Bobcat prevention, suggestions????

[workaholic90]

Howdy ya'll so I just went outside to bring the girls some treats and saw a bobcat walking on the top of the fence. He was trying hard to figure out how to get to the girls (**** that thing was scary). Putting a clear roof on once winter is over here in Colorado which is at the end of May so in the meantime I need a cheapish fix. Was thinking to put nails on top or barbed wire. I attached a pic of the setup so you can see what I am working with. The soccer netting has been great for hawks and eagles but this is a first for a friggin' bobcat to be walking around the top of it.

Thanks

 

[azelgin]

Wow, I don't see a quick fix for this setup. He probably went home to invite his family over for chicken dinner. I'm pretty sure barbed with won't discourage him. Nails? Maybe. I really like electric fencing, but my runs are covered and too high to jump on top of. My electric wire runs around the runs, at 6", 18" and 36" from the ground. Keeps them discouraged from climbing the run walls.

 

[workaholic90]

Well how about I just run some electric wire on the top?

 

[azelgin]

You'll need to run two wires. One hot, one for a ground. They need to be close enough together for the cat to touch both at the same time. If the cat gets shocked, it won't be back. My charger puts out 20,000 volts. It will make you pee your parts. My dog touched it and didn't stop running until he made it to Mexico.

 

[drjulian]

Actually we had one go through 2 electric fences without slowing down. 5,000 volts. I think the motion controlled sprinklers are more reliable if set up properly.

 

[azelgin]

Actually we had one go through 2 electric fences without slowing down. 50,000volts. I think the motion controlled sprinklers are more reliable if set up properly.

Most likely, they didn't get grounded. Dry soil and thick fur are good insulators. Charges work so well on horses, because of their four metal feet. What brand/model charger are you using? I run long distances on my fences and would like to have as much zap available as possible. That's the main reason I use a plug in model. The battery and solar models just don't push the voltage needed for long distance.
I did have a coyote get tangled between the hot wire and barbed wire one day. He hasn't returned for another look at the chickens.
The predators in my area that I've actually seen include bobcats, lions (had to eliminate that one), bears, coyotes, raccoons, kotimundi, ring tailed cats, foxes and stray dogs. The Mexican Grey Wolf is returning to our area, but they haven't become a problem, yet.
No problem with hawks. I think the hawks will only kill a meal they can take with them. If they don't kill and run, something eats the hawk.

 

[drjulian]

Quote:

Most likely, they didn't get grounded. Dry soil and thick fur are good insulators. Charges work so well on horses, because of their four metal feet. What brand/model charger are you using? I run long distances on my fences and would like to have as much zap available as possible. That's the main reason I use a plug in model. The battery and solar models just don't push the voltage needed for long distance.
I did have a coyote get tangled between the hot wire and barbed wire one day. He hasn't returned for another look at the chickens.
The predators in my area that I've actually seen include bobcats, lions (had to eliminate that one), bears, coyotes, raccoons, kotimundi, ring tailed cats, foxes and stray dogs. The Mexican Grey Wolf is returning to our area, but they haven't become a problem, yet.
No problem with hawks. I think the hawks will only kill a meal they can take with them. If they don't kill and run, something eats the hawk.

Well we share the similar predator list, and for us you can add snapping turtles and alligators (who can be a BIG problem especially since they are still a protected species here in FL)...the bobcats, generally, avoid our immediate area as they have ample prey available in the surrounding woods and fields without having to get to close to humans, but obviously this is not always the case. The coyotes, however, are a very different story...the will stare you down and dare you to run them off. There are two hawk nests and a bald eagle nest not far from our ducks, but (knock wood) so far they have not been an issue..they (the hawks and eagles) return every year to nest but I guess, there again, there is ample food supply so they ignore the ducks.

I have always said that in a predators eyes, the prey becomes smaller as the food supply diminishes...for example, an alligator will not attack a calf if there are enough fish and turtles around, but once the smaller prey is gone, that calf looks like a whole lot smaller to them.

Regarding our fence energizers, ours are Zareba, (we have a few- the two he went through were a 10 mile and a 3 mile) and I see I mistyped the voltage. More accurately, they are10,500 and 9,000 volts (not 50.000), 50K (police taser voltage) surely would have stopped him (and the cows, horses, goats and me!). Hey that gives me an idea...maybe I should attach a taser to the wire!

All of our fences are closed circuit, which increased the 'zap' substantially. And believe me our fences are weeded and WELL grounded...Anabelle (one of our cows) seems to like the zap from the fence and used to penetrate them until we added 2 ground wires and closed the circuit to ensure she got the full impact.

Fur is a good insulator, true, but here in FL the ground is so damp all of the time. This happened right at the end of our rainy season, so the ground was very, very saturated. Wet foot pads conduct perfectly. (believe me I know, I have had the thrilling experience with rubber boots and double gloves on!)

Now the possibility does exist that he climbed a tree and jumped over the fence(s), as I have seen them jump far and high. But when I finally caught up to him, he went for the fence and was definitely being shocked without reaction to the fence (he did react to the 45, however).

I guess it really depends on a lot of factors, but after this experience, I would not rely on electric fence as a deterrent to these predators.

The sprinkles seem like an option...motion controlled so a burst of water sprays when he approaches. If you squirt the cat with a hose, he will run...so it is probably worth a try, but I would say the only real way to guarantee protection is to have the poultry completely enclosed (sides, top and bottom...predators, particularly cats, will dig under a fence as well).

 

[azelgin]

The most impressive of our first hand encounters was the mountain lion. Our perimeter fences are around five feet tall. She hopped over them as if you or I would step over a door threshold. I didn't want to deal with wounding big cat in the middle of the night, but when she started stalking us on the way back to the house, something needed to be done.
The electric fence wire was originally put inside our barbed wire and field fence, to keep the mules from pushing them over. When they wear their winter coats, the barbed wire isn't much of a deterrent to them. Now, I can run a plain old yellow string anywhere I want them to stay out of. They're so puzzled, when they see us grab the dangerous yellow string (non-energized), and walk under it.
I never would have noticed the bobcat, if the chickens hadn't been raising a ruckus and sticking their heads through the field wire, looking to get eaten. He retreated to the brush, when he caught a glimpse of me. I've seen a couple of others since then, but left them be. The predators know where there is a chicken dinner waiting, so, I'm sure the electric wire has been tested. No worries about anything digging under around here. You have to soak the ground for days, before digging a hole. Gophers don't even try to live here. A five gallon hole produces five gallons of rock, with a little soil between them.
The chicken runs have been wired for 7 years. Something may get in tomorrow, but so far, so good.

 

[jetdog]

Get some carpet tack strips and tack them to the top rail of your run, those things are like razor blades the bobcat if it comes back it will only jump up there one time and get the surprise of it's life.

 

[thomasboyle]

Shotgun shells are pretty cheap! Check with your local animal control to see if you can eliminate the bobcat. I know in CT if you live in a rural area you can legally eliminate any predator that is destroying livestock or property.

I had a bobcat coming around, and I setup an electric net fence. I ran into him personally one night, got within 8 feet of him before I realized he was there. I yelled at him and he ran off. Came back a few minutes later with the shotgun, but he was gone. Never saw him again, in person or on the coop camera. A few weeks later on my way home from work, I witnessed a bobcat running across the road, and he got hit and killed by another car. I am hoping he was my bobcat.