Coydogs What to Do?

[zazouse]

Quote:
WATCH THE HOT WIRE!

 

[woodmort]

Please stay on topic.​

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

Please stay on topic.​

 

[MSH]

not sure this is the best place to post this but I had a coydog and she was the smartest dog I ever had or met lol just thought I'd say she was a genius at getting into and out of all kinds of pens and her daughter is just as smart lol the only thing I found to keep them out of the chicken pen and into their own was the welded pens you can get at lowes

 

[Ariel301]

I have a good friend who owned a female coydog, and it was able to have puppies, unlike many hybrid animals (like mules) which are sterile. It was crossed with Australian Shepherd, and that was one great herding dog. There are people who breed them on purpose, and sometimes it just happens by accident on a ranch; when I was in high school the local sheep farm had a real problem with coyotes and wolves both mating their female sheepdogs if they were loose when in heat. They raised a good number of these hybrid puppies and gave them away. In Arizona, there is also a big problem with packs of feral domestic dogs and hybrids, people are dumping dogs and dog/wolf hybrids in rural neighborhoods when they no longer want them, and they are forming packs and going after livestock. After a few generations, many of them LOOK like coyotes, but off-color. Whichever it is that you're dealing with, feral dogs, coyotes, and hybrids are very smart.

But back on topic...

Human urine won't deter predators. My husband tried it, all around the chicken pen, the goat pens, the hay area, and the vegetable garden. (He heard that it would repel rabbits and chipmunks and coyotes...) We still had all sorts of animals prowling around.

Having a dog won't necessarily keep the coyotes away, unless they are well fed, timid, and small. In Arizona and Colorado, it's not unusual to have dogs killed by coyotes. One dog, under a hundred pounds, against a pack of coyotes, does not have a chance if the coyotes are bold and/or hungry. A large dog might keep away single coyotes or packs that are not desperate to eat, but a really hungry pack will kill a dog.

Your best bet is an enclosure that the coyotes can't get in. I have had good luck using chainlink with chicken wire over it, and burying the chicken wire about a foot deep along the fence. The chicken wire keeps the birds from squeezing through the chainlink, which is usually sturdy enough to keep coyotes out. If you have a secure coop, shut the birds in it at night, when the coyotes are most active. If you can do so without getting in trouble, shoot the coyotes when you see them.

 

[cafarmgirl]

Quote:
x2. It's not hard to make a secure chicken coop/run and it's a lot less time consuming and a lot less irritating then constantly trying to trap or shoot whatever is getting into your coop. Personally I just don't have the time and patience for all that. A few strands of strategically placed hot wire does wonders for keeping all kinds of nasty critters away from your chicken enclosure, again, easy and cheap enough to do. Don't depend on it alone, your coop/run should be strong in and of itself. The hot wire should just be insurance.

I've kept chickens way to many years and I've only lost two to a coyote and that was way back with my first flock and while they were free ranging. Since then I keep my birds safe and I've had not one loss to any predator.