Bear Flipped over coop

[589205]

How about original/regular Pine Sol?
Source:
https://pestpointers.com/will-essential-oils-deter-bears-3-things-you-should-know/

 

[Cathy Roberts]

I'm so sorry for your loss and destruction. I wish you well when and if you get more chickens. Please be careful, whatever you do.

 

[Chick-mama]

Awe how devastating so sorry for your loss.

 

[papajoesfarm]

Hi Bobo. Sorry to hear about your coop and your flock. I'm a from a Colorado family, last lived in Englewood before I retired and then moved to Florida. I remember, all to well, how we always had to protect our livestock from both bears and mountain lions. In Colorado, you can live in a Denver suburb like HIghlands Ranch, , and wake up to see either one lying on your outside deck. Between you and your motor vehicle.

I haven't read all of the previous responses, but what I would advise is to:

1) Build a strong coop. 4x4 posts set in concrete, elevate floor with 3/4" plywood floor. Surround the coop on all sides with hardware cloth, before you add the side panels and roof. Use steel panels for the roof.

2) If you build a run, same construction. Use landscape ties set 2' in ground in concrete, 2x4 framing. Hardware cloth around all, use a solid wood door for entry with heavy duty gate lock. Roof same as coop - steel paneling.

3) Build a good solid electric fence around it all, use a plan designed for cattle. Do NOT use poultry netting - too weak a charge for large animals. Solar chargers work great in Colorado .You actually have more sunny days than we do here in FLorida- I used them when I lived there. Hang a couple of trail cameras - you want to see what is coming around at night, and at what times.

4) Take up all the food at night. I take up all my bell feeders every night and lock them in a box I built from 2x4's and metal paneling. Also, be sure that the poultry operation isn't near any trash or garbage cans. You may have a neighbor that is doing something that is attracting them, as usually they don't want to be around humans. The one that tore your place up seems to have lost it's fear of people. If so, the Wildlife Officers need to get involved, dart it, and it relocate it, before someone gets hurt.

As to those that our concerned about the bears, don't be. I love animals, have many on our homestead here, but I will never put the welfare of a wild animal over that of my family or livestock. That bear will attack you without reservation, if it thought it could get some food out of you.

 

[mautri]

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

Omg! I'm so sorry. Raising Chickens for that reason is the hardest part. The predators seem to always win. Our chicken yard is so ugly with all the wire wrapped around it. Something could get in if they really tried. So frustrating.

 

[Mtn Margie]

HOT WIRE, HOT WIRE, HOT WIRE!!!! It works great if installed correctly. Get a charger that can work on batteries or solar or plugin, that way when the spring storms hit and you lose power for who knows how long, the VERY hungry bears will leave your coop alone. I know this from experience! You will have to water your grounding rod in the fall to keep the Very Hungry bears away, too.

http://www.bearsmart.com/managing-communities/electric-fencing/

 

[Snooky doodle]

This bear has a taste for chicken now and will be back! A friend had a black bear circling his house for a few days and ended up inside the chicken coop at midnight! A .357 magnum solved that problem quick!!

 

[Snooky doodle]

HOT WIRE, HOT WIRE, HOT WIRE!!!! It works great if installed correctly. Get a charger that can work on batteries or solar or plugin, that way when the spring storms hit and you lose power for who knows how long, the VERY hungry bears will leave your coop alone. I know this from experience! You will have to water your grounding rod in the fall to keep the Very Hungry bears away, too.

http://www.bearsmart.com/managing-communities/electric-fencing/

That's what I use-I spray around the grounding rod and fence so it it be wet at night for a good shock! No predators yet with this method. Electric wire is cheap and you can run it anywhere.

 

[ShiviBear]

Oh no! I am so so sorry for your loss!

Last year a bear ate a neighbors goat right in front of them! That bear wasn't scared of anything or anybody, no reaction to loud noises, lights, clapping etc...
A bear that eats livestock is a Level 3 nuisence bear and is considered to be an immediate threat to human safety according to NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife.
Unfortunately, the only way an effort can be made by NJ DF&W to capture and kill said bear is if the owner of the livestock killed/harmed reports the incident.
And our neighbors were staunch anti bear hunt advocates and actually blamed their freaking goat for getting too close to the bear as it was rummaging the compost pile.
Crazy...the whole neighborhood was on edge that whole summer, never letting kids out of their sight as the bear definitely lingers around where easy food is available. We saw him on and off all summer.
If he ever did anything like that on our property, my brother in law would absolutely shoot him. I would too if I knew how.


BUT...an electric fence IS a great way to keep them out. A bear destroyed our beehive a few years ago and we put up an electric fence...hasn't touched it since, and obviously is still around.


I carry bear spray pretty much ever time I am in the woods and if I'm alone on the property. I practice with it and am confident I can use it correctly if the situation arises.
There are ALOT of bears here in NJ, and I see a minimum of 10 every summer hiking/camping. Most are weary of humans...some aren't though.

Our mayor outlawed yearly population balancing bear hunts on public land recently, I'm sure there will be many more bear incidents in the coming years.
He did so even though a young man was killed and eaten by a bear in 2014 and nuisence bear reports are on a steep incline.

Bear spray aka bear mace is considered 98% effective against bear attacks if used correctly.

I'd feel more comfortable with bear mace AND an appropriate gun, but do not know how to use said gun so am sticking to bear mace and it does make me feel safer.

 

[ThatTeowonna]

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 have that same coop and I know it is heavy. I heard a wildlife expert from Alaska on a podcast just this week say that the only way to prevent bears from getting your chickens is to use an electric fence. Preferably 2 lines and definitely enough voltage for it to sting. Good luck.