I know now what killed my bird. What next?

[Aunt Angus]

I live in a heavily wooded, heavily predator-ridden area. We're talking hawks, owls, fox, raccoon, skunk, possum, coyote, bobcat, wolf, bear, mountain lion. Here's what I do...

My flock us housed in a coop with an attached run. The run is a welded wire dog kennel. I wrapped that in hardware cloth. There's an anti-dig apron around it, too. That is surrounded by 162 ft of 4ft high electric poultry netting. Over the top of that is heavy duty bird netting. They've got about 2000sq ft of roaming space. It's not free ranging by any means, but at least they've got room and grass and bugs and sunshine. I can sit with them and feed them treats. It's a good compromise, and it's served me well so far.

If I see signs that one of the BIG predators have been around, I do lock them up. There's enough juice in that fence to deter a bear, but if a bear or a mountain lion were desperate enough, there's nothing I can do to stop either one.

 

[saysfaa]

The ONLY reason I'm not seeing More predators is they're passing up the chickens behind a fence for the chickens that are easier to catch across the street. I just had a conversation with my neighbor this week trying to convince him to put an electric fence around his run and coop .Owls and Coyotes have killed at least 20 out of his flock .

Works. Until it doesn't. In this case, the neighbors are adequately feeding the present predator population. So more of the predators' offspring will survive...

 

[McChooky]

I never thought of that. Huh. I wonder if black birds have a higher survival rate in free ranging flocks than others.

Unfortunately, I have not a single black bird in the bunch. I had intended to keep one cock from my bunch of d'anvers, but given that both have major faults that disqualify them in quality from showing I think it's irresponsible to let them have access to my hens, and on top of that they're like... 600gram birds as adults. Not exactly a rooster that can pull a punch. I think I'd need a brahma rooster, except I don't want brahmas, I want a glorious flock of barbu d'anvers. I hope they tolerate confinement well... I can tell that they enjoy foraging a great deal but they're just so small and vulnerable.

Honestly, the hubs is taking a new position at a different company that's going to push our income to the next level and I'm hoping to ditch this banana stand in a year or so. Somewhere bigger so I can get really serious about my goals and dreams of raising beautiful show belgians.

Ravens are much bigger than a crow and kill standard size chickens but a crow is much smaller.They eat smaller chickens like Bantams or chicks. So far I haven't seen any predators near my coop but I only have one camera up (I move it frequently)Tonight I aimed it directly behind the coop in the woods behind it hoping to see an predators that may be lurking nearby.Last night a bear cub got in my neighbors trash and his driveway is close to mine.Its about 150 ft from my coop.

 

[McChooky]

I live in a heavily wooded, heavily predator-ridden area. We're talking hawks, owls, fox, raccoon, skunk, possum, coyote, bobcat, wolf, bear, mountain lion. Here's what I do...

My flock us housed in a coop with an attached run. The run is a welded wire dog kennel. I wrapped that in hardware cloth. There's an anti-dig apron around it, too. That is surrounded by 162 ft of 4ft high electric poultry netting. Over the top of that is heavy duty bird netting. They've got about 2000sq ft of roaming space. It's not free ranging by any means, but at least they've got room and grass and bugs and sunshine. I can sit with them and feed them treats. It's a good compromise, and it's served me well so far.

If I see signs that one of the BIG predators have been around, I do lock them up. There's enough juice in that fence to deter a bear, but if a bear or a mountain lion were desperate enough, there's nothing I can do to stop either one.

I want to build a big one next! I've attached a small enclosed run to my coop (Covered in hardware cloth(48 sq ft )with an apron)but its only good for nights. I always lock them up in the coop at night so I've never left the door open at night . I added an extension made from pallets and it serves them very well (8 x 16)It has netting on top and hardware cloth on the sides.(I'm still working on the apron) Their housing is a lot of time and work if your goal is to keep them safe.

 

[McChooky]

Works. Until it doesn't. In this case, the neighbors are adequately feeding the present predator population. So more of the predators' offspring will survive...

Yes he's supplying them a steady stream of banquet style fresh free chicken dinners .I already had plenty of reasons for wanting an electric fence up but he's made it necessary.

 

[Smileybans]

Do you think this year has been particularly bad for predator activity? I don't think I've ever seen so many hawks/eagles//coyotes in this area before this summer. I had a coyote run across the street and cut me off 3 houses away from my own while jogging. I live in the burbs of a metro, granted it's Minnesota and our bird populations of all sorts are incredibly abundant. In 5 years of owning chickens I have not had a predator attack, this is my first. I knew it was a matter of time, I guess. I got comfortable and lowered my guard. I realize this is my fault. I would be more upset if it wasn't a cockerel I had no intention of keeping that was taken. At this point, it was a hard lesson that no chicken outside without hardware cloth around it is safe, and I failed them.

I have noticed, near me, an increase in coyote noises. I usually don’t see many of them because they stick to the more wooded areas outside of the village. But you can hear them for miles. I have been hearing them more and more. This year I also saw a bobcat in my back yard, before keeping chickens, which I have never seen around here before.

I know more and more agricultural and wooded land is being sold to support housing developments here. So the animals might be getting pushed off their land. Same for the arial predators. They’re losing fields to hunt in because houses keep popping up. I know in Schenectady NY they just keep adding more of those cul de sacs. To do so they’re buying up wooded areas and clear cutting them. This pushes the animals into villages with wooded land. It’s really sad. I also noticed an increase in the fox population near me as well. Maybe for the same reasons.

 

[cmom]

Free ranging is a risk you take. We are rural and have lots of predators. My birds all have nice large covered pens. I have lost several birds to hawks in the past. A couple of times I was out with my birds and the hawks swooped in and I didn't have time to react. One time a hawk killed a bird right in front of me. It killed her but didn't take her. Another time I had my chicks in a small pen of which I was standing next to and a hawk swooped in and grabbed a chick and all I could do was watch it fly off with my chick. Both times it happened so fast as I previously mentioned, I didn't have time to react. Good luck...

 

[cmom]

I do encourage the crows to hang around but they aren't always here.

 

[Kiki]

I was in the yard today, sunbathing 3 feet from the coop, when I saw it. A hawk came over the house, barely visible because it was so high. And then it circled around. And again. And kept coming lower until I could really see the detail on it. Taking no chances, I ran to grab my birds. I must have looked insane hugging six birds in my arms running like a madman across my yard, but they're all safely inside and the hawk took off.

So, that kind of confirms my suspicions. I have two things that are excruciatingly detrimental going on with my flock; one is that my d'anvers are snack size, two is that they're nearly white and stick out like delicious sore thumbs on my green grass. Seeking answers to my problem, the solutions provided have many mixed reviews. A few current topics on hawks suggest owl decoys are worthless, and I am worthless to try and protect them by being in the yard with them. I'm unsure about the efficacy of things that glitter and shine, such as strung up CD's/mirrors, any commentary on this is helpful.

My question is, I watch crows, blue jays and ravens bully the snot out of hawks and eagles on the regular. The aerial catfights are interesting to watch (when you're not worried about your pets becoming snacks). I have never, ever seen an owl attack a hawk. So why are owls even a suggestion as a decoy to deter hawks? Would raven/crow/jay decoys not be better? Has anyone tried this? I don't know that they exist, but I'm crafty and I know I can "nail it" for accuracy if that's what I gotta do.

Besides keeping them penned in for the rest of their lives, is there anything that works? Like, actually works?

Thanks everyone.

A big covered run works.

 

[cmom]

The hawk will keep coming around since it know there are birds there. I have a couple of young hawks I have been seeing around here. This morning when I went out to check my cameras one was standing on one of my Bluebird nest boxes. I have been seeing them around a lot lately, a couple of juvenile Red Tailed hawks. There getting pretty big but not quite as big as the adults yet. All of my pens are covered.