Feeling them watching us...

[Geckochick]

We got our chicks at the end of June. By mid-July they were outside, in a coop in the barn. Two weeks later and they had a run, which is closed at night. At this point we are not free ranging as we have a silly old dog and the neighbours have two rambunctious dogs. Not to mention the many feral cats living in barns around us. The coop in the barn is safe, we feel. It's in an old horse stall, thick beam flooring and it is basically a secure room inside the barn, which is also shut up in the night. Coons and possums can get in the barn, but we don't feel they can get into the coop. However, we seemed to have had an increase in predators hanging out at night since the chickens have gone outside. Definitely more coons and hawks hanging out (outdoor run is roofed). But, last night we had coyotes come right up to the house. They were in the yard and definitely on the deck. We could hear them and I looked out the bedroom window and there were at least two on the deck.

Besides looking to come to a place where someone would get my panic.... Is there anything that is common practice that deters predators from coming around? This was my mother-in-law's property and she never had a dog. When we moved here with our dog, we found the coon and possum problem disappeared for a while, but they have started to come around again. I would imagine that the desire for chicken over rides their fear of the dog. So... other than a secure coop, what else can we do?

 

[BrokenRoadFarm]

This will sound gross

, but my husband says human urine around the perimeter may help...we have a lot of foxes around us and most times the dogs doing their business will keep them away, but not always....not sure how populated an area you are in, but it may be worth a try. Seems to work for us. Good luck.

 

[Geckochick]

Is it wrong that I don't find that gross? LOL We are pretty ok with outdoor peeing here....

:/

I have two boys who love to pee outside.... I will just send them to the fencerow....

 

[chicmom]

Hello! Wow, I would be scared too! In Ohio, we are allowed to shoot coyotes. I would shoot them. We live out in the country also, and the biggest problem I've had is hawks. If I see them hanging around, I usually keep everybody locked up for a few days. My flock free ranges, and it seems like I've lost one every year.

Coyotes on the deck means they are very very brazen! If you guys don't have a gun, maybe you should buy one, or borrow one from a friend. You could set out bated traps for the raccoons and possums. It's amazing how many different predators there are.

If you have the money, you can even hire someone to trap them and dispose of them for you.

So glad you have a roof on your run, and you can lock them up securely at night.

 

[BrokenRoadFarm]

Quote:
LOL!!

Like I said, seems to work for us...or maybe we have just been lucky!

 

[chicmom]

Quote:
Reminds me of something really funny: I married a country guy, and I'm a city gal, and so are my kids (well I WAS a city gal). Anyhow, I have two sons and he has a son. His son said it was Ok to pee outside on a tree. Well, he didn't fully explain the peeing edicate......So my son had to pee, and he peed right on the neighbor's tree, right out in the open, in front of the neighbor and of course the neighbor yelled at him. He was only six, and he didn't know better....It was kind of funny! My husband said, "Well now, you have to do it where nobody's going to see, and you just pee on the trees in the woods around the house, not the neighbors new dogwood!"

 

[JerseyHen]

Quote:
Reminds me of something really funny: I married a country guy, and I'm a city gal, and so are my kids (well I WAS a city gal). Anyhow, I have two sons and he has a son. His son said it was Ok to pee outside on a tree. Well, he didn't fully explain the peeing edicate......So my son had to pee, and he peed right on the neighbor's tree, right out in the open, in front of the neighbor and of course the neighbor yelled at him. He was only six, and he didn't know better....It was kind of funny! My husband said, "Well now, you have to do it where nobody's going to see, and you just pee on the trees in the woods around the house, not the neighbors new dogwood!"

I have a 4 year old daughter and she has all boy cousins. The other day she asked me when will she be able to stand up to pee. I asked her why she would want to do that and she replied "so I can pee outside too". Apparently it has become inconvenient for her to pee inside. I told her she would not be peeing standing up or outside. Then she said "but daddy let's me do it".

Seems she had to go one day when they were out for a drive and she went off the side of the road.

 

[Newbie in Screamer Al]

The pee will help, but it is time for a Mossberg 12 ga. or something similar. If they are that bold, it is time to take control. After a few are dispatched, they will probably find other places to try and get food. But if they know there is a meal there, they will be back to try and get it.