Official BYC Poll: The Worst Predator

[Annejette]

We have let our birds out to the pasture for years now to free range without any trouble but for the occassional bad neighborhood dog. I guess I'll have to build a run. I liked that they kept the ticks and other pests out of the pasture though.

 

[PatrickRoo]

We have a extra large coop that costs around $2000. I can stand up in it and it fits about 50 birds. The door into the coop locks, the run you can shut it up and then pull this piece of wood over it so it can't open on its own, it has screen windows that has a plastic cover over it so nothing can get in, it also has a little space near the top that you can open to let air in, but then lock it back up. In the coop, you can say our birds are pretty well protected. However, we always let them free range all day, everyday. We have no fence yet and they love going out into the woods. Our biggest predator is probably our small dog, she killed our Khaki Campbell duck about a week ago. I've seen hawks flying around and they all go under the coop. When they go free ranging for the day, I close up wherever a snake may get in. (The air holes. The screen on the windows is too small for any snake to get into.) We live in a rural area. We have a huge yard and no neighbors but plenty of wildlife. We are building a very large fenced area for the birds very soon. (2 weeks at the most.) We may electrify it to keep everything but humans out. We also just bought 5 more guineas from Cackle Hatchery, our 2 guineas right now are already learning to roost in the trees. Our guineas are like watchdogs, if they see or hear a predator they screech and everyone takes off. If it's hawks or eagles, they're under the coop, if it's a snake, they're running away or picking it up and eating it if it's small enough. There are no opossums or raccoons during the day. (Thank God!) We're watching the dogs and making sure the run and door are closed while they free range, and we're setting their food and water outside.

 

[Ashland Oregon]

I lost a young hen to a hawk, then fenced everything. Once the girls reached full size, the hawk lost interest. Then, the other night, I failed to lock up the pen and coop and a raccoon got two--one is still surviving minus one eye. I'm having problems reintegrating her now after a week in ICU. She's so lonely and the other hens are so mean. Breaks my heart

 

[Hybridchucks]

foxes are the most crucial in uk

 

[norxgirl]

Have not lost any fowl in 7 years of fowl ownership to predators. lost some 4h bunnies a few years ago to unclaimed and ultimately euthanized dogs(dumb people) after the bunny incident I keep my dogs in the outside pen during the day and free range my chickens/ducks only in daylight when I am home. I keep live trap set 24/7 and any wild animals caught get a good scare and spray painted and no repeat offenders to the area. I just spoke to a woman appx 1/2 mile from my property and she has lost most of her ducks to coons, she claims, and no one seems to want to try my tried/true method.it takes a little bit of effort but its better than the heartache I have heard. I adore the wildlife and want to live peacefully with them.altho we do hunt and eat what is shot quickly.live on 6 acres with surrounding corn ,soybean fields and 40 acres of woods on the rest. lots of critters.

Can you give more detail about 24/7 live trap? How do you scare caught wildlife? What color spray paint, etc.? Thank you...

 

[Member 482121]

The best protection against coyotes is a horse or donkey penned up at night where the chicken house or pen is. Traps for coons and possums. Chicken wire covering the chicken pen is a must for hawks and owls. I realize that winged raptors are protected, but...

 

[chicknmania]

Whatever you use for a trap, it should still be humane. I don't care what it is or what it's done, these are wild animals that only see another animal they can use for food. They are not doing anything personal to make anyone mad. Even mink and weasel, although we think that they are just killing for fun..they really aren't, they are storing their kills for use at a later time. Using a rat trap to try to catch a mink...or anything..is cruel. I doubt a mink would go anywhere near a rat trap anyway. It is always best to just use whatever means available to predator proof your run, coop, or premises where your birds run. It makes me sick and sad when they kill our birds, as I said, but I would never use anything but humane methods to dispose of any unwanted critter, and, except in extreme cases (like the one with our mink) I will try anything else first to discourage the predator, and have been successful doing so many times.

 

[Member 482121]

Whatever you use for a trap, it should still be humane. I don't care what it is or what it's done, these are wild animals that only see another animal they can use for food. They are not doing anything personal to make anyone mad. Even mink and weasel, although we think that they are just killing for fun..they really aren't, they are storing their kills for use at a later time. Using a rat trap to try to catch a mink...or anything..is cruel. I doubt a mink would go anywhere near a rat trap anyway. It is always best to just use whatever means available to predator proof your run, coop, or premises where your birds run. It makes me sick and sad when they kill our birds, as I said, but I would never use anything but humane methods to dispose of any unwanted critter, and, except in extreme cases (like the one with our mink) I will try anything else first to discourage the predator, and have been successful doing so many times.

I really dislike killing the raccoons that I catch with my live trap or the three dog-safe leg- hold traps that I have, but our state law forbids the relocation of captured varmints.

 

[chicknmania]

Right, illegal here too. And relocation is not really humane anyway. But catch them in a live trap and then dispatch them by humane methods.

 

[chicknmania]

iI don't KNOW how well they really work, but we have those Nite Guard solar lights, just got them this year. So far they seem to be working pretty well as far as repelling things, but I have no idea if it is those really, or if it's just coincidence. Anyway, I'm not throwing them away. Talk radio on a timer is a good way to discourage predators, if you don't want to trap them.