Lynx attack

[NovaChooks]

My flock was attacked by a lynx Saturday morning. It took three of them before my white Chantie sounded the alarm and I ran out and scared it off with my dog.
It got my two lavender orpingtons and my bantam cochin hen

Poor babies.

Pic below is of two of the survivors right after. And one of my batams came back later after hiding for a while.

 

[ColtHandorf]

what would a better option be? this is my first flock

People always sound really obnoxious/rude/pretentious when they answer this question so if I come across that way, I am soooo sorry. Chicken wire is great for keeping chickens in, but literally anything can get through it. Some things are small and just climb/walk through like mice, weasels, and snakes. Some things climb over it, like mink, raccoons, or opossums. And some things can just go straight through it by tearing/breaking the wire like dogs, bobcats/lynx, coyotes, foxes, and bears.

Me personally, I use welded wire in the area that I am in, but in no way is that secure. Usually the best option is 1/4"x1/4" hardware cloth in a fully enclosed run so that the chickens are completely safe from any predators. Additionally adding a hot wire/electric fence can be helpful in deterring the most tenacious of predators.

If you go through the coop section of the forum you'll see lots of really good ideas for secure coops with or without no-dig aprons to prevent predators from digging under the wire. Of course everyone has an individual set-up that works for them, but if you have a lynx preying on your birds, then you're probably not in a quiet suburban neighborhood where rats and hawks are probably the worst things you have to watch out for.

 

[ColtHandorf]

With a run made from chicken wire the lynx can absolutely get in to take the other remaining birds.

 

[NovaChooks]

I use electric poultry netting. I know it's stopped coyote and black bear as I've gotten them on camera. (I Cait the fence with bacon). A bobcat could easily jump the fence (mine is 4'). But so far, I've only seen tracks outside the fence. But electricity isn't a physical barrier - it's a mental barrier. I've seen the cat on other cameras on our land so I know he's around. So far - the fence and a very secure run have kept my flock safe.
@ColtHandorf and @PirateGirl are right about chicken wire. The holes are too large and the wire itself is easily broken. The recommendation most give is for 1/2" hardware cloth.
Your don't have a location in your profile. You must be pretty far north to see lynx. We're in NH and only recently have we seen lynx return. They are so dependant on snowshoe hare population. We've seen a lot more rabbits and started seeing lynx the past few winters. Beautiful animals. But I'm sure you're not feeling that after losing your birds.

they are still beautiful. its not their fault they're hungry and I happen to have fat, feathery tree potatoes hanging around.
I live in Nova Scotia, Canada. we have lots of rabbit, pheasant, etc. so loads for the cats to eat but its the first time I've ever seen one, and it's something to talk about if you see a predator like that around here. not common.

my run has the top wired with the chicken wire, too. I figured it would keep the eagles and ravens out.

still crossing my fingers the lynx will move on and not bother with the wire, but if I see it again i'll have to beef up security

 

[GC-Raptor]

My cameras caught a Bobcat twice over 18 days.

Notice the time. They aren't just nocturnal.
I agree chicken wire is no obstacle. GC

 

[BigBlueHen53]

They're easy, delicious pickings for all beasties.

Maybe that is why God made them beautiful, funny and charming, so we would want to raise and protect them. Otherwise the dang, I mean, delicious, I mean, darling, things would be extinct by now!

 

[NovaChooks]

Good thing you were there to chase it off and save a few of your flock! I'm pretty sure cats like lynx and bobcat will carry off ALL your birds one at a time and save them for a later meal. Also that cat will likely be back in the near future.

They won't be allowed out to roam for quite a while now. I'm hoping the cat won't try to break into their run because it probably could get in if it really wanted to.

 

[NHMountainMan]

Sorry about the loss. Other than keeping them locked in the run, it's tough to stop big cats
Can you set up an electric fence as a deterrent? We've had this guy grabbing around but so far he hasn't tried to jump the fence for an easy meal.

 

[NHMountainMan]

With a run made from chicken wire the lynx can absolutely get in to take the other remaining birds.

Nice catch - didn't notice the chicken wire in the pic.

 

[PirateGirl]

They can also fit through a much smaller hole than you'd expect