Reluctant_keeper
Chirping
Greetings all from Cave Creek, AZ.
Joining to seek advice for deterring a bobcat from preying on our flock (or what's now left of it). We have lost all our mature hens in the past 3 months (the remaining two in as many days). I watched this bobcat walk along the top of adjoining block walls with our last hen (dead by that moment) in its mouth. Clearly it appears quite comfortable in my neighborhood!!! We're down to 4 adolescent hens (about 14 wks old) now.
We had been allowing our flock to free range in our backyard but recent losses have made it clear that we'll have to curtail that now that we have an unwelcome visitor that may have gotten habituated to our yard.
I have been researching how to build more robust enclosures but the cost is quite prohibitive. Originally planned to just build a better coop but the recent attacks have occurred around 08:30 (we had been turning them out around 07:00). I have had great luck and experience in putting up an electric strand fence when I plant winter grass and realize this may be a cost-effective alternative to having to build a large enclosure.
AZ Game & Fish advised just enclosing our flock but the cost to build is ridiculous and our current backyard layout does not allow for a large enclosure without making maintenance infeasible (yes .... INCONVENIENT). AZ G&F states that trapping/eliminating wildlife is unlawful and being in a tract developed area prohibits discharging any firearms/arrows (for very good reasons that I assume are obvious).
Looking forward to bouncing ideas around in the coming days.
Thanks for reading.
Joining to seek advice for deterring a bobcat from preying on our flock (or what's now left of it). We have lost all our mature hens in the past 3 months (the remaining two in as many days). I watched this bobcat walk along the top of adjoining block walls with our last hen (dead by that moment) in its mouth. Clearly it appears quite comfortable in my neighborhood!!! We're down to 4 adolescent hens (about 14 wks old) now.
We had been allowing our flock to free range in our backyard but recent losses have made it clear that we'll have to curtail that now that we have an unwelcome visitor that may have gotten habituated to our yard.
I have been researching how to build more robust enclosures but the cost is quite prohibitive. Originally planned to just build a better coop but the recent attacks have occurred around 08:30 (we had been turning them out around 07:00). I have had great luck and experience in putting up an electric strand fence when I plant winter grass and realize this may be a cost-effective alternative to having to build a large enclosure.
AZ Game & Fish advised just enclosing our flock but the cost to build is ridiculous and our current backyard layout does not allow for a large enclosure without making maintenance infeasible (yes .... INCONVENIENT). AZ G&F states that trapping/eliminating wildlife is unlawful and being in a tract developed area prohibits discharging any firearms/arrows (for very good reasons that I assume are obvious).
Looking forward to bouncing ideas around in the coming days.
Thanks for reading.
Glad you joined.
