Exasperation with predators and set up

[Mrs. K]

UGH! Well the good news is I don't have extra roosters, as in no roosters. Never had a predator prefer roosters. 3 weeks ago I was trying to decide who I would keep and now they are all gone. A set up can go months perfectly, and then when a predator finds a weakness, it can be so exasperating. Last summer I had coons that nearly wiped me out.

Last week I was gone for 5 days, came back, all was well, gone 4 more days, and down 4 birds. Lost two more last night. JUST GONE.

Coons tend to tear birds apart in my experience, right there in the coop/run. Coyotes tend to get mine free ranging in the daytime. Pretty sure that is what got my flock master a couple of weeks ago when I was cleaning the coop.

Going back down today, to figure out the weakness. No signs of digging, very few feathers. Live trap set for two days, nothing. Thinking maybe a bobcat?

Any advice? Thanks for listening to the rant. I am home now, so perhaps will be able to keep closer watch.

Mrs K

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Electric fence.

It sounds like a large predator carrying the birds away.

You're right. Coons decimate on the premises.

Hawks can lift small birds (chicks and grow outs) but kill on site the larger birds. They also take only a bird at a time.

To have something just take multiple birds away...got to be a fox, coyote, or bob cat.

For that, hands down, my friends and family rely on electric fence. (ETA as well as nightly coop lock up).

So sorry for your losses. And yes, things perk along for a long time, then bam, you've got multiple losses. Very frustrating.

LofMc

 

[Mrs. K]

found the hole, think it is a coon, even bent the edges back out of the way, and covered the hole with a piece of garbage that had blown up against the fence. I mean really? We went around the whole thing, checking for weak spots, I tripped over that cardboard, and there was a hole with the chicken wire pushed out.

I have cement wire, covered in chicken wire, but as many has said on here, chicken wire is to keep chickens in, not predators out. Patched the hole, reinforcing some other weaker areas, and need to consider some other options. Electric chicken netting is definitely one of them.



Mrs K

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

So sorry for your losses. Glad you found the hole, sneaky bugger! I, too, like a nice strand (two actually) of hot wire

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Glad you found the hole to patch.

Just curious. You are positive the wind blew the cardboard against the fence?

Don't know your set up, but my first thought when reading that is a human thief...only a human would cover his tracks. Is the hole too small for a human to somehow use? (Who likely would just used the unattended gate).

Anyway, glad you are figuring where the breech was...of course old coon will just open up another spot as he has figured out where to find ready made chicken dinners.

You will need to trap and dispose of Mr. Raccoon if you want the killing to stop now.

 

[Mrs. K]

No, we are miles off the main road, any strange tracks into our place and my husband would know immediately. This is a small 5 inch diameter hole at the bottom of the fence of the run. All three of us, were looking all around the coop, (my son and hubby) when I tripped over the cardboard.

I am pretty sure it is coons, found another place they tried to get out. Going down this pm to reinforce the set up, have a trap set up. And for the next several nights I will lock the coop up from the run side.

I have had this set up for about 2.5 years with no problems. Last August, I had coons get in, and pretty much wipe me out, they were pretty young when we caught them. I am thinking this is an older coon that is taking feed to some youngsters. Predators are a real problem here, mostly coons and coyotes. I do have hawks too.

Hoping to get this stopped. Course my granddaughter has a great idea, "I think we need more chicks, now!" Might go to school and get the incubator.

Mrs K

 

[aart]

That stinks!
Odd that coon didn't leave a mess sneaking into that hole at night and carrying out dead birds.
Wonder if the boys were standing up to the pred and paid the price.

 

[centrarchid]

Lets see some pictures of your roosting setup. You might be able to whip coons by simply denying them access to roosting chickens. Then you can work on excluding the coons from your building. The former option is usually easier and less costly. Think layers of protection.

 

[dfalco]

I'm near national forest. Lots of predators. I got a Pyrenees mix pup, and she has grown to be an indispensable working partner, vigilantly protecting my flock. She's quite amazing, really. Since having her on the job, I don't see racoons, coyotes or bobcats anywhere nearby. Did have a mountain lion take a duck as it was moving through. The Pyrenees alerted, but I ignored. Learned my lesson on that. And did lose a pullet to a hawk. So I'm not saying it's failsafe. But I don't think I could keep a single bird without Trixie on the job.

 

[Mrs. K]

AT Centrachid - that is what I did. The coons are not in the coop building, but rather gaining access to the run, then entering the coop. Last night, I locked the pop up door to the coop. I had raked the sand in the run, and found coon foot prints in the run.

I like leaving the coop pop up door open, as it makes for better ventilation, and makes my birds more independent, I am not tied to going back down after roosting, and first thing in the morning. However, I am going to be for a while, till I reinforce the run.

Mrs K