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

[21hens-incharge]

How do human intruders work? I keep key locks on our coop and was always worried someone may come and just try and steal them or possibly may not like them and kill them. I have an aggressive rooster that only likes me so it's pretty funny when people decide to mess with him. But I'm just wondering what do human intruders do?

I used to have just critter resistant latches (no key or code needed). My egg counts had gone from around 18 a day to just 2 or 3. I swore someone was stealing eggs. Hubs said I was nuts.....until there were footprints in the snow going around the house, through the side gate, straight to the coop and back out. That day I got 1 egg.
Luckily my birds have never been fond of strangers. To get in the run means leaving the coop to go to the run door. I am sure my hens all darted out to the run as a stranger entered the coop. Heading into the run they would have run back into the house. Chasing them would have drawn attention with all the screaming the hens would have been doing.
Padlocks went on that night. The next day I had my expected egg counts.

Humans can be the absolute worst.

 

[Annalyse]

I used to have just critter resistant latches (no key or code needed). My egg counts had gone from around 18 a day to just 2 or 3. I swore someone was stealing eggs. Hubs said I was nuts.....until there were footprints in the snow going around the house, through the side gate, straight to the coop and back out. That day I got 1 egg.
Luckily my birds have never been fond of strangers. To get in the run means leaving the coop to go to the run door. I am sure my hens all darted out to the run as a stranger entered the coop. Heading into the run they would have run back into the house. Chasing them would have drawn attention with all the screaming the hens would have been doing.
Padlocks went on that night. The next day I had my expected egg counts.

Humans can be the absolute worst.

oh that sucks. I would have been scared they touched the hens. In order to get the eggs from the boxes, you would have to go in the run like the door opens in there. But the run door has a lock and the nesting boxes also have a lock. No doubt my Rooster would have been crowing and calling me over. He does that when he needs me or something. LOL. We also have a camera facing the coop. (it deosnt work) but people dont know that.

 

[21hens-incharge]

oh that sucks. I would have been scared they touched the hens. In order to get the eggs from the boxes, you would have to go in the run like the door opens in there. But the run door has a lock and the nesting boxes also have a lock. No doubt my Rooster would have been crowing and calling me over. He does that when he needs me or something. LOL. We also have a camera facing the coop. (it deosnt work) but people dont know that.

It definitely was not what I expected of my neighbors.

It was happening while we were all at work. I am certain they would have had quite a challenge trying to catch my hens unless they brought a crew.
Crazy thing is I would have gladly given them eggs if they had only asked. Now I am far stingier with the fruits of my labors. I no longer give eggs or produce to anyone except a neighbor we trade such with.

 

[BantammChick]

I have an electric fence around the yard, they free range during the day in the yard, and I have a latch on the door. I also have a Great Pyrenees behind the house, she keeps hawks away.

 

[Annalyse]

It definitely was not what I expected of my neighbors.

It was happening while we were all at work. I am certain they would have had quite a challenge trying to catch my hens unless they brought a crew.
Crazy thing is I would have gladly given them eggs if they had only asked. Now I am far stingier with the fruits of my labors. I no longer give eggs or produce to anyone except a neighbor we trade such with.

That's good. Yea I wouldnt give them eggs either if they did such things. It's sad to think people just cant ask. Wondering what they would have done if one of the hens were brooder and they decided to take an egg that acually has a chick inside.

 

[21hens-incharge]

That's good. Yea I wouldnt give them eggs either if they did such things. It's sad to think people just cant ask. Wondering what they would have done if one of the hens were brooder and they decided to take an egg that acually has a chick inside.

That would have been a fry pan surprise of the EWWWW kind!

 

[Annalyse]

That would have been a fry pan surprise of the EWWWW kind!

Maybe that would have reached them a lesson LOL

 

[Molpet]

oh that sucks. I would have been scared they touched the hens. In order to get the eggs from the boxes, you would have to go in the run like the door opens in there. But the run door has a lock and the nesting boxes also have a lock. No doubt my Rooster would have been crowing and calling me over. He does that when he needs me or something. LOL. We also have a camera facing the coop. (it deosnt work) but people dont know that.

A friend had a turkey hen with feathers pulled out and a couple ducks disappeared one night. Human tracks from the road. Locks went on the coop.

 

[Annalyse]

A friend had a turkey hen with feathers pulled out and a couple ducks disappeared one night. Human tracks from the road. Locks went on the coop.

I cant imagine what I would do if someone decided to do that. I would hope my rooster decideds now the time to acually go for it and attack them instead of death stare until they touch him lol.

 

[JUBER]

Other: I have hardware cloth dug in a 2 ft skirt around the coop.

Me too!