Are there seasons for predator attacks?

[Phx_chicken_mom]

I'm a relatively new chicken momma and we had 7 pretty ladies that free-ranged for the last year and never had a problem until winter...a coyote jumped the fence and snatched my prettiest Snow White lady. It was tragic to see but we because more vigilant about locking them up early evening until the morning. Fast forward to this weekend, and either a bobcat or coyote killed my entire flock...all of them were gone, just piles of feathers all over my yard. We were building this beautiful big new coop and were just about ready to transition them but now we have a pretty coop and no chickens. I didn't realize how devastated I would be and how much joy my ladies brought me and my family.

We are going on our honeymoon next week, so we ordered a bunch of new babies for when we get home and will keep them in the coop...unless we are in the yard with them. I just know me and I hate to keep animals in cages...so even though I don't want them to get killed I want them to enjoy their life.

Anyway...all you experienced chicken folks, do the predators come around more in the winter or all year?

 

[A_Fowl_Guy]

Predators become more fearless in the winter months but attacks can and will happen year round as long as there is a steady and easy food source around. Make sure you have a secure coop and lock them up at night.

 

[Kessel23]

Yes predators come out WAY more often in the winter. The winter makes everything harder for predators and there is less prey, then they get desperate and enter human territory and kill livestock. We had a bob cat come down and hunt feral rabbits a few winters ago. Up until then I was not even aware that they were in the area. Predators travel far looking for food in the winter and they can't afford to be picky.

 

[Trish1974]

For me, predators are year round, certain ones are just worse through certain times of the year. Spring and summer, foxes are horrible here as they are feeding their kits in the spring and teaching them to hunt late summer. Fall and winter, its hawks and eagles. But I live along miles and miles of uninhabited river bottom and woods - which makes for a constant predator load.

 

[A_Fowl_Guy]

For me, predators are year round, certain ones are just worse through certain times of the year. Spring and summer, foxes are horrible here as they are feeding their kits in the spring and teaching them to hunt late summer. Fall and winter, its hawks and eagles. But I live along miles and miles of uninhabited river bottom and woods - which makes for a constant predator load.

Your topography makes a lot of difference too as you said.

 

[Serin]

Free ranging appears to be the normal for chickens, but if I had them I would not let them out of a secure run. Too many things want to eat them.

 

[Wendy Case]

I'm a relatively new chicken momma and we had 7 pretty ladies that free-ranged for the last year and never had a problem until winter...a coyote jumped the fence and snatched my prettiest Snow White lady. It was tragic to see but we because more vigilant about locking them up early evening until the morning. Fast forward to this weekend, and either a bobcat or coyote killed my entire flock...all of them were gone, just piles of feathers all over my yard. We were building this beautiful big new coop and were just about ready to transition them but now we have a pretty coop and no chickens. I didn't realize how devastated I would be and how much joy my ladies brought me and my family.

We are going on our honeymoon next week, so we ordered a bunch of new babies for when we get home and will keep them in the coop...unless we are in the yard with them. I just know me and I hate to keep animals in cages...so even though I don't want them to get killed I want them to enjoy their life.

Anyway...all you experienced chicken folks, do the predators come around more in the winter or all year?

We have a farm in Northeast Oregon and have plenty of snow throughout the winter. We've found over the years that all of our predators definitely cycle through the seasons. Fall, they'll look for easy opportunities to grab food, and winter is when they're preparing/having their young so they'll be out in force... Mainly coyotes.
In the spring ALL the predators are actively seeking food for their young, so putting at LEAST a two foot wide strip of strong gauge narrow fencing around the bottom of your ENTIRE coop and run, doubling up on the corners and attaching to the run and coop is essential to deter them from digging under. They don't like digging so far out so it's a great deterrent, plus it disappears into the ground when grass grows through it, so it's not unsightly either, but make sure you pin it down with strong weed cloth pins around the edges so they can't just pick it up any go under. Our chickens tend to congregate in the corners of the coop and that's a very enticing scent making the predator more inclined to try digging there first. Hence the double wire on the outside corners.
A lot of the predators will follow our tractors as they churn up the ground making rodents more accessible.
If your run walls are less than six foot, you may want to put a strong roof on it.
We have active coyotes, raccoons, skunks, great horned owls (in the barn) as well as hawks. Hope that helps. Spring is your worst predator enemy.
I'm so very sorry you lost all of your hens, that's so upsetting. I lost a beautiful roo to a raccoon last year and it still upsets me to think about it.
Congratulations on your wedding. Enjoy your honeymoon and a fresh start when you get back home.

 

[cmom]

This is the time of year when more predators are out looking for mates so predators seems to be more prevalent. I recently lost some birds to predators. Prior I hadn't lost any birds to predators in several years. I have seen coyotes and fox around a lot. I do have game cameras up in different places on my property. My neighbors also say they think there are more predators around than they have seen in the past. Several years ago I lost a lot of birds to a bobcat and a fox. I caught them both coming back for more. Now I have electric wires around my coops and pens, concrete under the gates and heavy duty netting over the pens. Recently something got one of the gates open to a grow-out coop and pen and killed 2 birds. I'm sure I latched the gate. The next morning when I went out the gate had been messed with again. I have a small piece of wire wired to the gate post on the inside of the gate and when I went out I could tell something had messed with the gate because the wire was now on the outside of the gate. It would take quite a bit of force to get the gate pushed past the wire. This time I had the gate wired shut so nothing was going to open it. I never found the bodies but did find piles of feathers. If you have a game camera put it up. It's likely the predator may be back. Good luck...

 

[Farmgal101]

For me it seems the winter months are the worst!!I've learned to make sure everything is really secure so my chickens arnt prone to predators,especially those winter months.Its a hard month for predators to find food so the chickens are a easy kill if they can get to them!!

 

[cmom]

This is a coyote I have been seeing lately. This is a grow-out coop.

This was some nights ago behind the other coops.