Does lighting help prevent predator attacks?

[Madisan]

Will foxes or any other predators attack during the day? I know Hawks will. But other than that?

 

[allenw]

If they think they are safe they can be out at all hours. Early morning and late afternoon, evening will be the most common hours to see the alleged nocturnal animals out.

 

[Macis Papa]

I came home for lunch one day and had a fox scoping out my chickens, Im glad I came home when I did 1 dead fox 0 dead chickens.

 

[Madisan]

I came home for lunch one day and had a fox scoping out my chickens, Im glad I came home when I did 1 dead fox 0 dead chickens.

Wowwww that's crazy ...

 

[centrarchid]

My foxes hunt any time around the clock just as Coyotes do.

 

[OrganicFarmWife]

My foxes hunt any time around the clock just as Coyotes do.

I have read that coyotes are only nocturnal because of humans. Apparently in remote, low human pop, areas they hunt in the daylight.

 

[Zoomie]

Here, they will hunt in the daytime. But I live way out in the back of beyond, and most of my neighbors are cows. For the most part, they will not come up by the house or where humans are. I do see them out in the pasture in the daytime... but never up here by the house. The ones that live near cities get more accustomed to human activity though.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Hi everyone,
A few nights ago there was a young fox in my front yard.. I have 2 pit bulls that stay outside at night and they chased it outta the yard. But anyways, my neighbor also has chickens and they got woken up at 1:30 in the morning from their dogs barking and they said they had a young fox in their yard (I'm guessing the same one) their chickens were okay! But my coop is directly behind my house maybe only 15 feet away from my back door and my out side light shines directly on the coop all night. Will this make the fox or other predators hesitant to attack because they will be in the "spotlight" ?

I doubt that it will put off the fox but it may provide good shooting light. Be careful.

 

[ivan3]

Will foxes or any other predators attack during the day? I know Hawks will. But other than that?

Depends on how hungry a pred is. Shot a good sized coon, at two in the afternoon, climbing one of the Hickories outside the chicken run, that was trying to use a branch to mosey on over to one of the Hickories inside the chicken run (wanted to wait and watch the branch break under the wt. of the coon - but thought the better of it and took the easy shot). One of our Royal Palm hens was mortally wounded by another raccoon on a daytime schedule. She was sharing a "safe" nest with a Slate hen, but just had to wander into the tree line to start another and, as she was back every evening with the Slate, we had no idea until she returned torn pretty much to pieces - had to put her down. I placed a live trap at the location of her unauthorized nest. The following afternoon we were out working the Blackberry patch and heard the trap door slam shut. Sure enough, raccoon at three in the afternoon. Opened up the coon and found feathers and eggshell in the "gut".
Have had foxes show up at every hour (prefer to attack in the late afternoon). Extra lighting can be helpful if one can take a clean shot at the distinctly outlined fox, et al.
Owls, though pretty nocturnal, can also defy convention (beware on particularly cloud darkened mornings/evenings).

Following the death of the Royal Palm hen (`07), I went to three live traps set 24/7, all free ranging is conducted with armed supervision. Preemptive retirement of all vermin won't keep more from moving in - but it certainly decreases the overall frequency of predation.

 

[Ranser]

I find urban foxes are out all day. Lost a hen at 2pm a year or so ago. Now we have electric fencing, which at least seems to help deter the fox. Not sure if they are clever enough to remember the first shock they get?