has anyone used a baby monitor to alert for predators

[centrarchid]

You're a braver man than I am Gunga Din. (extra points if you recognize that )

Yes, but it is not about braver than or more worthy, rather just don't care.

 

[starri33]

I don't rely on electronics, and wouldn't. I have Ft Knox, and use the electrics to keep up with the weird goings on when I'm not looking. Plus it give my family 1000 miles away a chance to watch and listen to the goofiness of the farm!

Now I get phone calls, from 1000 miles away:
Are they cold? Look at the thermometer. - They're fine Dad.
Do they have water?-They're fine Dad.
Why are they all bunched by the door? -They're sleeping in the sun. They're fine Dad. Thank you for this post, cracked me up, had to read it to hubby, cracked him up too.
What's that weird squeaking noise? -It's the cockerel. He's going through puberty. They're fine Dad.
Why are the alpacas all laying down? -They're sunbathing. They're fine Dad.
I don't see any animals. And the coop door is open. - The herd is in the barn eating. The chickens are out free-ranging. They can't open the door on their own. They're fine Dad.
The webcams are down. Are the animals ok? - Sigh. We don't have power. There's a blizzard/wind storm/sunspots. We're find dad.
There's someone in your hay field. - That's me Dad. I'm mowing.

Hmmm. Maybe I should change my password. HA!

 

[Folly's place]

NewBoots, the right gun depends on your situation, location, and local laws. Get to a gun range and practice! Take a gun safety class, and practice! I don't hunt, so only use our 22g for dispatching critters in a live trap, or a few times small critters not in the trap within 30 ft. or so. It's fine for that. We're in a 'no rifle' area, so it's the 22g or a shotgun, and I just do fine with my first choice.
Try trap shooting too; it's fun!
Mary

 

[Howard E]

Once we move to the new place we'll get a 22 for predator issues but knowing little about guns, do you think a shotgun would be a practical choice?

Since I'm the one who suggested a shotgun..........here is the deal.

A .22 caliber rifle lets go with a singe .22 caliber bullet. Lethal to a lot of things......provided you hit the right spot. Brain pan for example. With the right placement, even a .22 short or smaller will take out the biggest coon. Some trappers are even using .22 caliber air rifles.......for shots to the head taken at point blank range.

Fast forward to shooting a fast moving varmint at some distance.....in the dark perhaps, and the odds of you hitting a vital area go down in a hurry.

A shotgun......even a .410, which is the smallest bore you can find.......will pack from 10 to as many as 15 pellets of #4 buckshot....which is about the same .22 diameter as that single .22 shot. So instead of a single pellet, you hit them with 10 to 15 pellets that start to spread out into an ever widening cone the moment they leave the end of the barrel. At 30 feet or so, the diameter of that impact area could be a foot or more.........so aim at the middle to front half of your fast moving varmint and you will most certainly hit vital areas.......and perhaps many of them. Rather than being wounded, most varmints plastered by a round of #4 buckshot are rolled over as a dead bag of bones. Graveyard dead when they hit the ground.

At 10 feet or less, a single blast from even that dinky little.410 would take off most of that coons head. Move up to a 20 gauge and it gets better (or worse, depending on your perspective). Even out to 20 to 30 yards, a fast moving mink or weasel would be in serious trouble if you went after him with a 20 or 12 gauge shotgun.

 

[NewBoots]

Thanks all. I will get training before picking up a firearm of course.

 

[Folly's place]

So true, but for my purposes, I'll stick with that 22g.
Mary

 

[Grits&Eggs]

Plus it give my family 1000 miles away a chance to watch and listen to the goofiness of the farm!

I love this - I never thought to give the family access to my chicken cams - but this is awesome and keeps your dad so involved!

 

[WthrLady]

I love this - I never thought to give the family access to my chicken cams - but this is awesome and keeps your dad so involved!

Funny thing is, he's full on city boy. He wasn't that interested in the farm until they visited last year for the first time. Now he's always logged in.

I also rarely ever heard from him unless my mom pushed the phone on him. The power of critters,eh?