Best idea to keep my chickens safe

[dogkennelcoop]

I have a couple of questions
1st should I get a roster to help protect my flock
2nd what is the best way to keep coyotes away from my birds

 

[ChickNanny13]

Don't think a Rooster would prevent a coyote but would probably 'warn' you. A secure fenced run with coop would really help, maybe a dog to alert you? For sure a rifle & practice. I live on the Big Island of Hawaii, hence we don't have the predator problems you all do. We do have our Hawaiian Hawks, mongoose, dogs and cats...Guess we're "lucky" in that sense.

Good luck & enjoy your birds.

 

[OrganicFarmWife]

I personally find a rooster invaluable to help protect my free-range hens. He keeps them togeather, and watches over them. If they are not free range, the need goes down considerably.
A rooster will not be able to keep a coyote away (he really could not keep much away, but there is protection in numbers).
For coyotes you really need a couple of good dogs. But even dogs can fall prey to coyotes.
We have many coyotes, weasles, raccoons, ect. My set-up is: The chicken have the Rooster and a fairly secure coop. Then there is the farm cats, who have access to everything and are good hunters (lost most of my juvenile birds this spring to those hunters so beware). Next is the Dog, I am looking for another. A good breed helps, like Great Pyrenees or a Shepard. A good smart dog will not fall for a coyotes tricks, if the coyote can get the dog to chase it, they can kill the dog. Coyotes avoid human habitation, so the buildings themselves protect the dogs.

 

[ChickNanny13]

OrganicFarmWife 100% correct on all counts.

 

[GodofPecking]

1st should I get a roster to help protect my flock
2nd what is the best way to keep coyotes away from my birds

If the rooster knows how to use a shotgun this will work in the daytime, at night however, chooks are blind. You will always find it easy to catch your chooks, or trim their feathers, or heal their wounds, at night.

Good cages made of secondhand materials. Secondhand materials, those you can find or ask for, are always better, bigger, stronger than new materials which are ALWAYS limited to your budget. Free materials can be any size and strength you want them to be, really. Build a coop that you cannot kick down yourself, make a cage within a cage so that nothing can reach in at night and touch the chickens, and you're done. I use a lot of rigid supermarket shelving and fridge shelves in my coop. You can't buy things that strong. They fit nicely into the doors and walls between secondhand timber uprights. Timber from old pallets.


Let's see your coyotes chew through this stuff. It's free, thrown out by supermarkets on a regular basis.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/kruer-pallet-scrap-coop

this is far too much work, but has one picture of a nice pallet for the wood.

 

[Macis Papa]

Electric fence

 

[KeMe]

This morning I had this very thought.
I keep my 12 girls (Golden Laced Wyandottes) locked in a very secure shed at night and every morning after daylight I let them our to their 10'X10' play yard with a 6' high fence and a canopy to protect them from .
We usually let them out of their play every evening for about 2 hours so that they can explore and enjoy the freedom around our house. We don't want the girls to be out too soon because they might attract neighbor hood dogs, feral cats and whatever else that hides in the woods. I really didn't want them to run out to the road.
This morning I accidentally didn't shut the gate and all of my girls got out. When I noticed that they were out, I ran outside, flapped my arms trying yelling "Here Chick, Chick" to shoo them back into their play yard. I got all of the of them in except for 3. When I would get them near the gate, I had to open the gate for them to get in when 2 more girls ran out. I would get some of them back into their yard and others got out. I ran around the yard for over 30 minutes flapping my arm and trying to get them back in. (Now, I'm a slightly over weight 71 year old woman) When I was totally exhausted, out of breath, and absolutely fried, I had quit chasing them. So the girls had a wonderful day out. I kept watching them every so often and counting beaks. They all went back into the hen house when it got dark. All of them were home, safe and sound. Whew.
We still got 5 eggs and I'm pretty sure they are scrambled eggs.

I really thought about what would be the best way to keep them safe is they get out again.
Kay

 

[OrganicFarmWife]

This morning I had this very thought.
I keep my 12 girls (Golden Laced Wyandottes) locked in a very secure shed at night and every morning after daylight I let them our to their  10'X10'  play yard with a 6' high fence and a canopy to protect them from .
We usually let them out of their play every evening for about 2 hours so that they can explore and enjoy the freedom around our house. We don't want the girls to be out too soon because they might attract neighbor hood dogs, feral cats and  whatever else that hides in the woods. I really didn't want them to run out to the road.
This morning I accidentally didn't shut the gate and all of my girls got out. When I noticed that they were out, I ran outside, flapped my arms trying yelling "Here Chick, Chick" to shoo them back into their play yard. I got all of the of them in except for 3. When I would get them near the gate, I had to open the gate for them to get in when 2 more girls ran out.  I would get some of them back into their yard and others got out. I ran around the yard for over 30 minutes flapping my arm and trying to get them back in. (Now, I'm a slightly over weight 71 year old woman)  When I was totally exhausted, out of breath, and absolutely fried, I had quit chasing them. So the girls had a wonderful day out. I kept watching them every so often and counting beaks. They all went back into the hen house when it got dark. All of them were home, safe and sound. Whew. 
We still got 5 eggs and I'm pretty sure they are scrambled eggs. 

I really thought about what would be the best way to keep them safe is they get out again.
Kay

A dog would protect them. Also you might invest in some corn. Chickens can be onery to chase, but they are easy enough to lure. Throw some corn around them and then dump a pile in the middle of the pen, they will be quick to follow.

 

[GodofPecking]

This morning I had this very thought.
I keep my 12 girls (Golden Laced Wyandottes) locked in a very secure shed at night and every morning after daylight I let them our to their 10'X10' play yard with a 6' high fence and a canopy to protect them from .
We usually let them out of their play every evening for about 2 hours so that they can explore and enjoy the freedom around our house. We don't want the girls to be out too soon because they might attract neighbor hood dogs, feral cats and whatever else that hides in the woods. I really didn't want them to run out to the road.
This morning I accidentally didn't shut the gate and all of my girls got out. When I noticed that they were out, I ran outside, flapped my arms trying yelling "Here Chick, Chick" to shoo them back into their play yard. I got all of the of them in except for 3. When I would get them near the gate, I had to open the gate for them to get in when 2 more girls ran out. I would get some of them back into their yard and others got out. I ran around the yard for over 30 minutes flapping my arm and trying to get them back in. (Now, I'm a slightly over weight 71 year old woman) When I was totally exhausted, out of breath, and absolutely fried, I had quit chasing them. So the girls had a wonderful day out. I kept watching them every so often and counting beaks. They all went back into the hen house when it got dark. All of them were home, safe and sound. Whew.
We still got 5 eggs and I'm pretty sure they are scrambled eggs.

I really thought about what would be the best way to keep them safe is they get out again.
Kay

This is so very very simple to fix. You haven't tried to train your chooks to come when called. When you give them kitchen scraps or any food that excites them, make a whooping sound most of the time that they are excited and you are there, especially at the start when you dump it on the ground. Do that on 10 feeding occasions and they come when you make the sound. Easiest thing in the world. Then, if you have a freezer, keep a loaf of old bread in there, when you want them in, thaw the bread in the microwave and throw it bit by bit on the floor of the coop, making the whooping sound. They'll all run right in and you can close the door. This is the easiest thing in the world to do, just give it a go.

 

[wamtazlady]

The first year I had pullets I would say "here, chicky" every time I gave them treats or food. My neighbor took the girls for the winter because we are snowbirds. Got home in the spring having been gone for six months. Noticed my neighbor was free ranging the chickens. I yelled "here, chicky". All 6 of my girls came running across the field to come home.