Bear Flipped over coop

[Mtnboomer]

So if I understand correctly, a bear can come into your yard and you cannot defend yourself. The bear can just have you or your loved one for dinner?

A bear simply being in your yard is not a threat. In VA a bear is like a burglar. You cant shoot it out of hunting season unless you are in imminent danger (in your house). If you do, BIG TROUBLE.

DNR won't come out on the first report. They will tell you to eliminate temptation fitst (ex.unsecured trash). They may suggest bear spray or pepper spray. But if your expecting them to rush out, dart the bear, and relocate it, think again. That only happens after weeks of issues.
We had a 300lb bear at 10ft last spring. Unnerving to be sure but a few loud shouts and it turned away. In the last 20yrs ive had countless bear encounters and none of them were dangerous if you exercise caution and common sense.

I live in bear country and you get used to them being around and you must take precautions. All livestock feed is locked in our garage, trash is locked inside a wooden crate, my coop is overbuilt for strength and elevated Etc.

This time of year (spring-early summer) is the worst for bear encounters. Newly emerging bears are hungry and need to recoop calories as soon as possible. Come june/july last years cubs get turned away from their mothers and are on their own gor the first time. They look for whatever easy mesl they can come across.
Dont panic. Keep calm. There is rarely a need to shoot one and if you do you're likely to end up in more TROUBLE.

 

[Mtnboomer]

That bear is a danger to person and property. I would hope you could protect yourself with more than .12 gauge bird shot.
Like maybe double ought buck shot?

A bear after chickens is not considered a threat to people. To shoot a bear it must be at that time after you or another person. Shootibg a bear in your yard after a bird feeder for example is not a threat.
Dangerous yes. Use common sense and dont go outside or go out safely and scare it off with a load noise (ex air horn, pots and pans etc) but if you shoot it, and get caught, you will be the one in trouble.
Some states sllow for the defense of livestock but they also have specific definitions of what livestock is. Often its sn income based resource. So do your research before opening fire.

 

[Myheartsezyes]

Bear flipped over our coop. Ate 4 but 2 managed to survive. Sadly our pullets didn't make it. Based on the the tracks I'd say 175-225 lbs bear.View attachment 2655611

I’m so sorry . That is the same exact coop I have too.

 

[NorthwoodsChick]

I'm so sorry that you are going through this but posts like this one makes me soooo glad we retired to Missouri.

Yes, we have black bears in the southern half of the state that have been sighted as close as the next county over, yes, we have cougar. In fact one was killed less than a mile and a half away from our farm by Amish hunters when the animal acted in a threatening manner towards them. We also have Bobcats, more fox than we can count and raccoons that are always looking for a free meal.

When a fox decimated local flocks (except for mine which are kept behind a hot wire and inside a metal clad coop) I called the Conservation guy for the area and in his no nonsense manner said Chickens are livestock. The fox is threatening and killing live stock SHOOT IT!

Even the cougar, which was a protected animal, was threatening humans so the men acted in self defense.

Honestly, I don't know what's become of this world where 'harming a bear' becomes more of an issue than what the bear could potentially do to human life.

Don't mess around with this animal. Call the game warden people, show them the game camera pictures and tell them to do their job and get rid of this animal one way or another.

Please be safe.

Agreed. We have an exploding wolf population in UP of MI. A wolf pair was killed for aggression toward humans by a DNR official and it is going to the State for review. A friend of mine had a Newfinland (aka huge dog) killed by wolves, only the head was left so he buried it...the wolves came back so he killed them. He has 9 children...gotta protect human life over any protected animal, even if it is not popular among activists. Glad to hear that chickens are considered livestock.

 

[Tashua]

Sorry to hear that. We also have to deal with bears regularly so totally understand issues that come with living in bear country.
Only thing i can say is that there is nothing that is totally bear proof. I over-built my coop just because of the bears. They have tried to get in several times but, knock on wood, no such luck. Make it as difficult as possible and it should deter most bears unless they are particularly determined.
I elevated my coop 32" off the ground to help prevent bears from getting leverage.
Good luck in the future hopefully this will be the last bear attack.

Looks like on 4x4’s in the ground as well . We sunk ours about 2 feet into the ground as well .

 

[Krugerrand]

Bear noses are pretty picky.
Perhaps try hot pepper plants or hot pepper spray around your coop.

After pepper spray sits, it can become an attractant for bears.

 

[Capto Veritas]

Bear flipped over our coop. Ate 4 but 2 managed to survive. Sadly our pullets didn't make it. Based on the the tracks I'd say 175-225 lbs bear.View attachment 2655611

Oh my goodness! I am so sorry! I have the exact same coop as you.

 

[Butchers Wife]

Sorry about the loss.

We had a bear get one of our pullets last year. Luckily it did not destroy anything. I make sure to take the feed out of the run each night. I don't want to encourage them to come close to the coop or our house.

Chickens are the feed.

 

[Mtnboomer]

Looks like on 4x4’s in the ground as well . We sunk ours about 2 feet into the ground as well .

4x4s cemented 28" into the ground to get below frost depth. Not an easy job in the mountains but necessary

 

[Averyloveschickens]

Oh no, I am so sorry!!! That is so sad. Are the 2 that survived harmed at all? I am very sorry, my fellow chicken friend. And you're right, the coop is heavy, i have the exact same one. Now I'm nervous because there was just a bear spotted a few days ago about a mile from where i live. We have chickens, bees, and lots of woods, so I'm very concerned. My chickens are in a coop, in the fence, with an electric fence around it, but the electric fence isn't strong enough to stop a bear. Its for raccoons and dogs and things like that. Does anyone have any suggestions? We also have a motion sensor light, but I'm not sure if that will scare a bear away. Ours are black bears, and its the 2nd one spotted in my city in a couple years. I am very protective of my chickens and i will do what i have to do to keep them safe, so if anybody has any good, stupid, or wild ideas to keep them safe, I'd love to hear em.