living in the city, what predators do you deal with?

[TINCHER]

Hello!! i live in the city, a few blocks down from a park on one side, and a few blocks away from a busy road on the other side. I have a garden and a fenced in backyard, and i have been trying to be observant of possible predators in my neighborhood.
my yard is pretty much concealed so i only see the occassional squirrel or small bird.... and when i'm driving through my neighborhood i see a few cats, but none near my house.

... if anyone lives in a neighborhood or in the city i was wondering what predators you deal with??
I really don't want to put a roof/top fencing on my run but if other people in similar areas as mine i surely will. my chicks are in the brooder now but i'll need to have my yard ready in a few weeks to let them loose!

Any tips or stories about your experience in a city/close neighborhood please let me know!
and, i'm in Florence, SC
Thanks!

 

[Yay Chicks!]

I'm over in Oregon and live in town. Predators to be concerned about here are raccoons and rats. I haven't seen any rats, but in any town they are bound to be a reality. There are a couple of cats that take detours through my yard, but they are totally intimidated by my big hens. Most cats won't bother a full grown hen, but I would be careful when they are small.

Personally, I like a roof on the run because it keeps the run dry.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Recent studies seem to indicate that the population of coyotes, possum, coons, skunks, etc are all much higher in urban and suburban areas than the populations in extremely rural areas. Lots of reasons why this is.

An urban chicken keeper need to take no false comfort in being in the city when it comes to good predator defense.

 

[jetdog]

I live in a neighborhood about a mile out of town and I have caught 4 coons,1 coyote, 1 skunk,2 grey fox around my coop in less than 1 year. Don't fool yourself when your birds are in the coop they will attract predators that you never new were there. Roof your run with wire or a solid roof, I let mine out with supervision, oh and don't forget about hawks. I just picked up a game camera for night time monitoring.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Talk to your local animal control and see what they have to deal with. That’s probably your best bet for local and reliable knowledge. In South Carolina I’d be amazed if you don’t have raccoons, possums, skunks, hawks, owls, and snakes on a regular basis. I’d think fox, bobcat, and coyotes would be real common in the area you describe. If water is around, minks may not be out of the question. Dogs could easily be your biggest predator worry.

I used to live in the suburbs of New Orleans. This was an area where you could not throw a rock any direction without hitting another house. I trapped a possum in my back yard. Raccoons used the storm sewers as safe ways to move all over town. I left for work before daylight and would often see raccoons entering the storm sewers.

Even with all these predators around a lot of people don’t put a roof on the run. Even out here where I am now in a very rural area, I use the philosophy of a predator resistant run during the day with locking them in a predator proof coop at night. It’s possible certain climbing things can get in and flying things certainly can. Every year I trap or shoot raccoons, skunks, possums, rats, and mice. Groundhogs too, but those are a threat to my garden, not chickens. I see coyotes and foxes. A neighbor had a bobcat take a chicken a couple of years ago. The predators are here.

I’ve been pretty successful with this philosophy but there are risks. I was late locking them up one night this past fall and an owl landed in the electric netting and pulled a young cockerel out of a coop and killed it. That’s my only loss since I got the electric netting 2-1/2 years ago. Before the electric netting, dogs were the problem, not all the other wildlife.

 

[Yay Chicks!]

Oh, RIGHT, Jetdog. Hawks! I forgot about those overhead predators.

 

[memphis]

We're in Memphis & deal with hawks, owls, racoons , and owls. Stray cat or two but they steer clear of my girls.

 

[bhwk40]

raccons , opossums, and hawks. you may never see the ones that come out at night but they are around

 

[TINCHER]

oh my, you guys are making me nervous for my chicks!
I have a small coop on a concrete slab, hidden behind my shed.
... I guess i'll need to fashion some type of cover for the run.

 

[zazouse]

Recent studies seem to indicate that the population of coyotes, possum, coons, skunks, etc are all much higher in urban and suburban areas than the populations in extremely rural areas. Lots of reasons why this is.

An urban chicken keeper need to take no false comfort in being in the city when it comes to good predator defense.

Totally true statement, My moms lives in town and she lost her dog a year later she was hearing something under her house so i lent her a trail cam, now her yard is fenced but they caught photos of coons, possums, cats and even a fox, i told them they would be surprised what was running around their place at night .

I live out in the country away for folks and use dogs to protect my flocks as i have no pens, they are totally free and while the dogs get a trespassing critter once in a while , they get way more snakes coming threw and dispatch them as they are my biggest threat to the newly hatched with their moms.