New predator enters the picture

[Rare Feathers Farm]

Quote:
Me???

I have small wire around the bottoms of my runs and besides garter snakes, the bull snakes don't mess with my chickens. They do live under the coop sometimes and eat the mice but they don't bother the birds. I did have a small garter get into my Sumatra pen once and I had to pick up the pieces of what was left of the carcass--I wasn't sure if it had parasites or something and they were going to town on it...poor thing.

Edited to add that we have rattlesnakes up at the top of our driveway but we've never seen them down in our yard...so I'm not sure if it's all of the water from the sprinklers, or all of the bull snakes we have around but so far so good.

 

[WVDan44]

I do have 11 feisty Jack Russell Terriers that are the long legged type bred especially for hunting. Mine have worked the earth for years and are not afraid of the Devil himself. I don't let them run loose but they do make their presence known; maybe they will keep the Coyotes away. As for leaving the coyotes alone...I don't think so...first chance I get to wipe them out I figure will save a lot of wild rabbits, game birds, and chickens from meeting an untimely end. I have absolutely no qualms about exterminating coyotes.

 

[7L Farm]

Quote:
X2 on the yotes. What are they good for absolutely nothing.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Gosh, I actually like coyotes. They come around my folks place now and then. Use to hang out quite a bit when they first moved in with they're two collies. As long as the dogs were not let out everything was fine. The coyotes would send a lone one out close to the house to put the dogs into a frenzy. Those that grew up about coyotes know that if a dog chased it into the woods the rest of em would ambush it.

That being said, an intelligent animal like coyotes wont waste much time attempting to get at well secured chickens. They got to eat and there's plenty on it's food chain out in the wild.

 

[Lbrad7]

Quote:
Careful with your JRTs if you live in an area with large coyote population. I lost one of mine to one in a fenced in yard. They came back a few days later to get my other dog but I was able to stop them. They use the fact that JRTs aren't afraid of anything to their advantage. Unfortunately they don't run for cover and they end up right in the jaws of the coyote. They have also wiped out all of the neighbors cats and a few lap dogs.

I am a "live and let live" kind of guy but when it comes to coyote's, I am all about planting them in the ground. Losing a pet that you have loved for years too one in a fenced in yard is a game changer as far as I am concerned.

Good luck...I hope they don't become a problem for you.

 

[WVDan44]

Quote:
A method that is a bit "messy" but works very well except that the snake always dies, is to ball up bird netting and string it around the entire perimeter of the coop and/or run. Snakes attempting to cross over it always get entangled and die. Just understand that it will catch black snakes, corn snakes, and others that help keep the vermin in check. I use it only around the bottoms of my bluebird and purple martin houses to catch rogue bird killing snakes. Be aware, this is not a method for the squeamish person. The snake becomes entangled to the point you need to cut away the netting from around the snake to remove it.

 

[Ole rooster]

In all the pictures I failed to see the coyotes. Point them out to an ole fool.

 

[aprophet]

Quote: