Ghost predator is wiping out my flock. Help!

[welasharon]

You need to get your chickens secured before getting more. You can kill the fox but you'll lose more once the next thing comes along. Either a dog or better containment for the chickens.

 

[Jungleexplorer]

Gray Fox. What is it carrying?

It is actually carrying a cotton tail rabbit. I actually consider them my wild live stock. They are a food source just like my chickens (they are delicious!) and I have done a lot to encourage wildlife population growth by creating better habitat. I have noticed that my cotton tails were becoming scarce and now I know why. So, this fox has got to go. When I moved out here in 2006, there was almost no wild game (quail, turkeys, deer, rabbits etc) at all and the land was over run with predators. I declared all out war on them for a year and thinned them out so the wild game would a chance. I have not had too much problem since then and have seen an increase in game populations, but it appears it might be time for war again. A friends son wants to make some money trapping this year, so I think I will let him do it for me once it gets cold and the furs become prime. To some this may sound bad, but I assure you that we have a real predator problem in Texas. In fact, the predator problem is so bad that, one TPWD (Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife) report claims that the Bob White quail may become endangered in the next decade. The TPWD is encouraging land owners to create habitat and safe havens for the quail to live and breed in, as well as adopting aggressive predator control programs. I believe that Texas should reinstitute the bounty program that kept predators in check for decades. It would not only be good for the quail populations, but it would also create a lot of money making opportunities for people that can't get jobs in this down economy.

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

We may be different here but there is a full time bounty on coyote...other pests can be killed anytime, and you can always find some one to buy the pelts. It is a balance for sure...once the rabbits and grouse are gone the predators move in closer for chickens. Even if you get one or two fox, there are several more out there, the excess would prob starve anyway so you're just doing them a favor.

 

[centrarchid]

You can peg your fox but in my experience simply upgrading your containment with provide quicker and more complete protection of birds. Killing fox may enable more take of bunnies assuming you are a better hunter than other predators that will be going after easy to catch ones not claimed by fox culled.

Upgrading is easier and despite high abundance of predators I have good numbers of game. Game numbers are more a function of habitat management as it affects cover availability and forage during lean times. Images of your habitat shown do not appear to indicate good resource base for game you are interested in.

 

[capthollis]

Ill bet its a Ferrel Cat. Get you an inferred game camera. They don't flash, and much more efficient. The State of Tx has a terrible ferrel cat problem that is taking a toll on Quail, Turkeys, Dove, etc, etc. The state even has a relocating program, and taking these cats to different land owners for snake/scorpion issues, but don't have the sense to the native havoc they are doing now. The infer red camera is not much more expensive either, and all are digital now days. All your sporting good stores carry them, and they are awesome.

 

[zazouse]

Caught the ghost on camera! At least I think it might the ghost. Just checked my my trail cams and got these shots.

Do you have your camera set at ground level or is it pointing down from up higher?
I set my cams about 8 inches off the ground i use cinder blocks to mount them on so i can place them anywhere i want, doing this assures you will get a shot of your trespasser when the cam is set on multiple shots.

great shots you got there regardlless.

 

[Jungleexplorer]

Here he is again, trying to get into my new pigeon coop (converted deer blind).

 

[centrarchid]

It is time to get a dog. Your setup not all that different from my winter setup. Birds are confined to smaller pens that slow predators like fox or raccoon but do not stop them. Dog patrolling will then stop fox. This time of year my dogs inside yet they can hear chickens make even muffled alarms causing dogs to bolt outside and into direction of pen with disturbed birds. Dogs actually get sneaky trying to catch fox. Gray fox also more susceptable to live traps so that option does exists still.

 

[chickortreat]

This is better than a dog......

 

[Jungleexplorer]

I am going to trap him. I am pretty sure he is the only one. I have a blond lab and an Irish setter, but they chase chickens, so they have to stay in their pen. We only let them out when we can supervise them. We used to have a mutt we found on the road. He was fine with the chickens and we did not have a problem with predators when we had him. He disappeared last winter though and that is why we got these dogs. The Blond Lab is fine and does not chase chicken, but the Irish setter has a adrenal gland that is stuck wide open or something, because he is a raging ball of energy and chases anything that moves. He just wants to play with the chickens, but he is huge and likes to pounce on things. We are going to get him fixed and we hope that might settle him down. Maybe after that we can let him run free.


This is our lab.