This used to be my stance on the matter as well. I have changed my mind largely because I don’t want a coyote anywhere near the small people who are not allowed to free range unsupervised lol. I also think that the coyotes have a buffet in other parts of the property where the kids, chickens and dog don’t hang out. This also gives the deer a safe place to hang out too. If the coyotes want to eat on my property they have plenty of options that aren’t my chickens. And I won’t follow them there. I think that’s a pretty good deal given that lots of people are demolishing forest and selling land to make way for condos and trailer parks.
I haven’t either. I need to look into this. I know black bears can but the branches that will hold a chicken/cat most certainly will not hold a full grown bear. Also I haven’t heard of bears actively hunting chickens. Usually they are after the chickens’ food. But that’s a different topic lol.
I'm really sorry about all of this, especially the loss of your hen! Though coyotes are typically nocturnal, yeah they can come out in the day. Thankfully it's rare, but I know that dealing with this along with the fear of if-he-comes-back is tough!This really is just not how I was hoping this week would start so any words of support would be greatly appreciated as I sit with this
Keep us posted if you can!
This is interesting. I wonder if country cats fare better because the ones around me sure seem to. They aren’t exactly domesticated indoor cats but I think they are rescues that have been dropped off (there is a backstory but I’m not sure it matters). Having adopted feral cats I can safely say they are so much more skittish than your average house cat and I wonder if that attributes to the kill rate.
