Hello

[Tayela]

hello! Today is my first day joining and posting.

(1) Are you new to chickens / when did you first get chickens?

We’ve tried raising chickens on and off for years. Last year we tried again and we have been mostly successful. We recently had a bear bust in and kill 7 of our hens.


(2) How many chickens do you have right now?

We had 12, lost 8, purchased 7 pullets and had a hen start brooding at the time of the bear attack. 5 of the 6 eggs successfully hatched 3 weeks ago.

We’re at 16 chickens now. But currently do not know how many of the 5 may be roosters.


(3) What breeds do you have?

Austrolorp, barred rock, Isa Brown, golden laced Wyandotte, Rhode Island Red, amberlink, Ameruacana (sp?), a white leghorn, and a mystery.


(4) How did you find out about BackYardChickens.com?

Google search


(5) What are some of your other hobbies?

Gardening, gaming, ‍


(6) Tell us about your family, your other pets, your occupation, or anything else you'd like to share.

We honestly tried chickens again because my daughter was, and still is, super interested in them. She learns what she can about them and babies all of them.

I am a stay at home Mom and homeschool our 2 children.

We also have 2 cats, Maple and Waffle, and one dog, Layla.

 

[FrankieDoodle]

Welcome to BYC!!! Sorry for your losses

 

[N F C]

Hi, it's nice to have you here!

Bears are a tough predator to guard against. Maybe some hot wire would help protect your flock?

Best of luck to you, thanks for joining us!

 

[Lazy Farmer]

 

[Tayela]

Hi, it's nice to have you here!

Bears are a tough predator to guard against. Maybe some hot wire would help protect your flock?

Best of luck to you, thanks for joining us!

Right now we’ve put some expanded metal across the windows and have 1 solid metal wall and some wooden walls. We’re looking at purchasing some 4 x 10ft expanded metal to replace the wood to let air flow better.

Would a wire get hot enough with a solar battery?

 

[N F C]

Right now we’ve put some expanded metal across the windows and have 1 solid metal wall and some wooden walls. We’re looking at purchasing some 4 x 10ft expanded metal to replace the wood to let air flow better.

Would a wire get hot enough with a solar battery?

I don't know, I'm not familiar with solar powered hot wire. Here are a couple of links that might help:
predators-and-pests.13 (good place to ask questions)
bear-chicken-predators-how-to-protect-your-chickens-from-bears.47693 (general info)

 

[rjohns39]

Hi and welcome to BYC We're so happy you've decided to join us

So sorry for your losses Yes, a good solar charger will do the trick. I like premier 1 fencing personally. I'd recommend a 2 joule charger for bears. Also there's a nice thread out here on bear protection. Also checkout post #9. Best of luck...

 

[Unexpected chicken lover]

Glad you joined the party!!! You will love it here. All members are knowledgeable and willing to answer any/ all questions. Dive right in. I learn something new everyday from my new family...enjoy!!!

My condolences on your losses

 

[Hope Hughes]

Welcome to BYC!!
So sorry for your loss
I am so worried the black bears on our 40 are gonna get my chickens!! Their coop is a Tuff Shed with 1 window and the window has always been a concern of mine!
Thanks for sharing your story and enjoy the amazing people and awesome advice on here.
Also check out the Learning Center it has a bunch of great information as well!
Enjoy ​

 

[drumstick diva]

so sorry for your losses. You want a bear to touch the electric wire with his snout. His fur insulates him from the charge. People (turn off power first) put foil strips with peanut butter on them affixed to the electric wires.Then put power back on. That way the bear will touch it will his nose and get quite a surprise. Sometimes once is enough for him, if the charge was hot enough.