I have a predator

[tuesdays chicks]

something has been trying to dig into my chicken run, I've designed it knowingly, so I am secure in the fact it or they wont get in, last night I decided to put a rat trap out, figure if nothing else it will scare the begeesus out of what ever is digging, but I guess it didn't scare it too much because he sprang the trap and still ate the bait, unless something came back later, guess I'll need to buy a raccoon trap, just don't know what I'm going to do with the animal 1s I catch it, It can be any number of animals raccoon bobcat opossum fox or I may have had all of the above at 1 point or another.

 

[tuesdays chicks]

as I posted this a hawk tried to get into momma and babies, she is beside herself, I have never heard her so upset before, I had about 6 months of bliss before the predators swooped in, now everything has found them, whats worse I'm at the moment deciding where to keep my quail, I thought 1st I would keep them in my screened porch, but I don't want the predators doing damage to the screens, if I put them outside I don't want the life scared out of them.

 

[Olive Hill]

When you catch it you kill it. If you're not going to kill it don't bother putting a trap out. Relocating animals is irresponsible.

 

[tuesdays chicks]

well I think the bobcat might be protected, but I'm not sure and will have to find out and we have a state wildlife park about 15 miles away, and unlike a lot of people I don't and wont own a gun or have 1 in my house, next drown? well thats cruelty so when I catch it will you come kill it for me ?

 

[tuesdays chicks]

Dad says I should get a fake owl for the hawks, does anyone know if this works? and do you think it would help with the night time predators?

 

[7L Farm]

Quote:
I have a fake owl , scare crow not much help here.

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

I had a Cooper's hawk that regularly perched on the head of my neighbor's fake owl. In my experience, I don't even deter hawks. The red tailed hawk will swoop in and try to take one of my chickens even if I'm there waving my arms. I've heard that you can move the fake owl daily, but that would be difficult to keep up with. Good luck.

 

[bobbi-j]

Quote:
Without getting into the drown or not to drown debate (and there surely will be one), you do need to figure out a way to kill the animal once you trap it. Either that or call your local game warden and have them come kill it, or find someone else who can. Relocating it not only irresponsible, it's also illegal in many places. Please don't bother trapping it if you're not going to kill it. About all you can do is make sure your coop is reinforced.

 

[Lollipop]

Quote:
Without getting into the drown or not to drown debate (and there surely will be one), you do need to figure out a way to kill the animal once you trap it. Either that or call your local game warden and have them come kill it, or find someone else who can. Relocating it not only irresponsible, it's also illegal in many places. Please don't bother trapping it if you're not going to kill it. About all you can do is make sure your coop is reinforced.

Everyone who keeps chickens should have a live trap and a gun. the gun is a tool to defend your flock and dispatch trapped predators. It`s your resposibility to protect what is yours. As others have said, relocating, even to a wildlife park, is out of the question. Farm life, even backyard farm life requires dealing with predators. If you can`t deal with predators, maybe you should rethink the idea of keeping chickens. Don`t want to sound cruel, just a fact of life........Pop

 

[tuesdays chicks]

I'm not against killing them, and I guess I have plenty of friends and family I can ask to bring their hunting guns over to shoot them, but like I said before I don't know if the bobcat is a protected species, I don't even know what is trying to dig its way in, My birds are safe the predators can't get to them.
But listening to all you advocates for killing the predators I just had a thought and a laugh, I think you should all go into politics and the judicial system, I bet our predatory crime rate would drop tremendously.