Coyotes took 10 birds in broad daylight

[Folly's place]

Agree. Money spent on predator proofing rather than magic lights and sound effects is money better spent.
Keeping chickens safer is a constant project here.
Mary

 

[Mybackyardpeepers]

I'm very sorry for your loss. So far since we have owned our house we have never seen or have a witness to foxes being around. That said we have coyotes, coons and possums. I hope you trap and eliminate (or what ever you choose) to protect your surviving babies! Best of luck.

 

[cmom]

I tried a motion light and the predators didn't seem to care.

 

[cmom]

Put up a game camera. You may be surprised what predators are lurking that you don't see. Here most of the predators roam at night except in the spring when they are looking for mates and feeding their young.

 

[igorsMistress]

Oh man, the situation was like the perfect storm. I'm sorry you're going through all of this.

If electric fences are like they were when we used them, I would guess the coyotes could tell the fence was off, no hum, and they took advantage.

Good luck with your repairs and hopefully you'll be able to add to your flock again soon.

 

[Frogorf]

Put up a game camera. You may be surprised what predators are lurking that you don't see. Here most of the predators roam at night except in the spring when they are looking for mates and feeding their young.

Plan on it!
As for predators, we have red tail hawks, coyotes, foxes, weasels, skunks and stray cats. Weasels are rare. So are the foxes. The coyotes are the main predators. Thankfully no coons or rats or big snakes.
I did have a calf moose disregard the fence and go through it. Silly baby.

 

[Folly's place]

No moose here! Be glad you don't have raccoons though. We so far don't have bears or cougars, and no wolves. All good! There are plenty of all the others though.
Mary

 

[IamRainey]

So very sorry for your loss and the trauma to both you and your remaining chickens.

I don't know if it's helpful but in case it is, I live in an area with constant patrols of coyote packs. Also raccoons and god only knows what other predators. What's kept my birds safe is hardware cloth that's well dug in. And it's fortified by 12" concrete pavers in a perimeter around the entire enclosure. The only fence I have is a 5' chainlink fence -- that an adult coyote could easily leap over but it's only about 4' from the enclosure itself. ...possibly not enough space for a coyote to land in? I dunno but I'm sure it's not a deterrent to the raccoons. Anyway, it wasn't a deliberate strategy only the remnant of my grandson's play yard where the chicken coop is now located.

My point is the things I count on to keep my flock safe are sturdy construction, deeply dug in heavy duty hardware cloth and secure latches. That's what's worked for me so far. The dug in hardware cloth -- unlike technology -- works 24/7 without monitoring and has been very reliable. My other line of defense is latches that all have carabiner clips reinforcing them. Even a clever raccoon can't pinch the lever and rotate the clip at the same time to get access through a door or the lid to the nesting boxes.

I'm very glad 3 of your birds survived the attack. I hope they can continue to give you pleasure and a good supply of eggs as you figure out what you want to do next. Coyotes are a population challenged by development and that makes them bold and desperate to take advantage of the opportunities we present. They're a matter of constant discussion on my local suburban neighborhood network where they frequently prey on dogs and cats who get less protection than my chickens.

Watch out! If a coyote has had a successful hunt you will be on its radar from now on, I'm sorry to say.

 

[cmom]

We have about everything but Weasels. Mostly coyotes here.

 

[IamRainey]

Not much good at night either...preds don't care about lights, once they get used to them.

Amen to that!

When we lived in Vancouver we were in constant battle with raccoons and bears. I got a light that would burn the retinas out of your eyes. ...cause I wasn't going outside to confront any of them!

One night a family of raccoons appeared on our second story cantilevered balcony to go at the compost trash container I had stored up there because I was tired of cleaning it up in the driveway every morning.

So I shined the light on them and all they did was stare back. It slowed them down from their work at the bungee cords "securing" the lids. ...but only momentarily. So we continued to direct the light at their every movement and watch them like a TV drama until we got too tired and went back to sleep. ...and in the morning we cleaned up what they left behind. ::sigh::