INCUBATING w/FRIENDS! w/Sally Sunshine Shipped Eggs No problem!

[Fire Ant Farm]

Quote:
My coops all each have a separate paddock, surrounded by plastic deer fencing. The coops are predator tight to the best of my abilities, but the paddocks are a deterrent at best - they wouldn't keep a large predator out, but my property fencing does that, and each group has a rooster, and they all do their jobs to alarm and protect during the day.

I close up the paddock "gate" (overlapping netting) after I lock each group up in their coops at night. For the past three nights, I have found the netting "gate" drooping open for the cockerel paddock the next morning. At first I thought I had just not secured it well (it hooks on spots on the posts). But it was very clear this morning that what is happening is something is getting in at night - it could be the water out in pans (it was really dirty this AM, so something probably messed with it), but I'm thinking that whatever it is may also be seeing if they can get at the chickens. The paddock gate for a second coop was also gaping this AM. All birds were fine, no ways for anything larger than 1/2 " to get in, but it's still a bit nerve wracking... MC, your news will have me double checking all the coops for points of weakness today.

- Ant Farm

 

[Chaos18]

My coops all each have a separate paddock, surrounded by plastic deer fencing. The coops are predator tight to the best of my abilities, but the paddocks are a deterrent at best - they wouldn't keep a large predator out, but my property fencing does that, and each group has a rooster, and they all do their jobs to alarm and protect during the day. 

I close up the paddock "gate" (overlapping netting) after I lock each group up in their coops at night. For the past three nights, I have found the netting "gate" drooping open for the cockerel paddock the next morning. At first I thought I had just not secured it well (it hooks on spots on the posts). But it was very clear this morning that what is happening is something is getting in at night - it could be the water out in pans (it was really dirty this AM, so something probably messed with it), but I'm thinking that whatever it is may also be seeing if they can get at the chickens. The paddock gate for a second coop was also gaping this AM. All birds were fine, no ways for anything larger than 1/2 " to get in, but it's still a bit nerve wracking... MC, your news will have me double checking all the coops for points of weakness today.

- Ant Farm 

I would put out a baited trap and see what it caught.

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

Quote:
Good idea. But no trap....

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Quote: If you can find someone with a 410 and a youth 20 gauge for her to try out she may surprise you. Have 2 nieces under 11 that shoot a youth 20 like their Momma and Aunt. The girls come here to try out firearms in my family often. 20 isn't a bad kick if you shoulder it as you said. We aren't allowed rifle hunting here that I know of, unless for predators.

this is our camp and where we shoot skeet

how beautiful!!!

 

[Chaos18]

Good idea. But no trap....

Might be kind of hard to catch something then

 

[Chaos18]

how beautiful!!!

Morning Sunshine

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

Quote:
Well, also, good chance it may be a skunk if not a raccoon. I'd rather just have secure coops (which I should have anyway) than trying to cope with a skunk in a trap right before going to work in the morning.

Also, I already know there are a LOT of small nocturnal critters that pass through all the time. I'm not thinking it's a reasonable goal to relocate all the urban raccoons, skunks, and stray cats in my area one by one... Could become a full time job...

So I just want to be sure the coops are safe. As @ChickenCanoe always says, assume there is an army of raccoons in your yard every night, and secure the chickens accordingly.

But if it begins to look like I have a specific problem nocturnal animal, I may very well buy a trap. I'm going to secure the paddock fencing more tightly tonight and then see what happens. I'm hoping it's just critters after water.

- Ant Farm

 

[Pensmaster]

Good idea. But no trap....

Live trap is Seldom not set here.

Morning Ant

 

[Chaos18]

Well, also, good chance it may be a skunk if not a raccoon. I'd rather just have secure coops (which I should have anyway) than trying to cope with a skunk in a trap right before going to work in the morning. 

Also, I already know there are a LOT of small nocturnal critters that pass through all the time. I'm not thinking it's a reasonable goal to relocate all the urban raccoons, skunks, and stray cats in my area one by one... Could become a full time job...

So I just want to be sure the coops are safe. As @ChickenCanoe
  always says, assume there is an army of raccoons in your yard every night, and secure the chickens accordingly. 

But if it begins to look like I have a specific problem nocturnal animal, I may very well buy a trap. I'm going to secure the paddock fencing more tightly tonight and then see what happens. I'm hoping it's just critters after water.

- Ant Farm 

Yea I'm always worried I'll catch a skunk in mine as well. I don't set my trap unless I know something has been trying to get in the run. My runs are just fencing with no roof but my coops are secure. I know raccoons and possums are in the area because I've trapped them before. I also know I can't remove all the predators.

 

[kwhites634]

Quote: A couple of ideas, if I may; one for now, one for future planning:

1. Next chance you get, buy a Havahart live trap, bait it with meat scraps from the kitchen, and set it close to the coop/run. They work like a champ! I've trapped several coon, a possum or two, even a skunk. I've also caught a free-ranging hen once, so be prepared. Whatever gets in won't be harmed by the trap. If you can't get to anywhere that sells them, go online...that's how I got mine. Obviously, you'll have to proceed with caution should you get a skunk. Coon & possum will try to get to you through the wire, but can't, as long as you pick the trap up by the handle on top. In your case, a barrel of water large & deep enough to accommodate the trap is the best way to guarantee they don't return; relocation just transfers the problem to someone else. I don't know that I'd try to put them out with the trash, though.

2. When building new coops, get them a couple feet up off the ground. I've posted several pictures on here of my setup if you want to take a peek. I simply screwed a platform to 4x4's, creating a table, braced the 4x4's for stability, and set the coop on top. Cutting the platform just large enough to support the coop eliminates anything for a predator to stand on while trying to get inside. I put one coop inside the run and the other outside, the open end of the run attached to the coop, with all possible points of entry closed off with h/w cloth or 1x2 welded wire. Naturally, if the coop's outside the run, you'll have to put wire around the area below the coop.
My original run is an old chain link dog kennel, and the ground it sits on is anything but level, so there's enough of a gap between the gate and the post for a predator to get through (my young birds go back and forth at will 'til I figure out a way to eliminate the gap and still have the gate function), but there's nothing for them to do except steal whatever feed has been scattered on the ground. They can't reach the coop, and after I set the ramp aside when I lock up at night there's nothing for them to stand on while they work at getting through the pop door.

Just my suggestions. If anyone comes up with a better way, I'm all ears.

There are, I'm sure, better setups out there, but this is what I came up with, and it's worked for me for a couple of years now, without any predator-related losses.