Coyotes got 16 of my girls in 1 night...so sad and guilty

[sittinghenlove]

I just feel horrible. I live in Las Vegas, just bought a house in a rural area and got 18 chicks. they were about 9 months old, already laying and when i woke up one morning i found tons of feathers everywhere but no blood or bodies. my 2 roosters didnt make a sound. this was 2 months ago. yesterday at dawn my roosters started going nuts. i look outside and a coyote was running away. so now i know the first attack was coyotes. so happy my roosters alerted me this time but i need tips on how to keep the coyotes away. my coop is now secure at night but what do i do about broad daylight hours? i've read about motion sensor lights and strobe lights for night. ammonia soaked rags. i will shoot the coyote if given the chance. how do i get it to think there is no food in my yard. and also, does anyone know why the coyote didnt go after my roosters? are they scared of the rooster? is it just because of all the noise they made? do the hens know to take cover when the roosters start their squaking? because a while ago a cat got into my rooster pen and bloodied one of my naked neck roosters. if a stray cat can do that why would a coyote pass up the chance? thanks for any feedback.

 

[SussexChicks]

You may need some large guard dogs that can chase away the coyotes. Coyotes in particular are pretty much stronger than a domesticated dog which will require at least 3 guard dogs to either take them down or chase coyotes away

 

[bobbi-j]

Do your chickens free range? You may need to rethink that, or put electric fence up around the perimeter of your property. We live in the country (20 miles from town, nearest neighbor is a mile away) and have lots of coyotes. It's been a few years since we've lost any chickens to them.. We lock them up at night, though. If I started having trouble during daylight hours I would definitely keep the chickens in their runs. Either that, or expect that I will have losses and try to figure out how to reduce those losses. Do you have hiding places for your chickens? There are lots of options besides getting lots of big dogs. Our "LGD" is a black lab. In his younger days, he was outside on patrol all night. Now he sleeps inside and the chickens are in their coops at night. I hope you can get it all sorted out.

 

[JanetS]

Unfortunately I think its not if but when a predator will get your chickens. Sorry about your loss. We are looking into getting an electric fence because of bobcats you might want to think about that.

 

[luvmychixandducks]

Sussexchicks-
I beg to differ on your point about three dogs needed to stop one coyote-
Our old guard dog was a cross between a border collie and Great Pyrenees and he has taken on and prevailed over not one but a mated pair of coyotes defending their den- And all this at an advanced age at that.
Andy was part of the puppies across america program- he was born wild, captured with his mother and littermates in New Mexico and shipped via air east to become a pet. He was imprinted at a young age to absolutely HATE coyotes- he could tell when a coyote was passing the house from inside the living room- and he never passed up any opportunity to chase or get into it with any coyote at any time. . We never lost poultry to coyotes while on his watch, but since we lost him to a stroke at 15, we have lost rabbits and birds to yotes. The eastern coy/wolf is about 40 to 50- pounds, bigger than the western pure strain of coyote, and Andy at over 90 pounds sent them packing regularly.

 

[sittinghenlove]

Thank you all for your feedback. I did lots of reserach and made some adjustments to my property and how the chickens free range. I feel like an idiot though. I was a novice when the coyote attack happened and I had the roosters penned away from the hens becuase they were so aggressive. Now, the roosters free range with the hens. My coop is locked at night with the roosters keeping watching outside. I did put modified fencing up but I think the key was the Mountain Lion urine. Fish & Wildlife told me about it, it is the coyotes natural predator. 12 oz. online for about $25, sprayed on rags along my fence line...haven't seen a coyote since. You have to re-apply it often but the peace of mind is worth it. thank you again for being willing to offer your knowledge.