Am I paranoid?

[rancher hicks]

I haven't seen any coons, but have seen a possum and we've had skunks. How much effort do possums and skunks and cats make to get at chickens? I have cats but so far they don't seemed to take any notice of the chickens. Though I haven't got them set up for outside yet, but will soon. I have a gate to the big door and I haven't cut the pop hole yet. I had the coop door open today, they haven't figured out yet and they were in a room off our garage and the cats go in and out of the garage. They could get noisy I would've thought the cats could hear them, but the cats didn't seem interested in the door.

 

[silentrunning]

I go out almost every night with my 22. I have "retired" a couple of coons and a opposum over the years. I haven't seen too much lately.

Doug

 

[JupiterFarmer]

At least you don't count heads EVERY time you see them

Mine are locked up safe in the garage for now but when they get there coop I'm more likely to do the baby moniter thing since I don't have trouble save for dogs and hawks. Rest of the kritters are kept away by the dogs surrounding my house

 

[Bizzybirdy]

Hahahahha...I "patrol" 2-3 times EVERY night with my flashlight and my 20g pump...sometimes even in my pj's.

My chickens are all put up now, no scragglers roosting in the trees anymore. What the racoons didn't get I finally managed to catch and trim wings so they cannot fly over the 5' run anymore.

Have shot several possums and racoons but there is still "one more" that killed my white roo the beginning of this week that needs to be dispatched.

Used to have a baby moniter but it finally died so I am really paranoid now.

 

[mmtillman]

Nope.......I dont think you are paranoid at all. I have 4 week old chckens and when they are out in the run, especially just before dark....I dont take my eyes off of them, till they are in the coop!!Dusk is when our predators begin to prowl so we are on alert...Ane yes...my .22 is close by.
Our coop is Fort Knox secure...so dont worry much after bedtime.....But our run is not secure enough yet to suit me ...so this weekend hubby and I will be adding more reinforcements in the way of wire 8 ft high all around...
Nope ....I had a coon/fox attack last year.... and that will make a person very paronoid for sure!!!

 

[ArizonaNessa]

Wow there sure are a lot of gun totin', pajama wearin', chicken owners out there.

 

[beak]

Put them in a concrete bunker and get some sleep.

 

[goobhen]

I do a little walk about the chicken coop before I go to bed each night. Last night I tried to get my dogs to go with me, only one wanted to go, then she conviced two more to go. Jake, a one-eyed Wire Hair Toy Fox Terrier loves my chickens. He is only allowed with them as long as I am with them!! He doesn't try to hurt them, just lick them and roll in their poo (I should change his name to Stinky!) I want at least one dog if it dark out because my husband took the trash out to the road late one night and a deer passed in front of him about two feet away! I check the coop walls each morning to see if anything tried to get in the coop.
Keep viligant! theresa

 

[jenni2142]

I do a head count EVERY time, installed Lexan windows and solar lights to peek at them while they are sleeping. Walk out and check on them after dark very well armed, sometimes drag along hubby for an extra guard. I thought I was normal, now not so sure.

 

[goobhen]

Quote:
That's what I wanted, but DH said it would raise our property tax.
But in my husband's defense, he has made the coop reinforced with hardware cloth. The runs will be covered with chickenwire & the bottom of the fences will have wood covered with more hardware cloth.

Oops, misread your concrete bunker, I just wanted concrete flooring so it would have easier to clean, harder for the wildlife to bother it!!