Bears?

[Katfar]

Something has been getting into the bucket that I keep extra feed in. This has happened during the day. We have a bear in the neighborhood, so I wondered if it could be the culprit, and if is, how big of a danger are my ladies in?​

 

[Hamiam]

Welcome to BYC. I’ve heard other BYC say that an electric fence/ wire is a necessity when you live in an area with bears. I keep my feed in a metal trash can with a very tight rubber type bungee cord attached from handle to handle. You could set up a game camera to see what your dealing with. However, better to be proactive & prepare for a bear. You can use the search forums for past discussions about predators & bears. Also, add your location to your profile & visit your state thread to find others who deal with the type of predators in your area.

 

[Katfar]

Thanks for the reply. I’m from West Virginia. We don’t have a lot of bears around us, but every few years, we’ll have one come through the neighborhood. No sign of him trying to get into the coop and it doesn’t eat the food after he turns it over.

 

[doodledo]

I was told the bears wont hurt the chickens unless the chickens wont let the bear near the food, which I doubt will happen. If you feed black oil seeds, bears love them. Keep them in a sealed container and make sure that the bear cant smell them.