I would like to jump in here to state my opinion. I am not fond of coyotes, either, but I am also not in favor of poison or any other long, torturous death of a predator of any kind. Let's face it - if a coyote gets to our chickens, it's generally because they're free ranging and that loss is then on us. I free range, I have lost birds to coyotes. (It's not quite the same as something like a raccoon who will spend ALL NIGHT working on getting into the coop.) When we're ranging our chickens, they are an easy meal for just about everything. My problem with poison is the unintended targets you may kill. A lot of animals are attracted to the sweetness of the antifreeze. Your own cats or dogs, for instance. Or a neighbor's pet, or other wildlife that has had no interest in your chickens. And the treble hook method - I'm not even going to go there. You can hate an animal, but to kill so cruelly is totally unethical in my opinion. I am not against eliminating a persistent predator, but do not believe an animal should suffer, either. I think part of our responsibility as humans is to kill as cleanly and quickly as possible. In the OP's case, those coyotes are a danger and a menace. If OP is not in a position to eliminate them, I would suggest hotwire around the perimeter of their property until state or local wildlife officials can get rid of them. They've become way too used to humans if they just trot off a ways when OP goes out and yells at them. As far as cats and chickens go, lock up what's left for awhile until the coyotes realize that the buffet is closed and move on if you can't kill them quickly and humanely. Otherwise, be prepared to continue to suffer losses.
