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blackwidow23 said:
Hi! Being in Pa what does everyone do with their Chickens when it's so cold and the air predators are everywhere?
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Howdy BW23:

Welcome from Chester Co...where are you from???

In my case, I needed to build Fort Knox due to persistent fox attacks....for the cold....well, they came outside this morning to eat/drink then retreated to the coop....I feed cracked corn on colder days and replace the water twice a day....BTW its really cold in my neck of the woods!!!
 
stake said:
Howdy BW23:

Welcome from Chester Co...where are you from???

In my case, I needed to build Fort Knox due to persistent fox attacks....for the cold....well, they came outside this morning to eat/drink then  retreated to the coop....I feed cracked corn on colder days and replace the water twice a day....BTW its really cold in my neck of the woods!!!
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It's very cold here as well. This is my girls first winter. I had to beat an owl off my Easter egger in the fall. Since the leaves fell the hawks, owls and even an occasional eagle
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here and there have been relentless. My sister lost two already. So my girls moved to the green house. And also kinda my ..... downstairs. Lol they r treated like pets. They are a joy and I would die if anything happened to them. They are rescue chickens. Oh and we r hatching quail as we speak. Today is the hatch day. Wish us luck. Keep warm.
 
blackwidow23 said:
It's very cold here as well. This is my girls first winter. I had to beat an owl off my Easter egger in the fall. Since the leaves fell the hawks, owls and even an occasional eagle
1f985.png
here and there have been relentless. My sister lost two already. So my girls moved to the green house. And also kinda my ..... downstairs. Lol they r treated like pets. They are a joy and I would die if anything happened to them. They are rescue chickens. Oh and we r hatching quail as we speak. Today is the hatch day. Wish us luck. Keep warm.
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The fresh snow on Friday night allowed me to track fox from my coop back to dens in two different directions yesterday. My coop and covered run is very secure. I also have two strands of electric wire (5" and 10" off the ground) ; that stopped digging cold. One fox den had 12 entrances the other had 10. I set the 4 traps I have near the dens and hope to get a few.

Many Red tailed hawks overwinter in SE Pa, so they are a year round problem. The smaller hawks normally stick to hunting wild birds the size of sparrows and robins.

I only do part time supervised free ranging. This is a great way to operate in some situations. I also use a chicken tractor that can be moved around. If you live in a place where roosters are allowed, roosters are great in helping to keep your chickens aware of dangers from hawks; in fact, they have a specific cry to let the flock know to take cover from an air-borne danger. While the hens are foraging for tasty goodies, the rooster will keep an eye out for danger, and he will place himself in harm's way to give the hens time to escape to safety.
 
ad26 said:
 The fresh snow on Friday night allowed me to track fox from my coop back to dens in two different directions yesterday. My coop and covered run is very secure.  I also  have two strands of electric wire (5" and 10" off the ground) ; that stopped digging cold.  One fox den had 12 entrances the other had 10.  I set the 4 traps I have near the dens and hope to get a few.

 Many Red tailed hawks overwinter in SE Pa, so they are a year round problem. The  smaller hawks normally stick to hunting wild birds the size of sparrows and robins.

  I only do  part time supervised free  ranging. This is a great way to operate in some situations.  I also use  a chicken tractor that can be moved around.   If you live in a place where roosters are allowed, roosters are great in helping to keep your chickens aware of dangers from hawks; in fact, they have a specific cry to let the flock know to take cover from an air-borne danger. While the hens are foraging for tasty goodies, the rooster will keep an eye out for danger, and he will place himself in harm's way to give the hens time to escape to safety. 
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Awesome following the tracks! Good luck with the traps!!

I lost 2 of my favorite birds to a Cooper's a couple of weeks ago. :( (actually saw it standing on the evidence pile) So they have all had to stay in the pens. I was out yesterday and my oldest rooster let out the "signal"... I looked up in time to watch one fly straight over head and land in a tree in my front yard. :he wish there was something we could do about them.
 
I am surprised to hear that Cooper's hawk attacked a chicken. Most large fowl chickens are larger than a Cooper. But a slow unaware chicken would be an easy meal for a speedy Cooper's, although a chicken is most likely too heavy for a Cooper's to carry off to eat.
 
ad26 said:
The fresh snow on Friday night allowed me to track fox from my coop back to dens in two different directions yesterday. My coop and covered run is very secure. I also have two strands of electric wire (5" and 10" off the ground) ; that stopped digging cold. One fox den had 12 entrances the other had 10. I set the 4 traps I have near the dens and hope to get a few.

Many Red tailed hawks overwinter in SE Pa, so they are a year round problem. The smaller hawks normally stick to hunting wild birds the size of sparrows and robins.

I only do part time supervised free ranging. This is a great way to operate in some situations. I also use a chicken tractor that can be moved around. If you live in a place where roosters are allowed, roosters are great in helping to keep your chickens aware of dangers from hawks; in fact, they have a specific cry to let the flock know to take cover from an air-borne danger. While the hens are foraging for tasty goodies, the rooster will keep an eye out for danger, and he will place himself in harm's way to give the hens time to escape to safety.
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AD:

Your just a stone's throw from me.....there are many foxes these days...good luck with the trapping, I never had any success...my solution was mustard gas....it chased them out of the den but didn't get rid of them....good luck!!!
 
ad26 said:
I am surprised to hear that Cooper's hawk attacked a chicken. Most large fowl chickens are larger than a Cooper. But a slow unaware chicken would be an easy meal for a speedy Cooper's, although a chicken is most likely too heavy for a Cooper's to carry off to eat.
Click to expand...

AD:

I have lost two chooks to hawks, both time small ones....the red tails fly higher (easier to spot) and can be chased off by humans pretty easily, the smaller ones were much more stubborn....
 

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