Coyote or?

[dacasodivine]

We live at the end of a dead end road with woods behind us. We are on 2 acres that is cleared. My chickens free range during the day and are locked up at night.

We know there are coyotes out there as we hear them. We have never seen them though.

I am loosing chickens during the day. There have even been occassions where dh and I work outside and do a head count or I feed and do a head count and go out an hour or two later to a missing chicken. Only once did I find feathers at the back of the pasture. Other times, I find no signs at all.

We already have electric around the whole place but not so low that a coyote couldn't get under it. If it is coyotes, would adding a couple strands of electric wire nearer the ground stop them? Of course the chickens may be going into the woods and offering themselves up. I could put some chicken wire around the bottom to keep them in, in conjunction with hot wire.

Whatever it is, never tries to get the chickens when they are in their coop.

 

[The Wolf Queen]

Hawks or Foxes

 

[nnbreeder]

Could be a lot of different culprets. Coyote or Fox comes to mind right off. If you would post what state you are in the people here would have a better idea on what you may be dealing with.

 

[austin12895]

i would guess a hawk...or some other bird of pray...i would think a coyote and fox would leave more evidence

 

[TheBuff]

Keep an eye out for a fox! he is smaller and likes to hunt during the day.

 

[claud]

I'm guessing something from the sky.

 

[dacasodivine]

Oh, sorry. I am in Texas, south of Houston. I don't know that fox are a problem here. I do see hawks but are they big enough to carry off full-sized, full grown chickens?

So, if it is hawks, are there any tricks to get them to leave my chickens alone?

Hawks might explain why my dogs don't go nuts. Not to mention one horse will go after dogs, and probably coyotes.

 

[MysticScorpio82]

My vote is for a fox, because you said you found feathers. Hawks and other birds of prey normally leave no evidance at all. Foxes do hunt during the day...Not sure about coyotes though. Lol I have some in the woods behind my property but I only ever hear them at night.

 

[dacasodivine]

I think hawks is probably right. I've been seeing more recently but didn't think they could take a full grown chicken.

I've only seen feathers once and only a few. It could be something different got that hen. Who knows.

Today we are going to fence their run in again. The horses' dry lot is right next to it. So, I'm wanting to fix it so the chickens can go there too but not out into the pasture. The dry lot has trees and other things the chickens can hide under.

Do the hawks ever give up?

Thanks all.

 

[Namble]

It maybe even a big barn owl. Sometime they hunt in broad daylight.