I lost a chicken to a coyote 😞 What can I do to protect my hens from further attacks?

[Starburst]

Buy a shotgun. Helps to protect your flock and home...

Good idea

 

[Starburst]

Buy a camera (Wyze cams are good and cheap) and see if the coyote has a pattern of coming around. If so, you know when to put the shells in the shotgun

Great idea! Looking into cameras as we speak

 

[Starburst]

@Starburst

If you do go the firearm route, please make sure to learn the 4 Safety Rules (Col Jeff Cooper) and get some training on the use of the shotgun. Coyotes are smart and extremely cunning when it comes to outwitting their hunters.

Best of luck!

I will definitely learn all of the safety rules and get some training if I go down that road

 

[cmom]

So sorry for your loss. I have electric wire around my coops and pens, concrete under the gates and good heavy duty netting covering all of my pens. Several years ago I had a coyote that jumped over a 5' fence into a pen, and some of the birds went out over the fence along with the coyote. It did manage to kill some birds but I was able to get a shot off at it but unfortunately I had bird shot in my gun. I'm pretty sure I hit the coyote but didn't kill it. It took off though. I also invested in some game cameras. I'm always looking for a good deal. I haven't had to put an apron around the bottom of my pens because of the electric wire. The predators know it's there and once they touch it they don't do it again. Most predators explore things first with their nose. Here is a good thread on electric wires or fence. I use an AC fence charger. It's a 1.2 joule and if a predator touches it, it will know it. There are DC and solar chargers. I have a battery backup for mine for times when we loose power. AC can tolerate weeds better than others but I keep the vegetation down under the wires. Good luck...
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/electric-fence-basics.1398976/
This is a chick/grow-out coop. They know the electric wire is there.

 

[jme_vol4ever]

Our best defense is our German Shepherd. Alternatively, Livestock Guardian Dogs (great pyrenees & the like) are also great choices to be with the birds 24/7. We have coyotes, bears, and smaller predators as well, but our GSD keeps them off our property. With that being said, the dogs have to be trained or they will be the predator rather than the protector

 

[CHlCKEN]

Hi, everyone. So, today I lost on of my favorite girls, Saoirse, who was a beautiful Welsummer, to a coyote. I’ve been on vacation on an island, but one of my neighbors saw a coyote run by with one of my chickens in its mouth. The caretaker of my chickens had misunderstood when I was explaining that I usually free-range my chickens, but that she didn’t need to as there are a lot of predators and I wanted to be in the safe side. Well, they unfortunately thought I meant that they should free range the chickens. I’ve had a coyote come and try to get my chickens three times this month. The chickens have always been in their run when this happened, though one time they were startled and flew out of the run, but they all survived. However, today the coyote snagged one while they were free ranging. Aside from no longer free ranging the girls and covering the run, what else can I do to keep the coyotes out of my property and else should I do for my chickens safety? Thanks.

Never get a run without a run cover. I’m sure you’ve heard this before but it provides many benefits. 1: the girls can’t fly out and become a meal for a predator 2: Overhead predators can’t get them 3: Lots of shade for the summer months 4: Rain can’t come in and make it muddy or stink up the poop. I’m so sorry you lost your girl, but as I soon as you come home I recommend you make some changes for the safety of your girls/guys

 

[cmom]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-treatise-on-electric-fencing.1117877/

 

[Starburst]

Never get a run without a run cover. I’m sure you’ve heard this before but it provides many benefits. 1: the girls can’t fly out and become a meal for a predator 2: Overhead predators can’t get them 3: Lots of shade for the summer months 4: Rain can’t come in and make it muddy or stink up the poop. I’m so sorry you lost your girl, but as I soon as you come home I recommend you make some changes for the safety of your girls/guys

Thanks for your advice. I had just moved my chickens to a new coop with a large run I built around it. I had been working on getting some bird netting up, but didn’t get around to getting it up before I left. It’s a tricky run, it is, with several huge evergreens growing in the middle of it, but I had it all planned out and almost got it up the week before I left, yet unfortunately I became extremely busy. Now, as soon as I get back, I’m going to get a cover up.

 

[IamRainey]

Never get a run without a run cover. I’m sure you’ve heard this before but it provides many benefits. 1: the girls can’t fly out and become a meal for a predator 2: Overhead predators can’t get them 3: Lots of shade for the summer months 4: Rain can’t come in and make it muddy or stink up the poop. I’m so sorry you lost your girl, but as I soon as you come home I recommend you make some changes for the safety of your girls/guys

And it needs to be adequate cover. It should provide -- depending on what climate you're in -- shelter from rain and sun and climbing or flying predators. Raccoons, rodents and hawks are all as dangerous from above as below. So if the covering isn't a substantial roof it should still be strong enough and tight enough to keep them out.

 

[Starburst]

And it needs to be adequate cover. It should provide -- depending on what climate you're in -- shelter from rain and sun and climbing or flying predators. Raccoons, rodents and hawks are all as dangerous from above as below. So if the covering isn't a substantial roof it should still be strong enough and tight enough to keep them out.

Definitely agree. I live in Western WA, so I get a good amount of rain, but not too much sun. Going to put something like bird netting or something a little stronger over most of it with a covered part in the area that isn’t protected by branches of the trees and get muddy