A New Gun

[coolcanoechic]

Thanks everyone for the good advice. I certainly don't plan to shoot at any bears...lol

. I know it would only tick them off. I have frightened off the black bear before just by hollering and banging pots and pans together. The noise usually does the trick.
The coop and run have been built very tight and rugged and should be enough to keep the predators out, but if ever needed, I have the gun for a back up. It does have a very good scope on it, and so far it seems very accurate. There is a local gun club nearby where I can get some practice and learn to be safe with a weapon. I plan to join.

 

[FarmerRob]

Does that "tight coop and run" include a generous amount of electric offsets? If not then I think you are missing the most important component in making your coop and run into Fort Knox for poultry. I recommend an energizer of at least 6 joules released (BTW "joules released" is the only reliable way to compare units--all that junk about miles of fence, joules stored, or worse yet acres is just a lot of hooey.) Electric is purely a psychological deterent so you want a good strong fence charger so that you will make a serious impression the first time they stick their wet nose up to it.

I have High Tensil smooth wires, offset from the 10/48/3 fixed knot woven wire main fence, starting at 3" from the ground and another one every 6-8 inches all the way up. The woven covers the sides and top of the run--cheaper 2x4x48 is used above the fixed knot and over the top. Old 2x4x48" woven is laid flat and anchored down on the ground, and covered with a little dirt, around the outside of the fence--that prevents digging. Also took some orange-PVC-4'-safety-barrier-fence and twisted it round and round and laid it all around the coop and run and anchored it. When snakes try to get in and eat your eggs or baby chicks they will get caught trying to crawl through the orange maze. (4'x100' rolls are available through Home Depot, Amazon, and lots of other places. Just unroll the material, get a person on each end and twist in opposite directions to form a tangled tube of orange webbing--then anchor all the way around the coop and run. You will probably be surprised at how many snakes show up.

As you can see I believe in over-kill. Too much is never enough. However, nothing gets to my poultry and my eggs but me. I am sure a determined large bear or human could defeat any barrier but most are not determined enough to bother. They just move along and look for an easy meal somewhere else.

 

[Ole rooster]

I am another vote for the 10-22. Unreal little rifle. I have a cheap Redfield scope on mine and at 50 yards it will hit a squirrel in the head every shot. But one of the things I am so fearful of is folks that shoot without very little thought of after the kill, where is the bullet headed?

And a shotgun. Don't have one and don't want one. I'm not a world class shot, but if I can't kill it with one shot I won't shoot at it. To me the only time to use a shotgun is in your house against someone standing in you door with the intent of harm to you or yours. Then let er fly.

 

[7L Farm]

Quote:
I use to have the same thoughts. I didn't wanna see animals suffer from a poorly placed shot. But when it comes down to me shooting Feral Hogs I could care less where I hit him I just wanna put some lead in him & as many of his friends as possible.

 

[Lollipop]

Quote:
I use to have the same thoughts. I didn't wanna see animals suffer from a poorly placed shot. But when it comes down to me shooting Feral Hogs I could care less where I hit him I just wanna put some lead in him & as many of his friends as possible.

And as big of chunks of lead as possible........Pop

 

[dirtydozen]

When it comes to predators, I am not totally consumed of making a one shot kill shot. Back in August, one the neighbors Pitbulls came to visit my chickens for his sport of killing. When I caught him he was chasing a hen and I took his back legs out with 00 buckshot because I didnt want to hit the hen. Once he stopped, I put him out of our misery. In my area, I use mostly a shotgun with heavy shot instead of a solid bullet because of the population around my house. I dont enjoy shooting domestic dogs but I have a need to protect my birds and livestock.

 

[OC closet chicken fan]

probably easier to get something within this year because if you live in California... some new gun laws are going to take affect i think next year or so... "long guns" will be treated like a hand gun and you'll have to register and do all that fun red tape stuff... all those fees will likely go up to for the background checks and etc...

anywho good luck... i wish i could be in the market for some firearms too but with threats of layoffs and 'reorganization' at work...who knows...

 

[coolcanoechic]

Quote:
I have no electric fencing, but my other half and I are both builders. We also have creativity. I spent long hours reading all about protection on this great website. We spared no expense on the materials. It is strong, tight, and will last for a very long time. There will be no digging under...it has a solid pressure treated floor of 2 by 8's across the entire bottom. It is double lined with both chicken wire and half inch hardware cloth stapled in every inch around every piece overlayed with 2 by again which is screwed in securely. The entire thing is overkill all the way around. After seeing what a weasel did to my brothers chickens, there is not even a one inch hole to get through. Every door and window has two bolted locks held closed with a beaner. I feel pretty confident that it will be safe.
I have already seen evidence of something trying to dig under the coop. The hole measures about 3 inches in diameter. I think it might be a weasel. Wont he be surprised when he can find no way in! However, the chipmonk living under there might be surprised

Anyhow, like you, we prefer overkill too. If critters get to be a problem, we may just go with an electric fence. It is written in my notes in the back of my mind for furure reference....

 

[coolcanoechic]

Quote:
That thought has crossed our minds.

 

[dwhite]

I have a 22, I was thinking about picking up a Mini-30 to use instead, but I think 7.62 might be overkill.