Morning Chicken Massacre

[I Love Layers]

He will more than likely come back. When, is the question. He seems unafraid of you, which is a bit concerning. How big is your dog? The coyotes around here study my habits. ie: I go pick up mail at the Post Office most days. Coyote got so he would come as soon as I left. (He may have been living at the back of my property). So I had to start varying my routine. Also, now I have more than one fairly good sized dog. It was good that you were able to pop a few shots off. That makes an impression on them. Keep your gun close for a while. I love coyotes because they are so smart, but that also makes them a royal pain.

Big dogs are the best. I have a 1/2Great Pyrenees, 1/4 border collie, 1/4 Australian Shepard, and she checks on the chickens numerous times a night.
Last week I was walking up to the house after doing chores and she saw a coyote on a hill, she took off after it and didn't come back for a few hours. The coyote won't come back to soon.
We also shoot coyotes if they start coming to close to the yard.
And I'm going to start trapping them this fall

 

[bigoledude]

A coyote's appetite and curiosity make him somewhat easy to catch in their own environment in the wild. But, a coyote that is coming around humans is even more easily caught. This type of trap is very effective in catching them. Be sure to buy that #2 size trap.

http://www.rpoutdoors.com/viccoilsprin.html

I have no affiliation with any trap or trap selling company.

Snares work fabulously also but, you might catch a neighbor's dog. In my case, a neighbor's dog is treated just the same as if it were a coyote.

YouTube has many great videos on trapping coyotes. Any methods used to catch foxes will also work flawlessly on coyotes. Again, be sure to use a trap big enough to catch and HOLD a big male coyote.

Live-catch or cage traps are by far the LEAST effective in catching coyotes. Use the gear professional trappers use and that nuisance-animal experts use. Whenever I talk with these nuisance-animal guys, they always complain about people who don't want the poor coyote to be stuck, held by a foot until dealt with. By the time these people lose 10-20 more chickens, they ask them to remove the near-useless cage traps and use whatever it takes to rid them of these natural-born-killers.

Don't be fooled into believing that you can scare a coyote away and he won't return. If that sucker got a meal once from your place, you can be ASSURED he's coming back! There is no wild animal more tenacious and determined than a hungry coyote. You will be left with very few alternatives besides killing this killer.

 

[MargeyMarge]

Ok so it wasn't a coyote. It was a fox. It Is a fox. My hubby seen the critter when he got home from work. Hopped on the quad and found her den. Like 200' from the yard. I'm going to have to invest in some electric fencing and a good LGD. This is the worst part of chicken keeping. Wish us luck!

 

[bigoledude]

Everything I said above applies to foxes also. You can certainly get by with a smaller trap though. Waiting for a dog to grow up enough to confront foxes and coyotes will be a long wait. Best to send that thing to fox oblivion now. Jes sayin...