Official BYC Poll: The Worst Predator

[aussieheelr]

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.

 

[eggsrcool]

My worst is rats, but I cant see it on the poll

 

[Chad the Chicken Man]

What about Cats? I lost 5 chickens in just a couple days to a couple cats...
Three S's

 

[gallorojo]

The worst predator is other chickens, followed by sheep! I have never lost a bird to anything other than another chicken, ( older birds killing chicks, or roosters killing each other), and we had one hen get trampled by a sheep this summer. Our birds free range, we live in a rural area, but, they go in the barn and night and are securely locked in . The only thing I worry about are hawks, but we have not lost any yet. I'm never sure how people lose birds to mammals, the only thing that could get my birds is a man or a bear during the night. Here are some of the secrets..1) have shelter available for free range birds, we use pallets on legs, plus lots of spruce trees. 2) keep aggressive roosters , my main boys will stand up to anything, anything that comes near the hens. 3) keep 4 legged grazers with the chickens, just having something bigger around helps, and, the chickens are smart enough to follow the sheep and goats around. 4) GET A GOOD DOG!! We do all the above, and we do not lose chickens to predators!!!!

 

[chickfan]

Quote:
I tried to quote just one sentence, and it didn't work. Sorry!
We are getting ready to set up a predator proof run, and I would like to know how the raccoon was getting in. I was hoping there was a way to completely prevent this, but maybe not?
Thanks!

 

[PoultryPedia]

Quote:

Good stuff!

 

[the Old Rebel]

We've had birds for 10+ years. We've lost a couple of chickens to our first raccoon. We got coon smart..... sorta. A few years later we had a coon pull the leg off of one of our quail and traumatiaze eight others. Double wired the bottom of the pen with a space in between. No more problems with coons until one found a hole where our pen wire had rusted out where it went into the ground. Badly injured two muscovies (both died the next day) and hauled one off. Fixed that. No more problems until the wire rusted through again and we lost a hen and a guinea. Warning: Regular poultry wire will only last about 7 years where it goes into the ground depending on weather conditions, I suppose.

We've lost baby guineas to hawks. We've lost a grown guinea (on the nest) to a fox.
Neighbor's dogs have killed at least four of our free-ranging muscovy ducks and a couple of my 6-month old turkeys. We've had a couple of roosters kill another rooster when they got together by accident. Rats carried off two newborn ducks before we figured out what was getting them and remedied that problem. And a huge black snake ate 17 eggs out from under my setting turkey.

But the WORST predator of all..... the most relentless and ruthless..... is the mink or weasel. We haven't caught him yet, but when we do, I'll let you know what it is. I'll take any of those others any day over this. So far, he's only managed to seriously injure my Buff Rock rooster and kill one of my Americana hens. But from everything I've read on here, we've been blessed. They can wipe out a whole flock in short order.

I cast my vote for the mink and/or weasel.

 

[alpinefarm]

Quote:
That's my experience. And they are so darned *cute*!

 

[cathyroof]

we just lost our only laying OEBG BBR to a raccoon the other day. Before dark!!

 

[juliawitt]

I was wondering where the 'bobcat' was?.....