Lost ALL of my birds this morning…

[PrairieChickens]

I know it doesn't really matter at this point what did it, only that it was done, but in my experience with both dogs and coyotes, I'm leaning towards dogs as well. While it's not impossible it was coyotes, they don't tend to be so bold... or so wasteful. Dogs on the other hand... Of course, what will keep one out will work on the other, so predator-proofing for either is the same thing.

I don't have much experience with guard-birds. I know geese will go after kids, but will they go after dogs and coyotes?

 

[subhanalah]

I know it doesn't really matter at this point what did it, only that it was done, but in my experience with both dogs and coyotes, I'm leaning towards dogs as well.  While it's not impossible it was coyotes, they don't tend to be so bold... or so wasteful.  Dogs on the other hand...  Of course, what will keep one out will work on the other, so predator-proofing for either is the same thing.

I don't have much experience with guard-birds.  I know geese will go after kids, but will they go after dogs and coyotes?

geese will sound an alarm, but they are all bluff and flapping. They won't actually protect anything.

 

[thundercloud]

I'm sorry to hear about your flock!

I have a very strong dislike for coyotes. I have e-mail alerts set up for news stories about Dachshunds. It was through these alerts that I started finding news stories about coyotes killing and eating peoples pets. It did not matter if the pet was in a pen or in a fenced in yard. Coyotes can jump tall fences. If it's a small pet like a cat they will grab it, jump back over the fence, and carry it off to the woods to eat it.

Coyotes and stray dogs are the reason I'm going to rig an electric fence around my yet to be built coop. I plan to put one about an inch or so off the ground around the coop. That way any creature that tries to dig under will get shocked. It does not kill them, it just makes them stay away.

Electric fences are a bit of a pain to deal with on a daily basis. They are super easy to install but I'd rather not have to do it to begin with.

The fence chargers come in various sizes. I picked a low powered one. You don't need a charger that will power ten miles of fence to protect your coop. One like that could kill your pets under the right circumstances. The only problem with a low power fence is that you will have to keep weeds and grass cleared away from them or they will not work. The high power ones will actually burn off blades of grass that touch the wire.

I hope you have better luck with your next flock!