Moderators, please delet this thread - no one knows the exact stituati

[Animalian]

I've heard of people making their chickens feed spicy hot because it makes it taste bad to mammals and stops them from stealing it (birds can't sense Capsaicin which is what makes chilli hot, so the birds don't mind).

Maybe it could work on the birds also? Dust the hens in chilli powder so if they get attacked they will taste bad? shake it on their back when they're roosting maybe?

It might make the predators give up on your coop and go for the 'tastier birds' somewhere else...

 

[bobbi-j]

I'm not trying to find fault with you, but I do have a problem with using an iffy method to kill animals. Is there no way to beef up the security of your pen? Are the birds closed in a coop at night? Do they freerange or have a pen during the day? How about electric fencing around your coop and run? Worked wonders on the sweetcorn patch for us! It can be relatively inexpensive to install. Do you have a shed or garage to put your feed cans in? I just feel that there are so many other possible options than poison. Maybe you can find someone to help you figure out why your live traps aren't working? I hope you can resolve your problem soon. I understand the frustration.

 

[turtlebird]

wow, it sounds like you are completely overrun with monster coons (getting into metal cans, out of live traps, into coops). Yikes.
I understand your intentions in using the sedative stuff....you sound like you are at the end of your rope. Have you tried electric wire? I would add a hot wire, it delivers a kicker of a lesson to any predators. It almost sounds like you need to double re-infore everything. After the chickens are secure, I would eliminate the free-lunch by building some sort of 'closet' for all your feed storage. Don't leave any food out (catfood, dogfood). I have trained my cats that dinner is served at dusk. They get the recommended amount of food and then a little yummy canned food is added. They show up every night and lick their bowls clean. No leftovers.
I, too, am very wary of any sort of 'poison'(???)....you just never know where it might end up. I would feel horrible if someone's dog just happened to get a way from them some night and found the sticky bun....
Try hotwire...no more free meals. Good luck.

 

[3chimama]

I would not do that.....
Quote:

 

[ScaredOfShadows]

honestly coons and possums are night time predators. the BEST way to protect your flock at night is to make your coop predator proof. solid, sturdy, no chicken wire on the coop windows only hardware cloth for the windows. - then lock them up every night. i've caught many a coon and possum out here, between me and my neighbor. he's lost many chickens to night predators, I've lost none. my fence is plastic and 2X4 - thats easy to get through. however my coops are hardware cloth covered openings and vents, and wood, and locked up religiously at night. No coons, possums, or foxes can dig, climb, and rip their way to my flock.


put you some bait right under the trigger plate, under the trap. - use sardines AND a few marshmellow or sweet rolls in a burlap mini sack or tied in a rag under the cage, under that trip plate. , take wire/cable or chain and STAKE the wire/cable in the ground and tie the cage to the stakes 2 on each side. - it wont go anywhere and can't move that way, I don't care how big or strong a predator is. Also, with the bait in a bag under the secured cage - and under the trip plate, they HAVE to hit the trip plate to try and get it, if they can still get to the bait without tripping it, then no your live traps aren't set right, something is sticking. Take away the option of htem getting into your feed and they're going to REALLY want that bait. As for your feed issues - put them inside somewhere where they can't get to the containers, while this might be an inconvenience its better than wasting the money that they are costing you by getting into it. Best advice is get you metal or plastic 55 gal barrels with the locking rings on them, and then put you a mini lock or twist tie wire in the clamps, so they can't get into them.

 

[bburn]

I have two traps. Both have been used.

You have a defective trap or you are setting them right. I did not set mine right twice. Finally I figured it out and they have caught whatever when in them every time.

Borrow from whoever you can find that has a trap if you cannot buy new ones!! Traps work! And so does a 22 after. I would rather kill the predator than let them kill my chickens. (again....because I have been through it a few times now)

 

[5Leepy!]

I'm surprised no one has suggested doing a stakeout. Sounds like you're Rural, do you have a rifle? That'd probably be a good way to go.

 

[Cowgirlgrace]

I totally understand your frustration. I would talk to a vet to see if the the meds would put a coon to sleep. I might be inclined to try it if I knew for sure a cat or dog wouldn't get it. But first I would try the electric fence. I've never read anyone saying it doesn't work, only that it works great. And you might consider losing a few nights sleep and sit down there with your gun to pop a few off. And something I am considering is purchaseing a Livestock Guard Dog (LGD) They are pretty serious about their job.

 

[FyreFly]

The coons are AWFUL where my parents live. To keep them out of the trash people build large wooden box type things with lids you can lock. I would to that to keep them out of the feed.

 

[eggcited2]

Quote:
Fencing is not chicken wire: Two sides are; 2x4 inch horse/cow/livestock, and is heavy gauge, with hot wire at 6 inchs high and across top height of fence on stand offs, so it is sticking out from fence. On the bottom two feet of the outside of the 2x4 livestock heavy gauge fence, we have hardware cloth. The other two sides are 5 foot high heavy gauge chain link, for my dogs yard. On the the chicken side of it has the same hot wire.

I have put the bait under the trap, and at the back so they have to go across the trip plate. I have put it in mesh bags, wire baskets, and wired and/or tied it to the trap. I have put 50 lb cement blocks on top of cage so it can not be tipped over nor moved.

My food is in metal 50 gallon cans - like the old fashioned garbage cans. Put bungee cord kind of holder across the lid, from handle to handle (they figured out how to slip it off). Those are all stored inside of barn/shed (34 x 34 feet big). There is a cat door for my cat to get in and out. Also, when they can not get to food, they do kill more of the chickens. They find it easier to take the none moving food, but when they can't get to it, then they kill additional chickens. They will pass up the bait in the traps to kill the chickens. Bait has been: canned cat food, dry cat food, marshmallows, marshmallow cream, sweet rolls/stick buns, tuna, sardines, coon candy (professional bait from a trapping place), and other professional baits that I have bought.

I even hired professional animal service to trap and remove the coons and other predators, same things happened to them and they gave up. So I tried a second service, just incase the first guy didn't know what he was doing. Same thing happened.

It is not humans doing the killing. It is coon, possum, etc. Seen the tracks. Also from the way chickens are killed, it is not humans.

They are not coming out only at night, or dark. They are killing during the day too. Can count my hens at 11:00 in the morning and go out again at 3:00 in the afternoon and find dead bodies, head ripped off, or partially ripped off, chest ripped open and insides gone or scooped out and left on ground. That is just one of the kinds of kills we have found.

Have tried: putting human urin all around fence line (not just once, but repeated so it built up). Playing radio so they are "scared" away by voices. The predator 'eye' things that you put on fence and when something approches, two red lights come on, so the predator thinks it is something that will attack it. And have tried every other thing suggested by anyone and everyone. Nothing has stopped the killling. The only thing we have not tried is something that they carry off, eat and die from.