Dogs (two stray labs) wiped out my flock of 6 Marans (except for one roo) in Feb 2012. My birds were protected really only by a Premier1 electric net fence. Since I hatched my 6 marans in April 2011, the fence did it's job for a good while.
In Aug 2014 a skunk raided my chicken house killing 1 baby turkey poult under a mama chicken each night for 4 nights. I had 5 poults, I managed to save one. I killed the skunk. No more poults killed.
In July 2015, with a flock of beautiful breeder Marans, two Husky dogs (neighbor's breeders) wiped out 22 of my 32 birds, in a killing frenzy that my wife interdicted while I was at work. I got to come home to feathers and bodies strewn about the yard. Too many to bury, my son and I got the gasoline, lit the brush pile and threw birds on in a pyre.
Even after all this, I was still using the Premier1 fence. I was in denial, I loved that solution, I wasn't changing. How stupid!
Then Fri Jan 29th 2016, I came home from work, to find 6 of my remaining 10 birds killed again, obviously by a dog or dogs. These 6 birds were to be used as my seed stock to get my Marans breeding going again.
I'm not going to go into the details of the relationship between my neighbor (who is not a next door type, but she lives in a subdivision over several hundred yards away) and me, nor how the police got involved. That's not the purpose of this post. My purpose is to get your thoughts on how I can rest peacefully, knowing my birds can have maximum ranging.
Then in March 2016, a hawk got one of my 3 week old Cornish Rock broilers (not only do I have pet Marans, but I raise meat birds for the freezer too). A game bird netting top cover was now necessary. ARGHHH!
So, I ditched the Premier1 fence in favor of 10x6ft dog kennel panels from Tractor supply. A very expensive proposition. My backyard looks like Guantanamo prison now!
But chain link fencing does not prevent wild critters from gaining access. It prevents dogs (my biggest threat until now) but it does not deter raccoons or possums who can sneak through the bottom of the seams if the panels have curved corners (understand this?). Squirrels who don't pose a threat to my birds easily get in and eat their feed. That's not a big problems but squirrels can do a number on game bird netting on the top of the pens.
Raccoons got in and obviously molested my turkeys, not killing them, but terrorizing them and there were feathers everywhere like the birds had been in a chicken fight.
Ok, now my point--sorry for the long story. I think I need to return to an electric fence solution. It is effective on the wild predators. It doesn't do squat to a domestic dog who just wants to play with a bird to death. But I need an electric fence PLUS the Guantanamo War on Terror style prisons, to form layers of security. BUT, I have seen some people put electric fencing around pens, 6inches from the ground and held out 6 inches from the chain link. Does anyone do this?
Also, I'm packing more heat now. The final thing is I have not resorted to a livestock guard dog. I'm very intimidated by this, time in training and worry of training failure and failure to keep FIDO home, like so many LGD owners have a problem with. Your thoughts are welcomed.
In Aug 2014 a skunk raided my chicken house killing 1 baby turkey poult under a mama chicken each night for 4 nights. I had 5 poults, I managed to save one. I killed the skunk. No more poults killed.
In July 2015, with a flock of beautiful breeder Marans, two Husky dogs (neighbor's breeders) wiped out 22 of my 32 birds, in a killing frenzy that my wife interdicted while I was at work. I got to come home to feathers and bodies strewn about the yard. Too many to bury, my son and I got the gasoline, lit the brush pile and threw birds on in a pyre.
Even after all this, I was still using the Premier1 fence. I was in denial, I loved that solution, I wasn't changing. How stupid!
Then Fri Jan 29th 2016, I came home from work, to find 6 of my remaining 10 birds killed again, obviously by a dog or dogs. These 6 birds were to be used as my seed stock to get my Marans breeding going again.
I'm not going to go into the details of the relationship between my neighbor (who is not a next door type, but she lives in a subdivision over several hundred yards away) and me, nor how the police got involved. That's not the purpose of this post. My purpose is to get your thoughts on how I can rest peacefully, knowing my birds can have maximum ranging.
Then in March 2016, a hawk got one of my 3 week old Cornish Rock broilers (not only do I have pet Marans, but I raise meat birds for the freezer too). A game bird netting top cover was now necessary. ARGHHH!
So, I ditched the Premier1 fence in favor of 10x6ft dog kennel panels from Tractor supply. A very expensive proposition. My backyard looks like Guantanamo prison now!
But chain link fencing does not prevent wild critters from gaining access. It prevents dogs (my biggest threat until now) but it does not deter raccoons or possums who can sneak through the bottom of the seams if the panels have curved corners (understand this?). Squirrels who don't pose a threat to my birds easily get in and eat their feed. That's not a big problems but squirrels can do a number on game bird netting on the top of the pens.
Raccoons got in and obviously molested my turkeys, not killing them, but terrorizing them and there were feathers everywhere like the birds had been in a chicken fight.
Ok, now my point--sorry for the long story. I think I need to return to an electric fence solution. It is effective on the wild predators. It doesn't do squat to a domestic dog who just wants to play with a bird to death. But I need an electric fence PLUS the Guantanamo War on Terror style prisons, to form layers of security. BUT, I have seen some people put electric fencing around pens, 6inches from the ground and held out 6 inches from the chain link. Does anyone do this?
Also, I'm packing more heat now. The final thing is I have not resorted to a livestock guard dog. I'm very intimidated by this, time in training and worry of training failure and failure to keep FIDO home, like so many LGD owners have a problem with. Your thoughts are welcomed.
