Does anybody else have trouble keeping people from messing with their coops at night?

[SBFChickenGirl]

I love the idea, but there may be legal ramifications.

Sometimes I forget that not everyone with chickens is in the country where they can have electric fences lying around...

 

[Liz Birdlover]

I live on a country road, unfortunately not as "country" as it used to be thanks to greedy developers. I'm on a private, gravel, dead end road but we are getting more traffic all of the time. There are signs at the beginning of the road, rude people proceed anyway, they want to "visit" the neighbor's race horses, like its their private petting zoo. Neighbors on the street are fed up with it yet it continues day-and-night. To top it off Google gives wrong directions here, huge dump trucks sinking putting trenches in my yard because they're looking for a gravel pit with a similar road name. I've come home from from work to find strangers milling about on my property! I ask what they're doing here, they said they wanted to check out my birds. I proceeded to tell them this is not a petting zoo for their amusement and to get off of my property before I call the cops, then they get pissed off leaving in a huff, as if I was rude to them! I've put up No Trespassing Violators Will Be Prosecuted signs. I still get trespassers on foot as well as driving, putting trenches in my yard, despite installing 25 foot wide gravel for lost morons to turn around. Signs don't work & motion lights don't work. Electric fence or a ticked off barking dog might. Now when you are a talking about night time visitors that only leads me to believe they are there with the intent of stealing. During this pandemic I guess people are hungry and they know you've got chickens laying eggs. Believe me I feel for you!

 

[Farmgirl1878]

We often have stray dogs and raccoons wandering around the chicken coop at night (but as far as I know no people!). Hubby’s solution is a motion activated sprinkler head that will hose ‘em down if they come in your yard. It works great! tps://smile.amazon.com/Orbit-62100-Activated-Sprinkler-Detection/dp/B009F1R0GC/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=KXDZO4966CPH&dchild=1&keywords=motion+activated+sprinkler&qid=1607537333&refinements=p_72%3A2661618011&rnid=2661617011&sprefix=motion+activated+%2Caps%2C343&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFGSEhQUExUMU1VWTAmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTAyOTA4NzcyWVRRMUtQRDM5SDVFJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTA0NTYwMzMyVjNFWTMyU0hZWTdTJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

What’s your yard like? Fenced? If it is fenced, put some signage on the fence (e.g., no trespassing, etc.), install some locks on the gates, and install an inexpensive motion detector that will set off a siren (outside) or will beep inside the house to alert you that someone is there. We have three on our driveway so we know when someone is coming. Vehicles will set it off and so will people (or deer) walking up the lane. Something like this:https://smile.amazon.com/Hosmart-Rechargable-Driveway-Wireless-Weatherproof/dp/B07PRGGRGW/ref=sr_1_6?crid=Q4XWIJ7JCU0A&dchild=1&keywords=driveway+alarm+wireless+long+range+weatherproof&qid=1607537055&sprefix=Driveway+alarm,aps,371&sr=8-6

Get to be on a first name basis with the local PD. Definitely file a police report for criminal trespass or whatever your state allows. Also, check out some of the suggestions that home Halloween Haunters have for protecting their yard decorations. A good source is www.halloweenforum.com.

Pics of your setup would be helpful.

 

[Kusanar]

We often have stray dogs and raccoons wandering around the chicken coop at night (but as far as I know no people!). Hubby’s solution is a motion activated sprinkler head that will hose ‘em down if they come in your yard. It works great!

What’s your yard like? Fenced? If it is fenced, put some signage on the fence (e.g., no trespassing, etc.), install some locks on the gates, and install an inexpensive motion detector that will set off a siren (outside) or will beep inside the house to alert you that someone is there. We have three on our driveway so we know when someone is coming. Vehicles will set it off and so will people (or deer) walking up the lane. Something like this:https://smile.amazon.com/Hosmart-Rechargable-Driveway-Wireless-Weatherproof/dp/B07PRGGRGW/ref=sr_1_6?crid=Q4XWIJ7JCU0A&dchild=1&keywords=driveway+alarm+wireless+long+range+weatherproof&qid=1607537055&sprefix=Driveway+alarm,aps,371&sr=8-6

Get to be on a first name basis with the local PD. Definitely file a police report for criminal trespass or whatever your state allows. Pics of your setup would be helpful.

OOH! I have an addition to the motion activated sprinkler idea! Get one of those fertilizer injectors to hook to the water line and fill it with greenhouse indicator dye. It will turn them blue! Then if you have an angry blue person in your yard you can ask them why they were there in the first place!

 

[BlueBaby]

I feel for you. You need to figure out something though. First it's egg's disappearing, then it will be the chicken's themselves for someone's Sunday dinner.

 

[Liz Birdlover]

We often have stray dogs and raccoons wandering around the chicken coop at night (but as far as I know no people!). Hubby’s solution is a motion activated sprinkler head that will hose ‘em down if they come in your yard. It works great! tps://smile.amazon.com/Orbit-62100-Activated-Sprinkler-Detection/dp/B009F1R0GC/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=KXDZO4966CPH&dchild=1&keywords=motion+activated+sprinkler&qid=1607537333&refinements=p_72%3A2661618011&rnid=2661617011&sprefix=motion+activated+%2Caps%2C343&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFGSEhQUExUMU1VWTAmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTAyOTA4NzcyWVRRMUtQRDM5SDVFJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTA0NTYwMzMyVjNFWTMyU0hZWTdTJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

What’s your yard like? Fenced? If it is fenced, put some signage on the fence (e.g., no trespassing, etc.), install some locks on the gates, and install an inexpensive motion detector that will set off a siren (outside) or will beep inside the house to alert you that someone is there. We have three on our driveway so we know when someone is coming. Vehicles will set it off and so will people (or deer) walking up the lane. Something like this:https://smile.amazon.com/Hosmart-Rechargable-Driveway-Wireless-Weatherproof/dp/B07PRGGRGW/ref=sr_1_6?crid=Q4XWIJ7JCU0A&dchild=1&keywords=driveway+alarm+wireless+long+range+weatherproof&qid=1607537055&sprefix=Driveway+alarm,aps,371&sr=8-6

Get to be on a first name basis with the local PD. Definitely file a police report for criminal trespass or whatever your state allows. Also, check out some of the suggestions that home Halloween Haunters have for protecting their yard decorations. A good source is www.halloweenforum.com.

Pics of your setup would be helpful.

I love the sprinkler idea, but it's been temps in the 20s at night where I live

 

[Pandemic pandemonia]

What are your neighbors like?

That color idea is cute. I have neighbors of all colors and races. That doesn't matter to me but their attitude does to me. Most of them seem to like the birds and one who has not been in the US long I don't think cries when he talks about my rooster reminding him of his home. I think he might be the one because nothing is ever taking just moved around but my coop was left wide open last night and that is very upsetting.

 

[Pandemic pandemonia]

I feel for you. You need to figure out something though. First it's egg's disappearing, then it will be the chicken's themselves for someone's Sunday dinner.

I was told after I bought this property that homeless drug addicts used to cross my field to get to a large house where they were staying. Didn't know that when I bought it nobody said a word till after the sale. I am raising these birds on purpose to provide food to people if they need it the most but this is not the way I want to do it. We did figure we might loose a few chickens to some of the homeless who might cross our land and we thought well at least they would be getting some food but they just left the coop open. That bothers me a lot. It put the birds at risk for no reason evident. I am not happy about that. I am seeing fewer eggs too so they maybe unscrewing those doors too and taking some of those. I'm not sure.

 

[Liz Birdlover]

Less eggs are laid with the shorter days, too, so they were really rummaging around looking. Not nice trying to steal eggs & really idiotic leaving your birds vulnerable like that.

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

You definitely need a camera(s). A game camera is cheap and easy to set up. A camera will identify your culprit and give you better clarity re the next action to take.