Official BYC Poll: The Worst Predator

[Noellereagan]

Before chickens (bc) omg. Hilarious!

Quote:

I voted Man too, thinking it was a trick question. not realizing the purpose of the poll. Truely man kills more chickens than anything else.

I have had a racoon on my back deck - huge! and before chickens (bc) and have seen a small hawk flying overhead a couple times. Blackbirds or crows have chased the hawk off. I really reallly really dont want to experience losing a chicken to a predator. I keep my dog outside while chickens are ranging. I have a couple roosters, a secure coop but i really want a secure run also.

My dog has been paying more attention to birds overhead I think he's learning from the roosters, so i am following up on that and training somewhat. When we see a large bird i point to it and say hawk and teddy runs through the yard barking up at the sky.

I like the pallets with legs idea. Thinking of other things to provide cover from flying predators. I'm assuming then that chickens WILL run for cover and stay hidden and not run around panicking like I've heard they will with other predators?

 

[The Brick Coop]

Dogs. The last kill at our property (I keep all the birds locked up), was from my big fabric-topped "yurt" (hardware cloth from ground to 30 inches up, see picture taken inside, in my avatar). Something ripped the door off and chased/dragged off and killed 15 show yokohamas and marans, and took two yokohamas. One injured hen made it into the groundhog-sized trap that is kept set next to the yurt and so saved herself. I set a fox-sized trap bought at TSC, thinking to catch a dog, because foxes usually just camp out alongside but have never ripped into our coops. I put a couple sale birds back into the coop and barricaded the broken door. Next morning the single-door trap was burst open at the back and there was dog poop inside it. Had to clean it and hog-ring-repair it back together. Next day, standing there, nothing different, and the door opens on the tenant house next door, two kids and a HUGE male pit bull bounces out, heads straight for me (happily, eagerly), and (whew!) he is successfully called back by the owner and all go immediately back into the house with much peeking out from windows over there. I almost went over to ask if their new dog brought them any presents but decided from their previous unfriendly behaviors that I would not cause myself further grief. I just leave TWO bigger traps now near it and only sale birds in it. Show birds are in the barn but now I have to re-build bloodlines with older birds not laying much.

 

[attimus]

I voted bobcat. 1 mother did more damage to my flock in one season than all the other predators over the last 5 years.

 

[Angela Thomson]

Something killed my duck. I have four in pen outside. All the predator did was take its head off. Did not even eat it. It was almost surgically removed. Nothing got through the fence. Had to come from above or through the fence (weasel maybe) but no leaves were disturbed along the fence.

 

[Angela Thomson]

Something killed my duck. I have four in pen outside. All the predator did was take its head off. Did not even eat it. It was almost surgically removed. Nothing got through the fence. Had to come from above or through the fence (weasel maybe) but no leaves were disturbed along the fence.

PS: The other three ducks are fine.

 

[gimmie birdies]

Just had my rooster killed by a hawk, hawks have taken more of my birds in the past, I am keeping my birds in the coop, whenever I go in to collect eggs though they act like it is a black Friday and make a rush for the door I am coming in and out of.

 

[cassie123]

I lost sooo many chickens to opposums

 

[gimmie birdies]

The eggs my hen are sitting on I don't have the number, I think there are about 5-6. there are 2 that are developing clearly, 2 I cannot see inside of, one looks developing, but there are so many pores it is hard to see, but I am leaving it in there,(they are being hatched in unheated pen) I also have some due on a diff day, I am going to set some in an incubator soon.

 

[Alexandra33]

My vote goes to hawks, without batting an eye. Yes, they don't take out entire flocks in one go like ground predators, but they're untouchable. What I mean by this is...well...it's illegal to shoot problematic raptors. At least dogs, foxes, raccoons, ect. are open for elimination should the need arise. Grrrr.

Raccoons are my second vote. I've lost a couple birds to them, but not nearly as many as to hawks.

Local predators on the list which I've never had issues with, as of yet: eagles, possums, owls, and cats. Eagles fly over on a near-daily basis. Possums live in our barns. Owls roosting on the property, pellets everywhere. Cats indoors and outdoors. No problems with any of them, and all have had plenty of opportunities to take out the smallest of bantams and chicks.

~Alex

 

[gimmie birdies]

I had just let my birds out today, such a nice day!

Set a mess of eggs (hatching on diff days) I am hoping the rooster on them was the one the hawk got..last 2 to go in was a welsummer, and one LO, the LO this morning had a tinge of red- thought it was a blood ring, but now I see veins and a spider shape, the welsummer is to dark to tell.