I got a coyote problem, help!!

[Goddess hen 763]

I really need help. I came too check on my chickens (30) and my turkeys (I have 5). I love them to death, but two where gone, and 1 has a broke leg. A huge hole was under the fence, and feathers were everywhere. I’ve experianced coyotes before, and this is that. This weekend, we also had a goose stolen, which is very upsetting. Before he strikes again, what precautions can I take.

 

[Mvan42]

Get a gun... . Electric fence may help.

 

[Goddess hen 763]

Thank you for replying, we have several animals running around that area, so an electric fence would only hurt. I wouldn’t want it to kill a peacock or guinea. Also, it’d be hard to shoot it cause we have three large coops that are spread apart.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Electric fence won't kill a guinea or a peacock, much like it wont kill the coyote. It will just give them a mighty scary zap and send them on their way.

If you can't shoot or electric fence you could do something wild like chainlink fencing with a 3' skirt around the outside. Or you could build a concrete barrier underground and build a 6' wooden perimiter fence. You could do like they do in africa and build an 8' cattle wire-on-telephone-poles fence and surround it with masses of tangled dried thorn branches 2-3' deep.
You could invest in a few livestock guardian dogs but those need training, veterinary care and won't be ready to guard your stock for years. They're a big investment.

You could try to trap them and shoot them but you might just trap your peacocks or guineas in the process.

 

[SarahGfa]

Put a trap in that hole that the coyote dug to get under the fence.

 

[Goddess hen 763]

Electric fence won't kill a guinea or a peacock, much like it wont kill the coyote. It will just give them a mighty scary zap and send them on their way.

If you can't shoot or electric fence you could do something wild like chainlink fencing with a 3' skirt around the outside. Or you could build a concrete barrier underground and build a 6' wooden perimiter fence. You could do like they do in africa and build an 8' cattle wire-on-telephone-poles fence and surround it with masses of tangled dried thorn branches 2-3' deep.
You could invest in a few livestock guardian dogs but those need training, veterinary care and won't be ready to guard your stock for years. They're a big investment.

You could try to trap them and shoot them but you might just trap your peacocks or guineas in the process.

We also have 1 large dog, one small dog, a tiny puppy and a helpless crazy cat. So electric fence is a DEFINITE no, sorry. But thank you for the suggestion. The thorns is an awesome idea, I might just look into it, I would have never thought of that.

 

[Goddess hen 763]

Put a trap in that hole that the coyote dug to get under the fence.

Thank you for the suggestion but I can’t because we have three dogs, several peacocks and guineas, and also geese. We also have a crazy cat who I know would get stuck in

 

[cmom]

I guess since none of the suggested options will work for you, be prepared to loose more birds. I have electric wire around my coops and pens. The predators know it's there. My opinion is, if anything touches the wire, they won't touch it again. You can always turn it off during the day. Here most of the predators roam at night. A coyote behind some of the coops, a fox at a chick/grow-out coop. They know the electric wire is there.

 

[Goddess hen 763]

That is a cool suggestion, once again. I really can’t do an electric fence. We have animals everywhere

 

[ChocolateMouse]

I mean, again, the electric fence doesn't kill them, only hurts. You can set it to different voltages. It's a deterrent in the same way a skunk is - it just sucks to touch and there are easier things to get so they leave. It's going to have the same effect as thorns - they try to get through and OUCH so they leave. Anything that hits a coyote will hit a domestic dog, even the thorns. I know someone whose 10lb dog was chasing a rat and caught a small nail in the side and died from having pierced an organ. Nothing is 100% dog safe. (The african enclosures I refer to are called Bomas btw. And they can absolutely hurt a dog that goes running into them because they keep lions out.)

Honestly and frankly, I agree with the other posters - if you can't handle the thought of your dogs learning to mind the electric fence as countless dogs on farms have all across the world, and you can't shoot, and you can't trap.... Be prepared to lose birds.

But there's things you can try. Maybe not effective, but you can try.
There's also things like motion sensing lights for night time that mimic predator eyes.