COYOTE !

[chixbvs]

So this morning I'm catching my nap between the 6:15 bus and the 8:15 bus (two kids,different schools) and I hear the dog going crazy in her run. I get up to see what the problem is, run outside in my P.J.'s and socks, and its a coyote SITTING OUTSIDE AND LOOKING IN THE DOOR OF THE CHICKEN COOP!

I almost had a heart attack, made a ruckus, and it ran to the far side of the property. Thank goodness I had not let them out early, they usually are out free ranging all day.

Later, about 8, I look out the window and he's back, watching them walk around in the yard, about 25 feet from them, like he's at a buffet and can't decide what he wants first ! The dog hadn't even spotted him yet ! Out I go again, more noise, threw rocks (I know, not effective, but no "discharge of firearms" are allowed in our community) and my daughter and I herded the unhappy bunch back in to the coop. So although the hens don't like being cooped up, I think he's waiting for me to go to town to come back !

I guess it is inevitable if I let them free range, but we have been lucky so far (chickens arrived in April)

 

[rodandbrandy]

Last night I was out getting the girls fresh water and refilling the feed and just watching them when they all started to go crazy, the hens all came into the fenced area and the roos went out of the fence making lots of noise, I looked and saw a fox about 15 feet from my very angry roo's I yelled and clapped my hands to chase it off but if I had not been there he would have gotten atleast a roo or 2, I was so mad but a fox has got to eat too, time to limit my free range as winter approaches and food gets scarce. To bad chickens are so far down on the food chain

 

[Dodgegal79]

If I were you have a .22 or something there at the window. Next time he is sitting there thinking about how to get in and have breakfast shot him. I have one that does the samething, I walked on the the porch and he was assessing the coop. I paniced and yelled at him and then thought of the gun, so I ran back in and fired and warning shot after him. He hasn't been back but I'm sure he will be.

Sorry noticed the not discharge of firearms, maybe a pellet gun or something, they don;t make noise. You need something that will scare him away. I would be worried about the kids there too. Here in Vancouver there have been kids being attacked by coyotes.

 

[SpottedCrow]

Airsoft will work...
I have one
I heard coyotes this afternoon around 2:30, just a couple of minutes before all the neighbourhood kids get home from school.
I heard 3 yapping and howling and all the dogs were doing nuts...But for some strange reason, only Obelisk and I heard them...

 

[ChickyPooh]

A have a gamo shadow pellet gun that makes almost no noise. People had it on the TV the other day and they were killing hogs with a special round.
1000 feet per second, on one cock, its pretty bad.

 

[Rainman]

Poison it

 

[erinm]

one of your own animals could get to the poison before the coyote. Chemicals are not always a good thing.ErinM

 

[nnbreeder]

So just how big is the fine for discharging a firearm? Is there an animal control unit there? They should have live traps big enough for the Coyote. Wait till Poodles and such start disappearing then people will raise a big enough stink to get something done. I would almost bet the cat population has already started going down.

 

[chad]

What kind of community allows you to keep chickens but not discharge firearms to protect them?

We have two Great Pyrenees dogs that live in our barn and attached paddock 24/7, year 'round. Though there are plenty of coyotes around where we are, we haven't even heard one close by since we put the dogs out there, not even when our ewes lambed this past spring.

Our paddock is 100' square; Pyrs do need some room to stretch their legs. But if you have the room for one, I can't recommend a good Pyr LGD(livestock guard dog) too highly.