Official BYC Poll: The Worst Predator

[sdue]

I just got a 3 month old Maremma after losing our favorite banty to a fox. That was our third fox attack--they roam our suburban neighborhood. Leonardo has a few months before he'll be fending off foxes, but squirrels have stopped coming around and the foxes are clearly on notice.

Shari
two sons, 1 Maremma livestock guardian dog, 2 RIRs, 1 Star, 1 Holland, and 1 Ameraucana

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[Miss Sebright]

I haven't lost any chickens for a long time, but we have 4 or 5 foxes in the general area.

 

[Hens4Fun]

Hawks! My chickens used to free range happily all day. Chatting and scratching to their hearts content.

Then 3 hawks started hanging out in our trees. The weren't even scared off by my 6'2", 250 lb husband standing out back. They would nose-dive the chickens with him right there! The hens were very good at sounding a warning and running for the hedge, but the law of averages caught up. After a hawk got one hen, my girls are now confined to a large run that is enclosed.

They complain all day. Squawking endlessly for their freedom. But I can't handle finding another dead chicken. Meanwhile, the hawks still come by regularly ... hoping to get lucky, I guess. I used to admire hawks...now I hate them.

 

[sdue]

Apparently the guardian dogs protect from hawks too--or at least deters them--the inteligence of a hawk sensing that large dogs are usually a threat. We'll see. I've had hawks circling above in my yard since I've had chickens. I have a fully enclosed 8 by 8 run in my yard too, but my birds hate it since they were used to free ranging with their underbrush hiding and dust baths and grasses, bugs, weeds, compost in endless supply. I tried to make their run more interesting with bush branches, large rocks and dirt to scratch in, but after freedom any enclosure seems like punishment. I look forward to when Leo's big enough to protect them. Happy chickens are such a joy.

 

[4 Love of Baby Chickens]

I got Koda on September 26th, 2009. The raccoon raid happened on June of 2008. Koda is only 7 months old now but she already weighs 60 pounds !!!!

And just last week she chased a Momma coon and her 4 babies that had taken up winter residence in the 2nd area of the barn. I gave her a treat for doing her job then.

 

[chickenjim64]

My chicks run all over I have a acre have a couple of bald eagles flying overhead but dont seem to go after the chicks,i live in the Bitterroot Valley Montana ,So We Have Foxes, Coyotes, Wolves, Bears, all sorts of Bird of prey,i also have 2 nubian goats who are always around the chicks they kinda follow each other so maybe thats a deterent to smaller predators I guess i've been lucky..

 

[alpinefarm]

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I met a maremma recently and was really taken with him...calm, didn't bark at me, doesn't drool, and owner said he is doing a great job of protecting a large alpaca herd. Can you tell me more about yours? How to keep a white dog clean on a farm?? How big do they get on average? The one I met was about a year old but was smaller than most pyrs I've seen.

 

[silkiechick05]

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How much would that have added up to?


Did you make them pay?

I would've

 

[enola]

I checked dogs, but I don't blame the dogs. I blame the stupid neighbors the dogs are owned by.

 

[alpinefarm]

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Good fencing is the only way to protect against "loose dog" attacks. Most people who own dogs have never had chickens and it doesn't necessarily register with them that their loving companions are natural predators to small birds. You can "expect" people to know better, you can expect them to obey leash laws or "have your dog under control at all times" laws, but I've learned not to naively risk my flock based on expectations of what other people understand or are willing to do.