear that did ours in came back the next night - he was huge - and my husband was waiting for him. He made him very uncomfortable, didn't kill him, but the bear left and never came back. The electric fence is a great idea, and one of the fellas up here uses it to keep the wildlife, bears included, out of his grapes. Good luck. We know how you feel

 

[panner123]

You have mail. Forgot an electric fence has now become a necessity. The bear will be back.

 

[jbieware]

I hate to hear that..I live in a small community in TN and the older men swear we have no black bears in the area, but after finding bear scat about 150 yards from the house and my compost pile completely destroyed, I beg to differ. I now have a missing hen, 7 orphaned chicks and am wondering if the bear is my problem. Hope you find a solution to protect your livestock and the bears. Good luck.

 

[SterlingAcres]

Quote:
Agreed. We had rabbits back when I was a kid. The bear tore the cage apart and got all but one... but he came back a few times to get ahold of it. You'd think that'd be a difficult meal... demolishing the cage and all.

 

[greyhorsewoman]

Another source of supplies (and they are in western PA, so shipping may be cheaper) is http://www.kencove.com/fence/

These are great folks. We got our electrified poultry fencing from them earlier this year and it is working great. Electric fencing isn't new, it's used for all kinds of livestock everywhere. The electrified poultry netting is fast and easy to put up. You can move it around too, if you just want to set up certain yards.

Poultry fencing may work well for you, as we don't get the kind of snows they are talking about in Alaska. By the time we get snow, the bears are pretty much hibernated.

 

[spook]

Often you will see 4 strands of wire surrounding bee hives! lol, the bears certainly know what is great! Regarding the bear, one way to help your chicken population is to place some of the wire around your coop, then racoons, fox and neighbors dogs are not going to bother the girls.
Good luck and sorry you lost some of your flock.

 

[Mom2Cool]

Hello to all and again THANK YOU all for all the help & the comforting reassurance I've gotten here.


We have had them back here several times though I've caught them prior to actually making it in the yard. While I have been watching very close catching them as they were climbing over or about to climb over was purely luck. This is not really all that odd of an activity for the area I live in & the bears are in such high numbers & have become so accustomed to waiting for "garbage day" they are often in yards etc & we're (the people in my area) very accustomed to chasing them off. There are many who've lost family pets & I imagine live stock too. I know of one person who'd actually lost a horse to one and many have lost pet rabbits etc. I have always had concern but I also had control over my dogs and could protect them somewhat by checking outside prior to letting them out into the back yard.

Anyway the last time they were here we'd luckily had already had the new coop in place & the chickens were secured in it. While I know the claim of it being "preditor proof" does not include bears LOL just as I'd hoped it gave me the time to react to scare them off. Oddly though this time when they came back Mama was no where in site & they are WAY to young for her to have left them. This particular Mama & cubs had been SO visual here that they had their picture in the local paper. I don't know what happened to her, but the last visit fromt the bears was I believe Tuesday. I've actually been waiting because if something has happened to her & they're on their own then the Wildlife Fish & Game will come and take them with them being too young to be on their own.

We've put in the new coop (purchased prior to the bear attack) & they've had the radio on & a baby monitor as well. The bears here are so unafraid of humans now that a radio I don't imagine having too much of an effect as a deterrant & if the food smells good enough they've been known to show up to yard parties here, no kidding! But the radio did sooth the chickens and thank you Panner for the suggestion because they now go to sleep to the sounds of the yankee's playing. We've been in the mean time trying to figure out the best fencing plan & since we had what I think it a weasel practically climbing the coop to try to find a way in last night (thank God for my retrievers for the alert) we're thinking the chicken coop is what we need to target right now.

Panner I have received your email and I thank you SO MUCH for being so helpful! You actually had answered many questions by hubby of the technical stuff. And to everyone else who's been such a wealth of information on this electric fencing & letting me know I'm not the only one who's had to face the feathers of birds just taken thank you so much! you've no idea how much the comfort has meant to me.

Prior to having lost my 2 birds I'd place an order for 6 buff orpingtons with a local poultry store & hubby is picking them up today & so I imagine along with the upset is a day that sees renewed happiness huh?

Oh & I know this probably belongs on another thread & yet I have to wonder if it isn't the shock of what had happened that 1 of my now 11 wk old pullets laid an egg?! I believe it was the black Austrolorp but I don't know this & I understand from reading that they mature early some time but that's said to be between 5 - 6 months old not 3 months. & now that the other barred rock is not crowing like the one who was killed I imagine that he is a she. LOL could it have been her that laid the egg & do they mature early as well? The truama of the attck inspire it or is that just not something that could happen? It was weird.

 

[thewarriorchild]

Quote:
AMEN!!!