Are Armadillos Predators?

[Awestruck]

We had just found a group of baby armadillos living in our yard. Are they a danger to chickens? My girls are in a chicken coop and run, with an underground barrier that goes around the bottom of the run for about a foot and a half. I don't know anything about armadillos except one time, about 1 in the morning, I saw one by my garden. I went outside and yelled at it to go away, but it just stood there. I finally got it to move on.

 

[SueT]

No, not a threat to chickens.

 

[SueT]

Well, I just googled it, and people think they might steal eggs and at least one was concerned about chickens.. So I don't know. We've got them here and have not had an issue involving chickens, but they sure do dig holes.
I do know that 9 banded armadillos always have 4 babies of the same sex, formed from one egg.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Armadillos are a danger to your lawn. However an armadillo may dig a hole in your yard that other animals may use to prey on your chickens.

 

[DoodleRoo]

I don't know. I do know they can carry leprosy so I've avoid touching them ...

 

[SueT]

I wanted to add, that the armadillos we have here let you get pretty close before they even notice you and run away. They seem to have poor eyesight. They are focussed on digging, digging, digging. I can't imagine one being able to catch a chicken. I can imagine one inadvertently undermining the fence which would allow predators in.
Here's a pic of one with our cat. This wasn't taken w a zoom lens. I was right there, and it didn't notice us until my hubby pushed it w his foot, and it ran off.

 

[Awestruck]

Like I said, I yelled at this armadillo and it didn't move. I went over to it and somehow, it went out. They really are slow and don't appear to hear well.

 

[aligirl1964]

We had just found a group of baby armadillos living in our yard. Are they a danger to chickens? My girls are in a chicken coop and run, with an underground barrier that goes around the bottom of the run for about a foot and a half. I don't know anything about armadillos except one time, about 1 in the morning, I saw one by my garden. I went outside and yelled at it to go away, but it just stood there. I finally got it to move on.

Armadillos are omnivores. Although they eat bugs and insects, they also eat small mammals. In fact, I recently saw videos that showed an armadillo dragging a newborn lamb and another that was attacking the belly of a newborn calf.

http://tetzoo.com/blog/2020/9/10/predation-and-corpse-eating-in-armadillos