Official BYC Poll: The Worst Predator

[someusername]

Nice job i guess...
Minks attack in daylight?
RIP your birds 201X-201X

 

[wildwestcoast]

Nice job i guess...
Minks attack in daylight?
RIP your birds 201X-201X

I Was told that they attack at night but this one was here middle of the day.

 

[OldEnglishGameBantam33]

yikes! I lost a pullet to a hawk once.

 

[Debby R]

Lost my favorite a month ago to an owl and the other 3 witnessed it. Since then they have stopped laying and spend most of the day inside of the coop. They have only just started coming out IF I am standing there but run back in at the sound of any bird. Which is probably just as well. We have too many predators here and I cannot emotionally handle the deaths anymore. What I would like to know is if they will emotionally recover and start laying again?

 

[Debby R]

If a moderator reads this I wonder could they add skunks and bobcats to the poll?

Bobcats are there.

 

[Debby R]

If a moderator reads this I wonder could they add skunks and bobcats to the poll?

 

[Debby R]

THey’re both there.

 

[Debby R]

I lost 5 while freeranging to a hawk... my chickens are now lockdown in their fully fenced (top too) coop and run with no exceptions.

I’ve lost 3 of my original 6 to owl, fox, and illness. They are pets and I can’t handle the deaths. We have coyote constantly passing my coop and lots of hawks and eagles. Over it. Everyone stays inside unless I am standing over them.

 

[Going Quackers]

The biggest loses here have been Mink. The odd free ranger went to a fox but #1 has been Mink... in large amounts at once, sadly.

 

[Noellereagan]

It seems like dogs are running a close second to raccoons. When I was investigating getting some waterfowl for this year I was reading all I could on ducks and geese. One fact that kind of caught my attention was that geese can live 20+ years; however, their average life expectancy is 7 years due to dog attacks- not predator attacks, dog attacks. I found that to be interesting.

Good poll, Opa. I am curious to see the numbers at the end.

Yup. I live on yen acres surrounded by county land full of the states fiercest predators. I was losing one now as then and it turned out to my sneaky shepherd that we thought was protecting them. Well, my boyfriend thought that. I always suspected the dog.