A coyote found my chickens and I am in a panic

[halo]

Coyotes around here are very used to human scent, they are seen in suburban neighborhoods. Not to mention all the human scent around chicken coops. I set a hav-a-hart trap to try and catch raccoons and all I caught were coyotes. I caught one every night for 4 nights.

 

[cmom]

I would shoot it. I had a fox recently and it came back day after day and managed to kill some of my birds. It wouldn't go into the trap so I shot it. I didn't want to loose any more birds. I had lost 11 birds in three weeks up to that point.

 

[blucoondawg]

Coyotes around here are very used to human scent, they are seen in suburban neighborhoods. Not to mention all the human scent around chicken coops. I set a hav-a-hart trap to try and catch raccoons and all I caught were coyotes. I caught one every night for 4 nights.

Well lucky for you, your coyotes are among the dumbest in the world, around here there is not way you would ever catch one in a havahart or any other box trap, the only possibility would be a pup just old enough to wander away from the den without the mother being that dumb to get into that trap. There is plenty of human scent here as well but there are also plenty of people hunting and trapping them so the get educated. The only way to catch them around here is leghold traps and you have to have well planned sets and make darn sure you don't leave any scent, rubber boots, hip boots or chest waders work best, some even lay down tarps in the areas they have to kneel and work in to set the traps, and even these traps are often busted. The only other good way beside leg traps is neck holds, which is basically a snare which has a stop on it so it doesn't allow for strangulation, but these have to have the right situation to work well and legally.

 

[bobbi-j]

Well lucky for you, your coyotes are among the dumbest in the world, around here there is not way you would ever catch one in a havahart or any other box trap, the only possibility would be a pup just old enough to wander away from the den without the mother being that dumb to get into that trap. There is plenty of human scent here as well but there are also plenty of people hunting and trapping them so the get educated. The only way to catch them around here is leghold traps and you have to have well planned sets and make darn sure you don't leave any scent, rubber boots, hip boots or chest waders work best, some even lay down tarps in the areas they have to kneel and work in to set the traps, and even these traps are often busted. The only other good way beside leg traps is neck holds, which is basically a snare which has a stop on it so it doesn't allow for strangulation, but these have to have the right situation to work well and legally.

x2 Sounds like the ones in our area.

 

[bj taylor]

I have coyotes come up to the chicken run fairly commonly. I have dogs inside the fenced area but I don't want my dogs running the coyotes - I think that's a good way to get a dead dog. even a big dog cannot handle a pack normally - but neither are the coyotes going to come inside the fence.

i'm hoping your terminology "chicken wire" is just a generic term. chicken wire won't keep predators out - only chickens in.

I understand your dilemma w/the ducks staying out. I think the only thing for that is a fence high enough it can't be jumped by dogs or coyotes.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Coyotes are cathemeral, meaning that they are active both during the day and during the night. Any tendency on a coyote's part to be nocturnal is likely an adaptation to the fact that we humans are a daylight loving species so coyotes use the darkness to put one over on us.
If you are sitting in a tree stand it won't take long for you to realize that the woods (and fields) are full of mangy coyotes.

Coyotes have even developed sophisticated strategies to stalk, lure, kill, and eat not so little fu-fu dogs in the presence of the dogs owner, all without the owner realizing in time that something was up.

 

[cmom]

Quote:
I have yet to catch one in a have-a-heart type trap. I have set them out and re-baited for weeks to no avail. I did get possums and skunks in the have-a-heart type trap. My last catch was with leg traps.

 

[eleaf]

I have yet to catch one in a have-a-heart type trap. I have set them out and re-baited for weeks to no avail. I did get possums and skunks in the have-a-heart type trap. My last catch was with leg traps.

You'd have better luck using a rabbit call and a gun than a have-a-heart trap. Leg traps are best for population control, and hunting them with a call is better than a have-a-heart trap. After the song dogs have been educated, they will avoid a call.

 

[cmom]

Quote:
The leg traps worked with one of the birds they killed. My DH wanted to bait with a live bird.

 

[dylster]

You could fenc eit again so it is twice as thick and lock thje chickens in at night!!!!!!!