Standing outside this morning before work, letting the dogs run around the fenced in back yard and do their business before I kennel them while I'm at work I'm admiring the chicken house i moved out of the garage and into place last night. I was double counting t-post in my head to be sure I had enough to do the run the way I want when something grey-ish and larger than a songbird caught my eye. I look up and thought, "Coyote?" Nope. Keep watching as the creature moves fairly quickly through the morning drizzle following the back fence line separating my property from the neighbor's cattle pastures. "Chupacabra?" Definitely not. Squint and really take in the body as it slows down. "Bobcat!"
So I watch it moving along the tree/fence line as it passed in and out of view, dogs completely oblivious. Although now I wonder if that's what they weren't overly concerned about late last night about midnight. They kept barking and running up and down a section of the fence looking out into the darkness. And then after taking them to bed the two Standard Poodles stood guard at my bedroom windows, patrolling back and forth between the north and west sides looking out.
The chickens haven't moved in yet, and I'm building the fence this weekend (weather permitting). I've planned on ordering deer netting to stretch over the top of the run in order to protect them from the hawks that frequent the area. I grew up on 113 acres in East Texas with all manner of predators. Growing up with outside dogs my whole life I very rarely had problems with predators. One hawk (trapped in a partially covered run with a Salmon Faverolle rooster flogging it), three snakes (two rat snakes and one copperhead), one grey fox (tried to get juvenile birds through the wire because the little dummies were piled against it instead of in their house - dogs chased it off), and one very brazen coyote that came into the yard in broad daylight after my flock or Rouen ducks that I'd turned out to graze and bath in their yard pool.
How in the world do you keep a bobcat from looking at the chickens like they are dinner? Their house is completely secured at night. Nothing is going to be able to get to them that way. But I know bobcats can climb welded wire and I can just about bet deer netting isn't going to support their weight. Am I going to have to electrify the fence? I've never had to do that and am not at all committed to the idea. I don't want to trap or kill the animal, but I also don't want to provide a very expensive dinner either. Any suggestions?
So I watch it moving along the tree/fence line as it passed in and out of view, dogs completely oblivious. Although now I wonder if that's what they weren't overly concerned about late last night about midnight. They kept barking and running up and down a section of the fence looking out into the darkness. And then after taking them to bed the two Standard Poodles stood guard at my bedroom windows, patrolling back and forth between the north and west sides looking out.
The chickens haven't moved in yet, and I'm building the fence this weekend (weather permitting). I've planned on ordering deer netting to stretch over the top of the run in order to protect them from the hawks that frequent the area. I grew up on 113 acres in East Texas with all manner of predators. Growing up with outside dogs my whole life I very rarely had problems with predators. One hawk (trapped in a partially covered run with a Salmon Faverolle rooster flogging it), three snakes (two rat snakes and one copperhead), one grey fox (tried to get juvenile birds through the wire because the little dummies were piled against it instead of in their house - dogs chased it off), and one very brazen coyote that came into the yard in broad daylight after my flock or Rouen ducks that I'd turned out to graze and bath in their yard pool.
How in the world do you keep a bobcat from looking at the chickens like they are dinner? Their house is completely secured at night. Nothing is going to be able to get to them that way. But I know bobcats can climb welded wire and I can just about bet deer netting isn't going to support their weight. Am I going to have to electrify the fence? I've never had to do that and am not at all committed to the idea. I don't want to trap or kill the animal, but I also don't want to provide a very expensive dinner either. Any suggestions?
