Keep Em' Out!

[LilJoe]

Is there a way to keep predators out of my yard while the hens are free ranging. I know most besides hawks around here are nocturnal but skunks,foxes, etc. Are out during the day sometimes and yesterday it smelled like skunk in out yard, not the spray just skunk.

 

[bobbi-j]

About the only way is with good fencing. A dog can help, but that's not a short-term solution. You have to get the dog, train the dog, and invest in shots, food, etc. And the fence is more of a guarantee than the dog. You put it up, it keeps stuff out. You get the dog, it may or may not understand that it's supposed to protect the chickens and not play with them. The fence goes to work right away. A good dog may take a year or two to train. .

 

[LilJoe]

Thank you bobbi, I do have a dog but she isn't trained but she DEFINITELY would chase coons or whatever away, and our fence....what do you consider a good fence

 

[bobbi-j]

Does your dog leave the chickens alone? What kind of dog is she? How old?

The type of fence you get would depend on how much area you have to cover, where you live, and definitely how much you can afford to spend. People with a smaller back yard can get by with a good privacy fence. A lot of people on here use electric netting that they can move from place to place. There are the good old fashioned "cyclone" fences... The possibilities are endless! Anything that keeps predators out is a good fence.

 

[LilJoe]

Yes for the most part sometime she thinks they're on the other side of the fence and runs to them barking, she might also get close to so e of them and startle them but never really chased them. She's a golden retriever and turning 9 or 10 this year. Well right now we already have a fence around the whole yard and it's just a regular wire fence