Fence up and done, but they are just flying over it.

[maryboland]

I just had the flying over the gate problem. I just took some 1 by 1s and nailed them to support posts on either side to lengthen support posts up to about none feet and then stretched bird netting across area above gate. I have to stoop to enter gate but it's worth it as they stopped flying over and my garden is safe again. Their yard is 1/5 acre and a bit too much to roof entire thing with bird net without adding a lot of center support posts etc so I just stretched crime scene tape back and forth across top at about 3 - 4 ft intervals in a criss cross pattern. I'm told this will confuse and discourage hawks. I didn't want to clip my flocks' wings. If coyote did get in their large yard during day (they're in coop at night) they could fly up to coop roof to escape. But mostly since we have large dog, big wild critters stay away during day

 

[junglebean]

The quickest fix I can think of would be to tack a couple 1x1s or something to either edge of the door, maybe making a 1 foot extension and then tacking some chicken wire or a scrap of what you used for the fence on top of that. That way when they fly up to perch on the edge of the gate, they won't be able to. Maybe after a few weeks, they'll quit trying and you can remove the wire.

This sounds like a plan! I have some scraps left over so I wouldn't have to spend any more $. Thanks! After that, it's ducking under netting.

After posting this yesterday, I saw the rooster get up on the gate again, and it was starting to get closer to evening (coyote time). I looked at a diagram and walked out there and clipped one wing. Oddly as it may seem, my rooster is the calmest and easily handled. It's clipping the hens' wings that I would have to do at night when they're zen. So I bumped him off the gate, and whadaya know. He was off balance, but he still got up there!

He's about 10 lbs! Geez.

These coyotes just come in the yard in the morning and in the evening to check to see if there are any loose. If they have to go through the least bit of trouble they, so far, have gone off to find something else. The run is just for day-time security, they have a bomb shelter of a coop for night.

Nice page darkmatter!​

 

[Cattitude]

Are the coyotes scared by lights? Perhaps you could rig a motion sensor light. Since it would come on only when something moves, then go off a few minutes later, they wouldn't have a pattern to get used to. Might be worth thinking about.

 

[Bossroo]

Might as well add a free chicken dinner sign to that fencing as any self respecting predator will get over, under, around or through that fence in short order.

 

[Annabella]

if you end up covering it with aviary netting you could build a couple of chicken gyms to help keep the netting up.
Some one on another post has just built them and they look like a great idea

 

[junglebean]

I added the wire to the top of the gate, and so far, it seems to have discouraged them. I will say that this fence is not complete, as the electric current is not hooked up yet and some other things. So, no free chicken dinner after that, hehehehehe. Good one though!