Having predtor issue

[jenns anipals]

So even tho we've re enforced the coop 2 will be looking over it again I'm loosing chick's will owl decoy keep things such as opossums and other brid of prey at bay or is that just a waste of money ??? Willing to do whetever to make my coop safe for my chickens

 

[swamphiker]

I'm sorry for your losses. Are the predators getting into your coop or is the issue in your run or outside? Daytime or night time? Do you know for sure what species of predator you are dealing with? I personally haven't tried decoys but birds of prey are smart and I suspect they would learn quickly that it wasn't real.

 

[Chicken_tiger_catt]

So even tho we've re enforced the coop 2 will be looking over it again I'm loosing chick's will owl decoy keep things such as opossums and other brid of prey at bay or is that just a waste of money ??? Willing to do whetever to make my coop safe for my chickens

you should try to trap and relocate and/or destroy the thing that's eating your chickens. if you think it's a possum or something, I would get a couple of those large metal cage traps.

 

[jenns anipals]

I'm sorry for your losses. Are the predators getting into your coop or is the issue in your run or outside? Daytime or night time? Do you know for sure what species of predator you are dealing with? I personally haven't tried decoys but birds of prey are smart and I suspect they would learn quickly that it wasn't real.

They are getting them from the outside not sure what I'm dealing with yet need to get a camera for back there as another step I know we have birds of prey and opossum for sure

 

[jenns anipals]

you should try to trap and relocate and/or destroy the thing that's eating your chickens. if you think it's a possum or something, I would get a couple of those large metal cage traps.

I need to fugire out what it is as I'm not sure I do know we have opossum and birds of prey so and it's a new flock and I'm new to the house and coop I'm now going to look at it again once off work and see if there's any more I can do on the outside or inside and we have traps I could set up i

 

[aart]

They are getting them from the outside

What do you mean by this...are the birds being pulled thru a fence or attacked in an open area?
More specifics and pics of your coop and run would help here.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

An owl decoy won't do much, I wouldn't bother. I've seen pigeons perch all over one and the roof it was mounted on.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

you should try to trap and relocate and/or destroy the thing that's eating your chickens. if you think it's a possum or something, I would get a couple of those large metal cage traps.

If you trap a varmint, please be prepared to dispatch it. It can be illegal to relocate it. Check the laws in your state.

 

[swamphiker]

I need to fugire out what it is as I'm not sure I do know we have opossum and birds of prey so and it's a new flock and I'm new to the house and coop I'm now going to look at it again once off work and see if there's any more I can do on the outside or inside and we have traps I could set up i

Note that it is illegal to intentionally kill or harm birds of prey which are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. You can trap possums, but be aware that if you remove one animal, another one is likely to come and take its place. Everything loves to eat chicken, so more predators will always be drawn in, so you would likely need to trap again soon after removing your current problem animal. Plus, there's always the possibility that a predator gets to your chickens rather than falling for the trap.

Because of this, I focus my efforts on predator proofing rather than predator removal. For birds of prey, you can put up netting over your run. Note that hawks and other birds can get caught in the netting and you'll need to keep an eye on it to disentangle them. I can get away without covering my run with netting or a roof because my run has lots of shrubs and small trees, which provide my chickens lots of cover and places to hide and make it difficult for hawks and owls to have enough space to get in and grab a chicken. YMMV depending on location, of course. Where I am, my most common birds of prey are red-shouldered hawks and barred owls, which are pretty small to make a go at a full-grown standard hens. I built a separate grow-out pen for chicks covered in hardware cloth to help keep them from getting picked off by birds of prey and snakes.

I have a lot of possums in my neighborhood, but I have never had an issue with them during the day. Are they getting into the coop at night? If so, your coop needs additional predator proofing. Make sure everything is covered in hardware cloth. If you send pictures of your set up we can give you better advice.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Good post by @swamphiker .

I'm not opposed to permanently removing predators actively hunting your area, it reduces the predator pressure. I recently legally permanently removed a raccoon and two possum. But then I saw a third possum in the area when I was out at night. Removing them reduces hunting pressure but does not eliminate it.

@jenns anipals I have no idea what your local laws are about trapping certain animals, let alone how to legally dispose of them. In many locations it is illegal to kill them or even relocate them. I suggest you talk to your local animal control about that. But that assumes you know what the predator is. That is not always that easy to determine. If you don't know what the problem is then it can be really hard to deal with.

There are many different suggestions to keep predators away, I've tried many of them. Special soaps or predator urine for example. I've never tried fake owls but @BigBlueHen53 's story sounds about right. Sometimes they may work for a short time but the critters quickly learn that it is not a real threat. Sometimes (like the soap) they didn't work at all.

The best way to protect your chickens are barriers. I don't know what your coop or run look like, what is getting them, or when so it is hard to give specific recommendations. If you could provide better information and maybe photos of your set-up we might be better able to help. What do the carcasses look like? What kind of injuries and are they eaten or partially eaten? When are they taken? I understand how frustrating this can be but I can't help much without knowing what you are working with in regard to coop and run and what is actually happening.