Pack of coyotes circling the coop last night...

[woodmort]

Coyotes are smart but will learn. Generally they won't both livestock until they are desperate but once they find a target they will come back. Zapping them with electric fencing or a high powered pellet gun might "train" them to seek easier prey elsewhere. Also it is a good idea to remove any kind of food source--garbage, pet food etc.--that may attract them. The usual rule is if they aren't bothering you, leave them alone and they will protect their territory from any of their species that would but once they learn to hunt livestock the only solution is elimination. If you can't or won't then it is a good idea to call Fish and Game for suggestions--usually they will recommend a licensed trapper. That is certainly better than shooting up the neighborhood by blasting away with an AK.47.

 

[CapricornFarm]

Livestock guardian dog(s)! Keep the coyotes at bay.

 

[Delmar]

Quote:
My Lab is the primary line of defense inside the fence. He has never harmed a chicken and has understood from day one that it is his job to protect them. He is not real good with roosters though, since they want to square off with him, so he just can't resist chasing them over the fence. So, at this point I still have to crate him, when I want to free range.

My hope is that, when I raise a new batch of chicks I can raise at least one good roo that is used to coexisting with the dog and teach the dog not to chase them. This would have been easier if I had Ziggy when he was a puppy, I think, but I think I can make it work.

I just read this to Mrs Delmar before I posted it, and we decided we are going to try putting Ziggy on the cable next time we free range. I think that might work well!

 

[Two Creeks Farm]

Vet bills can get expensive if your family pooch gets into it with several Yotes.

Shoot them yourself if possible, or call a local trapper. They will be back and they will find a way into your birds. Poison would be illegal and you could find yourself in deep trouble, and its not effective nor can you garuntee that only the target animal will be affected.

Coyotes are brazen....and their return to suburbia will be exciting to watch. We shoot them on site....

 

[Katydid2011]

We live in the country where there's a lot of coyote activity so we decided to surround our coop and run with three strands of electric fencing, even though the entire perimeter of our property fence line is already reinforced by electric fencing. The bottom strands are low enough to zap small predators that might seek to burrow under and the middle and top strands will zap anything that seeks to go through or over. It's simple to install and highly effective.

Our 120lb German Shepherd also does an excellent job of keeping all predators at bay.

 

[Katydid2011]

Quote:
My Lab is the primary line of defense inside the fence. He has never harmed a chicken and has understood from day one that it is his job to protect them. He is not real good with roosters though, since they want to square off with him, so he just can't resist chasing them over the fence. So, at this point I still have to crate him, when I want to free range.

My hope is that, when I raise a new batch of chicks I can raise at least one good roo that is used to coexisting with the dog and teach the dog not to chase them. This would have been easier if I had Ziggy when he was a puppy, I think, but I think I can make it work.

I just read this to Mrs Delmar before I posted it, and we decided we are going to try putting Ziggy on the cable next time we free range. I think that might work well!

Great idea! If Ziggy can't be loose when the chickens free range, tie him out! He'll likely enjoy watching/patrolling and his presence will serve as a deterrent to predators.

 

[Delmar]

Quote:
I didn't expect to try this today, but not an hour after I posted this a strong wind came along and took down my tractor. (not as bad as it looks)

So I got out the cable and tied him up while I put the tractor back up. He didn't bark, he didn't pull on the cable. He barley even seemed to notice the chickens were there! In fact he stayed completely silent until the neighbors yip yip dog came out to play. I expect him to chase off that little rag mop. It is his job after all!

I got the tractor back up and made some changes to make it more sturdy while the chickens were free ranging. After about an hour and a half one of the girls decided to go back in the tractor, the rest followed and I closed the door. I couldn't be happier with my birds or prouder of my puppy right now!

I am certain that the girls will be happier and healthier if I can let them free range several times a week!

 

[mamabahre]

your dog looks a lot like our pup!

 

[Delmar]

Quote:
Gotta love a good Lab mix! How does yours do with the birds?

 

[ChooksinChoppers]

One nearby, really huge subdivision full of retirees, has had problems with coyotes every spring and they figure it's the females with young pups to feed, but they go after people's little dogs while they are out walking them on leash in the early am or evenings! How bold is that????
People have taken to bringing walking sticks, baseball bats etc with them so they can beat off the coyote if their little poopsie is attacked.