Official BYC Poll: The Worst Predator

[CoyoteMagic]

Lost 3 to a dog and 2 to a cat.

 

[Praxxus]

Stray dogs don't come into my area. My dogs keep stray dogs away. The foxes are crafty and always outsmart/outrun the dogs. All of my losses have been to foxes. Guinneas are the best defense. When a fox is seen, they run after him, sorround him at a distance of 4 feet or so and scream bloody murder. This ruins his ability to stay hidden and he runs away. If he tries to attack one of the screaming guinneas, they fly up and out of his reach. Skunks get into the hen house but only steal my eggs. They've never bothered the birds. But then again the birds roost 7 feet up in the rafters of the henhouse.

 

[J3172]

I said owls because all four legged animals can be stop with the right fence. And they cant just be shoot or trapped like the furbearers. As a trapper I must say that fox/coyote aren't that smart trust me they are just determined bigger and get lucky. If I was to say the smartest on the list would be raccoon not because there smart but crafty is the would I would use.

 

[dawg53]

Snakes. I've lost chicks and pullets to them.No matter what i've done,they've managed to sneak in.My mothball barriers didnt stop them neither.Chicken snakes,red and yellow rat snakes love chickens.I had a 5 foot long chicken snake drag my full grown Buff Orpington off her roost in the middle of the night and dragged her out in the pen trying to constrict her.If it wasnt for her screaming,I wouldve never known what happened.Needless to say,I quickly dealt with the snake after it bit me several times! I brought poor Buffy in the house and inspected her closely and fortunately there wernt any bite marks.I returned her to her house and put her on her roost.The next day my faithful Buffy had layed me an egg, even after all what had happened.

 

[dig deep]

I've just lost the one to a Fox.
Eleven of those mentioned are alien to to the region of England where i live.

 

[Chickiemama1010]

I have lost chickens to raccoons and one coyote. But I think the WORST predator is man.

You can build a coyote/fox/opossum/raccoon - proof coop. Man can open the door.
You can trap a coyote. You can trap a coon. People are smart enough not to climb into a spring-loaded box after a dish of cat food.
You can shoot a dog. you can shoot a coon, or a opossum or even a snake. Can you shoot your neighbor? Not without an investigation and a court appearance, even if they were trespassing.

 

[debbiej]

I think the worst predator is a weasel because it goes on a killing frenzy and kill everything it can and only sucks the blood from a few. That said I've lost the most chickens to racoons.
If a person has a farm and your livestock is being killed by a bird of prey you can shoot it, because you have the right to protect your livestock on your property.

 

[catdaddy66]

How dogs aren't first on the list is strange to me. There are more dogs in proximity of chickens so there are more opportunities. They also kill more because they rarely eat the kill but end up w/ several dead as if they were only playing with the birds. I am a dog fan, but they seem to be more destructive to me than other more rarely seen wildlife. When I predator proof my coop it will be with the dog in mind!

I have owned many dogs that pushed my limits on containing them on my property. They thwarted me at nearly every opportunity. I had to get crafty and finally succeeded. They are Houdini's I'm telling you!!

 

[Ross Ranch]

Hawks and coyotes are the biggest threat here. A coyote was circling around the coop 2 wks ago. 4 hawks were circling around nearby over the weekend. I have been encouraging hubby to get out there and get a hunt going. Coyotes are way over populated here. We lost our prized EE and BR late summer. They disappeared... no evidence of a struggle. The other 4 were totally fine. We keep a close watch over them now. We watch the sky and have the dogs out with us to maybe sway the coyotes. A chicken tractor will be a must for this summer. Looking forward to the results of this post! Thanks for starting it... good info!

 

[chickeypeep101]

I've only lost chickens to raccoons.

R.I.P. Speckledflower and Beauty.