Fox or coyote?

[T-R-O-U-B-L-E]

Definitely need to take care of that! Luckily the only predator I have experienced that killed was a hawk. And gnats if you want to count those.

 

[McChooky]

A fox is smart enough not to tackle a rooster when you have hens.

 

[Franklinridgefarms]

So crazy!! It’s weird that last year we didn’t have this problem and then all of a sudden this year in the last month in a half we’re losing chickens left and right! We’ve lived here for 7 years and I hear coyotes all the time. Rural area, but lots of houses and farms sprinkled in! And there are 4 other houses down my road with chickens. I let them know our situation in case it decided to move on down. So sad you had to move past the sheep biz! We have cows, goats, and horses, but the chickens were the easy target! Lost 9 and two of which were the best roosters!!

That’s kind of how it goes with coyotes, they may not cause much problem for a while and then all of a sudden they do. I believe as their numbers continue to grow, they will unfortunately be more of a problem. We can’t hardly turn our backs on our dogs even. One night they lured one of our male Border Collie Blue Heeler mixes over into a field. I shined a spotlight looking for him and saw two coyotes coming at him from different angles. Fortunately he has a good recall and came back in spite of him being extremely territorial.
A lot of times at night my wife will be woken up by coyotes howling. I’m almost deaf so I can’t hear them anymore unless they are real close. They can be heard answering back and forth from all directions.
I would advise to watch your cows close when calving and keep a vigilant want on the goats at all times. Are the horses with them? If so the horses may be a deterrent. Donkeys worked good with my sheep and goats as a deterrent, as long as they stayed close with the sheep.

 

[Yardmom]

A fox is smart enough not to tackle a rooster when you have hens.

We had a fox take two roosters and a handful of chicks last summer. No full grown hens. It is possible that my roosters turned to fight instead of running, but a fox will take whatever it can grab.

 

[SheaLoner]

What is your coop set up like that they can still get to your birds? At this point they know where to find an easy meal and WILL keep coming around till disposed of or you secure the coop enough for long enough that they move on.

 

[JSfunnyfarm]

That’s kind of how it goes with coyotes, they may not cause much problem for a while and then all of a sudden they do. I believe as their numbers continue to grow, they will unfortunately be more of a problem. We can’t hardly turn our backs on our dogs even. One night they lured one of our male Border Collie Blue Heeler mixes over into a field. I shined a spotlight looking for him and saw two coyotes coming at him from different angles. Fortunately he has a good recall and came back in spite of him being extremely territorial.
A lot of times at night my wife will be woken up by coyotes howling. I’m almost deaf so I can’t hear them anymore unless they are real close. They can be heard answering back and forth from all directions.
I would advise to watch your cows close when calving and keep a vigilant want on the goats at all times. Are the horses with them? If so the horses may be a deterrent. Donkeys worked good with my sheep and goats as a deterrent, as long as they stayed close with the sheep.

Oh wow!
Our goats and cows are in a pasture across from the barn and the horses are up by the barn where the chickens are, but they aren’t always in their stalls at night.

 

[JSfunnyfarm]

A fox is smart enough not to tackle a rooster when you have hens.

Thought a fox at first, but after losing 3 roosters total and comparing tracks left in the mud the next night it’s definitely coyote.