Official BYC Poll: The Worst Predator

[Dapplepony]

Quote:
How on earth does a skunk attack a chicken?

 

[waltersbf]

I had a "thought" on feral cats...seems to work for me, but I don't know about elsewhere. I have 2 cats of my own, one spayed one neutered. I have 2 'feral' cats that also hang around. My own won't come in during good weather so I leave a large bowl of dry food on my back porch under cover for them and change the water for them a couple of times a day. I'm always shocked at how much they drink. Anyway, I have caught a glimpse of the feral cats darting off the porch after eating. They seem to prey on the smaller predators as long as I feed them? I spoke to a gentleman the other day at Lowe's and he said he has no predator problem of the smaller variety since he also feeds the cats. My female has taken down a grown squirrel so I know she is an awsome hunter but walks around my chickens, peeps included and leaves them totally alone. They also keep the mice and rats down that attrack predators too. Just a thought...wondering what any of you other think about this theory?

 

[prov31gal]

for us its raccoons , hands down. my husband witnessed a raccoon reach in through the fence, grab a 3 week old mottled houdan, an pull whatever would fit out through the wire. they just grab and rip. i hate raccoons.

 

[saxet]

I've been cleaned out. That's it. All sold out. But not by coons but coyotes. I have seen a coon come up to the back porch where I kept the barrel of duck food, that they love to try to steal from. The ducks were roosting there and the coon walked straight on past them, without as much as a glance! The kittens leaned away from it, but nobody seemed threatened. Can't explain.

 

[wyliefarms]

Quote:
How on earth does a skunk attack a chicken?

They are not very good killers.. Had one in the coop and it had gotten 2 killed, but 2 were still alive, but missing most of their head area. Had another 2 get part of their beaks broke off too. So they must go straight for the head area and not the neck for a quick kill. Most of the time if a skunk gets in the coop they are looking for eggs around here.

 

[wyliefarms]

I have had skunks, raccoons, opposums, minks, hawks, fox, and dogs all kill over the past 15 years that we have had chickens. The largest number killed has always been the minks. They have killed on 2 seperate occasions several years apart. Most recently 20 bantam pullets.

 

[TheChickenShrink]

The three worst chicken predators: raccoons, raccoons and raccoons. When those critters succeed to get into your coop, it's like the Terminator paid a visit to your hens. (How could this happen? I didn't name any of my hens Sarah Connor!!!) Seriously, raccoons are OK in the wild, but urban raccoons are a real pest and their population is way out of control.

Relocalization is simply not a solution. Once a wild animal adopts the urban environment, there is no turning back. Extermination is the only solution, even if new ones keep replacing the previous ones. Again, raccoons in the wild are fine - they just don't belong in the city. And that principle stays true even if human overpopulation is to blame.

Pierre

 

[HyLinda]

My very own cute little puppy killed 2 of my chickens. One was just a few weeks old and the other was full size. My little Reepicheep weighs less than 7 pounds, but he is a chicken killer. Now he stays tied up to an 8# weight and cannot be left alone with the chickens.

 

[TheChickenShrink]

On second thought, when I review our losses in the past couple years, I would have to say that bacteria and viruses are the worst predators...

Pierre

 

[desertdarlene]

I don't have my own personal poultry, but I do observe wild birds such as ducks and killdeer. I would have to say that feral cats and falcons are the biggest danger to the birds I love. I've heard from duck owners that both are a problem for them, too. Coyotes would be next, especially for the ducks and geese.