Official BYC Poll: The Worst Predator

[LeggyLeghorn]

I suppose it is a regional question as well. I ticked mink.

A mink can wipe out a flock without taken one bird for a meal. They kill for sport. And come back to finish off what they did not get the first time.

Small, fast and vicious. They fit through a rat hole.

 

[LeggyLeghorn]

Add Black flies or Buffalo gnats to the list. People here in the community of BYC have been losing as many as 40 birds overnight. There is a big explosion of them due to the wet rainy spring along with the flooding in the north.

Good point.
Environmental changes.

 

[animallover2019]

I was curious as to which predator the most chickens have been lost to.

the 2 i have lost to a predator were due to a fox but have been close to loosing a couple to a hawk... luckily i was outside

 

[Manhen]

I suppose it is a regional question as well. I ticked mink.

A mink can wipe out a flock without taken one bird for a meal. They kill for sport. And come back to finish off what they did not get the first time.

Small, fast and vicious. They fit through a rat hole.

That is why they kill so many. Can't get the bigger chicken out the small hole they came in, so they kill another to try it, again, and again. According to U.L.

 

[Coopscraft]

I chose rats because they are particularly disgusting and breed like rodents. Not only do they eat young fowel, but they keep eating my bird feed. I seem to have an endless supply of them. I shoot them and trap them and I can’t seem to make a dent in the population.

 

[LeggyLeghorn]

View attachment 1854102 View attachment 1854103 View attachment 1854104 View attachment 1854105 I chose rats because they are particularly disgusting and breed like rodents. Not only do they eat young fowel, but they keep eating my bird feed. I seem to have an endless supply of them. I shoot them and trap them and I can’t seem to make a dent in the population.

get a cat. or cats. or feed the ferals. my cat kills rats. if you have chickens, you have rats. i don't mind them so much. mostly because my cat and the surrounding cats are very effective. or get a terrier. fox terrier or a lurcher. lurchers are quick and quiet. i

 

[Coopscraft]

get a cat. or cats. or feed the ferals. my cat kills rats. if you have chickens, you have rats. i don't mind them so much. mostly because my cat and the surrounding cats are very effective. or get a terrier. fox terrier or a lurcher. lurchers are quick and quiet. i

All true. I had a major infestation when I moved in a couple months ago. Not realizing it I put chickens in. Now the muroidea are fat as butter and sleek as satin. I have my store in a metal can but that doesn’t keep them from pilfering from the serving tray. I have a wonderful tomcat that likes to bite them in the head. Although he also gets distracted with other little life forms that are no concern of mine. My next step is to put out a bucket with a one way ticket to a little pond. I tried glue traps. Once I caught two rats and a leghorn pullet on one trap. The pullet survived and is doing well. Perhaps I will get a terrier too. If I can get caught up to a few here and there it won’t be so bad. Right now i’d guess I have more than a few dozen breeding does within 30 ft of my coop.

 

[DuckWhisperer06]

Lots of people use small dogs trained specially for the purpose of chasing and shaking rats to death. There’s quite a few videos on YouTube.

Here’s one that gets the point across;

All true. I had a major infestation when I moved in a couple months ago. Not realizing it I put chickens in. Now the muroidea are fat as butter and sleek as satin. I have my store in a metal can but that doesn’t keep them from pilfering from the serving tray. I have a wonderful tomcat that likes to bite them in the head. Although he also gets distracted with other little life forms that are no concern of mine. My next step is to put out a bucket with a one way ticket to a little pond. I tried glue traps. Once I caught two rats and a leghorn pullet on one trap. The pullet survived and is doing well. Perhaps I will get a terrier too. If I can get caught up to a few here and there it won’t be so bad. Right now i’d guess I have more than a few dozen breeding does within 30 ft of my coop.

 

[Coopscraft]

Lots of people use small dogs trained specially for the purpose of chasing and shaking rats to death. There’s quite a few videos on YouTube.

Here’s one that gets the point across;

Looks like one dog can kill more rats in an hour than a large company of barn cats in a week!

 

[DuckWhisperer06]

Looks like one dog can kill more rats in an hour than a large company of barn cats in a week!

I wonder if there’s anyone in your area that does this and would be willing to help you out?