How Do You Protect Your Chickens?

[Sugar Sand Farm]

our coop has metal siding on it. It is dug down two feet Thats where the metal siding starts. The run is also dug down two feet. It is made of welded 2"x4 "wire. Around the inside is chicken wire to protect the chickens from being pulled through the wire if caught napping. The top is the same 2" x4" wire. All windows have 1"x1" wire on them.We have to keep our chickens in a pen as we are adjacent to the wildlife management area. We do however have an old rooster and hen that freerange. So far they have been safe.Predators don't come to close during the daytime with the goats,pigs,and dogs. We keep then tightly closed at night in their own little coop. All our coops have floors to prevent anyting digging under.Even with all this protection we expect to lose something some day All you can do is to try your best to protect them.I also don't think I could shoot a predator so far the only one we have had is a snake and my son relocated that.

 

[Beekissed]

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I freerange and this is my protection...two tough scrappers that have taken a personal interest in keeping any and all predators away from the birds. I have a perimeter fence all the way around but a determined predator could breach this easily.

A toddler could break into my coop, its ancient and has more gaps than a hillbilly smile! I leave the pop door open at all times.

Fortunately, the dog's lounging shed is right beside the coop and they patrol all night.

Have used Dog Security for as long as I've had chickens and haven't had a loss to a predator yet.

 

[doubleostud]

My free range chickens are in with my goats and mini donkeys and I dont have problems with anything, I think the goats and donkeys keep most stuff away.

 

[vfem]

I give them boxing gloves and tell them to "work it out".

 

[tackyrama]

Quote:
Almost exactly the way I feel! I would like to have a more dependable dog like that other fellow. I would feel a lot better about their safety. Seeing the chickens out and about just feels right. If some get taken so be it. I feel I can't give them any thing better in their lives than a chance to live as naturally as was intended.

 

[the1much]

i do anything and everything,, shoot,scare, ANYTHING.
yes chickens are a luxury for some, but their also like a child, or dog,, they depend on YOU to keep them safe,, even from hungry animals. you should protect with ANY force necessary to keep the ones that depend on you, alive. i have 4 birds for the luxury,, the rest are my food, to eat,and sell, for a livelihood. and anything from a mouse, to a human, that messes with them gets 1 warning, after that the warning is whatever it takes to make the THREAT go away, or be killed.
i have motion and heat sensors, fences,roo's,, and then me and the gun.

 

[ZooMummzy]

Quote:
I live in your area, as you know, and your set up is a lot like mine. I have ranch fencing, buried 6 inches and then covered with railroad ties. The bottom is covered by hardware cloth with three layers of chicken wire on the high points. The roof is our bedroom deck. There are no gaps or open areas at all and not even my dogs, who spend all day outside at times, can dig in our clay or lift those railroad ties, so I'm not worried about digging predators. I secure the gate with a tight bungee cord through gate latch hole. I can barely pull it out of the hole, so I know a raccoon isn't going to either. It is also behind the hardware cloth so it cannot be chewed. Each night I put one man rocks leftover from our landscape project in front of the gate too just in case one tries to pull it open at the bottom to crawl in. I can't pick them up, just have to roll them so a predator isn't going to be able to move them. My coop and run is basically Fort Knox

The girls do not free range because I will not lose them to predators. My neighbors have, even in daylight like you mention. I can't do that to my girls, they are my pets. I won't kill a predator either because I cannot kill another animal for any reason. Call it a flaw or weakness but I won't do it. I feel it's more my responsibility to keep my pets, children, property whatever safe from predators.

 

[Rode Island Red 2008]

dont listen to those eletric fence people go to walmart buy a 15 or 30 dollar pellet gun rifle or piostle if usee anthying just shhot near it to scare it away for take a kill

 

[wilds of pa]

This is my idea

Charlie