Bobcat strolling by.....

[WthrLady]

We have mountain lions.

Maybe they were just excited to see something new and different? Who can figure out chickens?!

 

[My1stChickens]

Bobcats are a different animal. Smaller than a mountain lion (15-40 lbs compared to 90+ lbs) and has a stubby tail, and I don't think I've heard of them being aggressive to humans under normal circumstances.

We had a juvenile bobcat walking by the chicken run a few times, but it ran off each time my husband went to confront it. It stopped coming by after a few weeks, haven't seen one since.

Yes, this had the stubby tail, and spotted, almost like leopard. If not for the stubby tail, spots and being so big, it really looked like a cat.

 

[cmom]

Bobcats don't climb fences, they are diggers. Most of the predators here are diggers. I have concrete under my gates and heavy duty netting covering all of my pens as well as the electric wire. This is an older picture and have since added another coop. My husband built these two coops a few years ago as a surprise for me except he didn't enclose one side and before I put the netting up, an owl killed some birds in one of these coops and pens so I put the netting up and the tarps over the open sides of the coops. His heart was in the right place. Remember if you put a wire along the top of your fence but whatever touches the wire must be on the ground to complete the circuit so they will get zapped. A bird could land on the wire and not be zapped because it isn't grounded. The wire is. A four legged critter will get more of a zap because of the four feet on the ground while touching the wire.

 

[cmom]

wow! it's like your birds were tempting that coyote! I could not see, did it hit the hot wire?

Especially in the spring when most of the young are born and when they start venturing out, I have heard critters and by the sound I knew that had tested the electric wire. I think the coyote must have at one time because he didn't get too close.

 

[My1stChickens]

Bobcats don't climb fences, they are diggers. Most of the predators here are diggers. ..............Remember if you put a wire along the top of your fence but whatever touches the wire must be on the ground to complete the circuit so they will get zapped. A bird could land on the wire and not be zapped because it isn't grounded. The wire is. A four legged critter will get more of a zap because of the four feet on the ground while touching the wire.
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Oh! So a wire on the top of the fence would really only shock humans? Not something that climbed the fence-- or simply jumped to the top rail-- and could breach the aviary netting? I'd have a hard time running a hot wire on the outside of the back fenceline-- since it's wooded. I could do the sides....but those already have hardware cloth below the surface, set into concrete. And the front is all metal building, so no issue there.

Might have to rethink that. I was imagining a bobcat coming up the fence, or just jumping to the top rail.

 

[My1stChickens]

ooops, turns out that they can climb and jump over fences 6 feet high. Groan.

 

[Doc7]

Why not just wrap the whole setup in hardware cloth?

Hardware cloth was 80% of my costs for my first build, and the primary driver (size determined by leftover from first roll) for my new addition.

18” apron, no digging, no holes in the entire set up greater than 1/2” (hardware cloth mesh size).

I can stand on top of the cloth in my run. Cat, Coon, dog ... not worried about anything but a black bear which could rip the coop wall off if he wanted to.

 

[Kris5902]

Canadian lynx are good jumpers, also somewhat bigger than bobcats, with oversized paws like little snowshoes... cute little killers! And I’ve met many dogs smaller than their usual prey here... Rabbits are big! I can see them taking out a chicken or chihuahua easy.

I’ve watched plenty of birds perch on electric fences with no ill effects, my father in law is trying to start an alfalfa patch, the wires haven’t helped with the ravens, or the deer! Kept the horses out though...

 

[My1stChickens]

Why not just wrap the whole setup in hardware cloth?

Hardware cloth was 80% of my costs for my first build, and the primary driver (size determined by leftover from first roll) for my new addition.

18” apron, no digging, no holes in the entire set up greater than 1/2” (hardware cloth mesh size).

I can stand on top of the cloth in my run. Cat, Coon, dog ... not worried about anything but a black bear which could rip the coop wall off if he wanted to.[/QUOTE

The sides are already wrapped in hardware cloth, as high as the 4' fence. Adding hardware cloth to the top would certainly make it secure. I'm not sure what sort of support would be needed, but am guessing it would be significant since the pen is approx. 30'x65'.

 

[rosemarythyme]

ooops, turns out that they can climb and jump over fences 6 feet high. Groan.

Yup they can definitely leap, which was my main concern when we didn't even have netting over top. Not that netting would stop it of course.