Coyotes threatening my poor chickies!!!! HELP >:o

[kjpuggles3]

I am new chicken lover and am looking forward to my first batch of excellent laying, cold-hardy chickens (mixed variety). I have them a cozy coop attached to my barn which i plan to house them but am worried due to numerous coyoties, wolves, foxes, and other creatures who roam the area! Please help me! I would rather not buy a fancy security system, and my chickens are free range, but I not sure how to protect them once they are ready to move into the coop! If it helps, i am getting several dogs (rhodesian ridgebacks- originally trained to hunt lions, pugs-awwww!, and labradors- very loyal) which will be raised with the chickens as puppies and chicks so they are used to and grow fond of one another. Thanks for the help!

 

[kjpuggles3]

Please please reply! I just need some clever tricks to keep out predators. Is there a cheap alarm system that will scare them away and not wake us up (flood lights??) or a smelly somthing i can use to deter carnivores? PLEASE REPLY thanks!

 

[P-Funk]

You've answered your own question. Dogs. I just got one myself. No casualties so far.

 

[clairabean]

If you free range you have an extremely good chance of losing chickens. It is a definite thing, really.

The BEST things you can do to protect your chickens is to have a safe, predator proof coop to lock them up in every night, and a safe run. A great run is enclosed completely, even on top, with thick wire.

 

[Dutchess]

Check out this link, it may help. It will give you an idea of how much protection they need and what you should use.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=307562&p=1

I hope it helps! Good luck!

 

[P-Funk]

Labs are super smart, and very sweet. RR's don't take any *&$%R from anyone. Pugs, well, they do a great job keeping the couch warm. My new puppy (a Decker Rat Terrier) was bred to rip foxes in half. It's too bad it had to come to this, but he's my new best friend now. Another thing I did was fence in the driveway area (about an acre) with 2X4 wire. The girls are smart enough to know that if they jump over it they may never come back. I suppose you can add that to chicken math.

 

[drumstick diva]

Just be sure your new dogs don't become predators of your chickens.

 

[drumstick diva]

Just be sure your new dogs don't become predators of your chickens.

 

[mstrrlm]

Just make sure to have a rifle ready 22 min up to 7.62 x 39

 

[bobbi-j]

Another thought - electric fencing around your coop. It's not very expensive and you can run strands at various heights to keep out different animals.