Help! Coyotes.

[50-45-1]

This stuff is lightweight and movable. Its ment to be moved every month or so.
These coyotes are not going to just go away.
If you love your chickens and want to save them you must do something.
Get someone to thin the coyote population by shooting or trapping.
The most feasible solution is to enlarge your daytime run. Or reduce the size of your flock so the room you have now is sufficient with no crowding
my opinion
Good luck!

 

[Bhubbard]

I had an automatic door and the coyote was smart enough to grab first one out in morning. So I got up and waited on him one morning. No more coyote. I can’t imagine the time it would take for them to move on especially if the den was near by.

 

[Bhubbard]

My flock is free range during the day, and a coyote family keeps running out in our FRONT YARD when our chickens come outside the coop to try and snatch them. They have taken 5 already and almost got one today. (They grabbed her tail feathers, but she got away missing a few.) what do I do? If I leave my chickens up in the coop together, the roosters will probably kill each other, and the hens will squabble because they’re used to having their own space. I have no extra space really to separate anyone because my 4mo chicks are taking up a pen. and don’t have the heart to shoot a coyote, and also don’t have any traps big enough for them. There’s really no solution. They killed my neighbors 30 chicken flock. Every one of them. Now they’re coming after mine. Side note, we live on 50 acres.

Does your neighbor have the heart to get revenge for losing their flock? Might be worth asking if they want to shoot it.

 

[50-140]

I had coyotes decimate my free ranging flock a couple years ago. In another month when snow is gone I'll be renewing the fence and posts.
it's 100 foot field fence circling the coop. I might be including electric. strands on the bottom.
My dog alerts me to coyotes from there it's my responsibly to deal with them, I try to give them a 5.56 welcome.

 

[Purelychicks]

Does your neighbor have the heart to get revenge for losing their flock? Might be worth asking if they want to shoot it.

Yes they probably would idk why I didn’t think of that. Thanks!

 

[Pipica]

I keep my chickens in their coop at night I’m just asking what I need to do. Should I leave it be? Should I keep them in the coop? If so for how long? Should I try to shoot coyotes or something? I love my chickens their like my pets.. I just need an opinion if I should keep them locked up. Their used to free range so when I try they always pull each others feathers out because they want out.

Well, first things first. Protect your flock for the time they need to be locked up. Give them variety of foods and add some new things around run to entertain them. (If you don’t have already add some perches , branches will do) . Let them free range only for a few hours before dark and ONLY under your supervision. And if you can take care of coyotes and yes you can!!! Those babies are your responsibility and are not designed to protect them self, soooo… mama got to do what mama got to do. There are multiple options to get rid of predators, unfortunately I know only one. On a up side it’s probably the cheapest if you are good shooter.

 

[Purelychicks]

Well, first things first. Protect your flock for the time they need to be locked up. Give them variety of foods and add some new things around run to entertain them. (If you don’t have already add some perches , branches will do) . Let them free range only for a few hours before dark and ONLY under your supervision. And if you can take care of coyotes and yes you can!!! Those babies are your responsibility and are not designed to protect them self, soooo… mama got to do what mama got to do. There are multiple options to get rid of predators, unfortunately I know only one. On a up side it’s probably the cheapest if you are the good shooter.

Thanks. I also found their den and it’s between me and my neighbors property, in a tree line.. saw one of the young coyotes go back to the den.. they have easy grabs. My chickens make the same “route” every day and it just so happens to go past their den. They found easy meals. They pick one off almost every day but are hard to catch because they’re out, grab one.. and back in. Hopefully me or my neighbor will catch them.

 

[Bhubbard]

I had coyotes decimate my free ranging flock a couple years ago. In another month when snow is gone I'll be renewing the fence and posts.
it's 100 foot field fence circling the coop. I might be including electric. strands on the bottom.
My dog alerts me to coyotes from there it's my responsibly to deal with them, I try to give them a 5.56 welcome.

Mine caught a 300 blackout it’s my more fun choice if I can get to within 50-100 yds

 

[Bhubbard]

Thanks. I also found their den and it’s between me and my neighbors property, in a tree line.. saw one of the young coyotes go back to the den.. they have easy grabs. My chickens make the same “route” every day and it just so happens to go past their den. They found easy meals. They pick one off almost every day but are hard to catch because they’re out, grab one.. and back in. Hopefully me or my neighbor will catch them.

Yes this is exactly how they operate. They are sneaky. Mine would appear from fence row grab the one that got away from coop door first and be gone … the grass and weeds were even smashed down where it would wait every morning for the door to open. So I knew exactly where to be aiming.

 

[BarnyardChaos]

My flock is free range during the day, and a coyote family keeps running out in our FRONT YARD when our chickens come outside the coop to try and snatch them. They have taken 5 already and almost got one today. (They grabbed her tail feathers, but she got away missing a few.) what do I do? If I leave my chickens up in the coop together, the roosters will probably kill each other, and the hens will squabble because they’re used to having their own space. I have no extra space really to separate anyone because my 4mo chicks are taking up a pen. and don’t have the heart to shoot a coyote, and also don’t have any traps big enough for them. There’s really no solution. They killed my neighbors 30 chicken flock. Every one of them. Now they’re coming after mine. Side note, we live on 50 acres.

How big is your coop? How many chickens do you have? How many are roosters? How many roosting bars and how long? I'm just trying to get a picture of how crowded (or not) your coop is.

You MUST do something immediately to keep them safe from the coyotes. I recommend locking them up and keeping them there, until you can erect a secure run. If you don't, your birds will all be coyote bait within a few days.

I live in Missouri, where weather is just a bit colder than yours. During the worst winter weather, I keep my birds indoors in their coop 24/7, sometimes for several days in a row. They don't like it, but they adapt after a day or so. I have 37 hens and 4 roosters, in a space that's about 8 x 22, with a 7' ceiling. Lots of roosting bars, perches, feed barrels, shelves, nesting buckets on a tall rack - lots of things to use the vertical space as well. I even put a feeder and water up on a wide shelf with a visual barrier in front of it, so my shy rooster can feed in peace.

They can't fight on roosting bars, or on any precarious perch space - neither can the roosters overmate the hens. So they get away from each other by using the vertical space, and going behind and on top of things.

I've found that my roosters fight less (at least mine do) when they're locked up. Let them out into the run, and the race is on. But lock them up and they each occupy a chosen space with their girls. Goldie has the floor in the back of the coop. Roofuss patrols the front part of the coop, or ranges along the roosting bars in back. (Front and back are separated, with an open door between.) Colonel Sanders hides on his shelf. Blackbeard hops along the front shelf and on the feed barrels, and hops down to sneak food and water when Roofuss hangs out in the back.

Anyway..... sorry to ramble. But locking them up CAN work, if you have the right set-up.