Official BYC Poll: How Do You Protect Your Chickens From Predators?

[texsuze]

Two coops/mini runs: one coop inside the barn, within a 12'x12' stall space, completely enclosed by one of those paneled dog run setups as a framework, which is then completely covered with hardware cloth.
Second coop/mini run is underneath an 8' porch overhang extending from the barn; that run is 2x4 framework covered with hardware cloth.
Secure latches on both 'people doors' to runs.
My small flock of 4 hens free range during the day, with access to both coops and my barn has many entrances for easy access by my hens. Lots of native shrubs and trees near the barn and within the barnyard for heavy cover between barn and pasture, and a shady grove of trees within the pasture that chooks like to use in the summer. I have several "pallet t-pee" structures placed throughout the barnyard.
My entire "barnyard" and "barn pasture" is 5' no-climb horse fence and totals maybe 4 acres. These two areas are connected, somewhat like a figure-8. Barn pasture has one strand of electric tape running around the perimeter on the top. Barnyard (where the barn, coops/runs are located) has a strand of electrified wire along the top of the fence, and one strand about 6" along the outside bottom of the fence. About 90% of my barnyard/barn pasture fencing has a welded wire apron attached to the bottom, extending out about 18". It requires lots of vigilance and maintenance because the bunnies and armadillos like to create new entrances underneath the fence.
I have an elderly gelding, plus a special-needs hen, which means I'm at my barn no less than 3 times a day. I secure my girls in their respective runs each and every night, absolutely without fail. Last visit is a night check/feed/H2O for my oldster horse and a quick chook check, usually around 10pm. Again, every night, without fail. Knocking wood!

 

[Boomerwaffen]

Predators are one of the greatest fears a chicken farmer has. They can be cunning, fast, and very sneaky. Your chickens will be drawing in predators from the next county over! Well, maybe not that far, however somewhere back in these predators' ancient memories they have eaten wild chickens at some point and will come snooping around for a meal day and night. So keeping them safe from predators should be on every chicken keeper's top priority list.

How Do You Protect Your Chickens From Predators? Place your votes above (you may select more than one)

Feel free to share any other ways you keep your chickens safe in the comments section below.

View attachment 2517029

Further Reading:

Top 10 Chicken Predators
A Checklist To Avoiding Casualties In The Flock
Predators & Pests

(Check out more exciting Official BYC Polls HERE!)

Predators are one of the greatest fears a chicken farmer has. They can be cunning, fast, and very sneaky. Your chickens will be drawing in predators from the next county over! Well, maybe not that far, however somewhere back in these predators' ancient memories they have eaten wild chickens at some point and will come snooping around for a meal day and night. So keeping them safe from predators should be on every chicken keeper's top priority list.

How Do You Protect Your Chickens From Predators? Place your votes above (you may select more than one)

Feel free to share any other ways you keep your chickens safe in the comments section below.

View attachment 2517029

Further Reading:

Top 10 Chicken Predators
A Checklist To Avoiding Casualties In The Flock
Predators & Pests

(Check out more exciting Official BYC Polls HERE!)

We live in the Santa Cruz Mountains on 18 mostly wooded acres. We’ve got every predator possible with exception of polar bears and velociraptors. ;-) Our predators up here include: mountain lions, bobcats, coyotes, rats, foxes, hawks, raccoons, owls, weasels and probably a few I’ve missed. I’ve seen every one of these up here. While I’ve seen coyotes in the area I’ve never seen them on our property. So we built a really strong couple of coops with a roofed run and dipped hardware cloth under the coops, around the runs, and around the parameter. We have insulted steel doors on the coops as well. Outside we have to LED motion activated flood lights and infrared game cameras. We plan to let them free range during day. So we have a guard goose a drake, 3 guineas and a black Orpington rooster. Hopefully this will work. ;-) I’m allergic to dogs so can’t have one.

 

[ChickenSaly]

Where I live there are no raccoons , so I don’t need complicated latches. But we do have foxes now and then, and polecats, marters are a possible threat too (in the night). And sometimes we have birds of pray too. Mainly buzzards but I spotted a sparrow-hawk in the pear-tree near the run once too. Because my Dutch are really small this a real hazard.

I keep the chickens in a coop with much hwc and a run with strong netting and hwc (also buried in the ground). Between the coop (quit safe) and the run (less safe) I have an automatic pop door to keep the chickens safe at night.

They stay in the run most of the day and if nobody is at home. But for their health and joy i let the chickens free range too. There wings are not cut. My Duch are good in escaping to safe places. They fly easily on top of the run or over the hedge to the neighbour whenever they spot a dog.

what is hwc?

 

[Cryss]

what is hwc?

Hardware cloth. Best investment you will ever make for your chickens. 1/2 inch is made with thicker gauge wire than 1/4 inch.

 

[BDutch]

Here they sell it under the name aviary wire which is the same as hardware cloth. It’s meant for bird cages (songbirds / quail). The smaller hardware cloth has the advantage that it locks mice out. The larger one is thicker and more sturdy (and more difficult to adjust).

Chicken wire is mainly to keep chickens in. But not meant to keep mice, rats, marters and weasels out. And I find it a crime to attach it because it has no straight end if you cut it.

 

[cmom]

I do use chicken wire but also welded wire.

 

[cmom]

I use ½" hardware cloth welded wire mostly over windows, vents and coop doors. I have also used the 1" x ½" wire. It is a heavier gauge wire. There are weasels in Florida but apparently not in my area. We have most every other predator.

 

[ChickenSaly]

Predators are one of the greatest fears a chicken farmer has. They can be cunning, fast, and very sneaky. Your chickens will be drawing in predators from the next county over! Well, maybe not that far, however somewhere back in these predators' ancient memories they have eaten wild chickens at some point and will come snooping around for a meal day and night. So keeping them safe from predators should be on every chicken keeper's top priority list.

How Do You Protect Your Chickens From Predators? Place your votes above (you may select more than one)

Feel free to share any other ways you keep your chickens safe in the comments section below.

View attachment 2517029

Further Reading:

Top 10 Chicken Predators
A Checklist To Avoiding Casualties In The Flock
Predators & Pests

(Check out more exciting Official BYC Polls HERE!)

 

[Cryss]

I do use chicken wire but also welded wire.
View attachment 2786506

Chicken wire is extremely weak ( I can break it with my hands) and has very large holes. Welded wire is strong but has huge holes. Critters like raccoons can reach in, pull a chickens head through, and eat the head. Critters like mice, rats, snakes, weasels, and many others can squeeze in. 1/2 inch hardware cloth needs to go over it. I have chain link fence. Very strong but huge holes so I coved every inch with 1/2 inch hardware cloth.

 

[PeepOverlord]

Days they free range and I'm around to watch them (work from home). I have several wifi cams with 2 way audio, many trail cams, motion and perimiter alarms. If there are any problems - I put an instant end to them.
Like squirrels fighting my hens for their feed. Hell naw.
Night time they're in a pen fenced with 4ft tall, 1/2" hardware cloth and inside that pen they get locked into "Fort Chikken". I used solid pressure treated wood (4x4s, 2x4s, 2x6s; 1/2" Plywood, and put on a metal roof. The entire Fort is also lined with 1/2" hardware cloth (secured with deck screws and large stainless flat washers) Ceiling, walls and a 3 ft skirt out all around the bottom (which is buried in the ground, and topped with broken bricks, broken concrete, then dirt and grass). I also have motion alarms set around the perimiter and motion lights, with 2 wifi cams on the Fort.
You'd think that would keep them safe, yes? It keeps them safe by foiling predators long enough for me to go out and end them as soon as I hear the chickens squawking over the wifi cams and hear the motion alarms go off.
The motion lights show me which side the chicken killer is on.
Advantage: me. Chickens: alive and unharmed. Chicken predator: no free McNuggets. Vultures and coyotes: free meal.
There is rarely a night goes by without at least one feral cat, coon, or possum trying to get into Fort Chikken. No matter how many I get rid of, more always show right up. On bad nights the body count has been as high as 5.
The foxes, coyotes, bobcats and hogs use a trail at the back of the property but have never bothered to come up near my hens. Hawks and owls were easily deterred with 2" cheap chicken wire over the top of the baby chick pen.
Some predators are super tough/super crafty and I have to set a bunch of guerilla traps. I'd love to help people out with that but I'm not going to deal with bleeeding heart city people who have a couple chickens as a hobby. DM me if you really need help.