potential for attacks with local wildlife

[rhoda_bruce]

I have always had wildlife in my area, but it looked like it dropped a bit in the past few years and has suddenly made a dramatic come-back....like way more than I have ever known. It seemed to begin, innocently with squirrels and rabbits in multiple #s.....not loners. At about that time my husband really outdid himself with what he claimed will be the last coop he ever makes....its more of a coop fortress. Then came the owls and raccoons, but they couldn't get through, but the neighbors are loosing dog food and having all these sightings. Then came more snakes than usual. And now I have been told by my next door neighbor of coyotes and it has been confirmed by my sister....also in the neighborhood.....she claimed one was seen almost to the highway, in the busy part of the neighborhood. Well last night I heard the dog barking and a howling and my husband and I went outside. All the neighborhood dogs were barking, several streets away and we could also here the coyotes, and I swear the howls sounded like they were all around us, but we couldn't see anything. The dog looked very upset.
I am wondering if anyone has noticed an increase in the #s of wildlife......primarily in country areas.

 

[Kittymomma]

It's likely a natural boom/bust cycle. We see it here too.

First the prey animals make a come back, then the predators do since with such a large amount of prey animals they have higher survival rates. After awhile the prey population crashes, followed by a crash in the predator population. After the prey animal crash and before the predators thin out is when things get ugly around here. Too many predators and not enough natural prey and my chickens, rabbits, calves.....all start looking good to the hungry coyotes, cougars, birds of prey, etc.

 

[ranchhand]

I agree with Kittymomma. But- you said your neighbor leaves dog food out? That's a really good attractant for prey and predators. It's generally not a good idea to do anything to attract more raccoons when someone has chickens!

I had some predator attacks earlier this summer and it was weird, after the second attack all the squirrels disappeared. There wasn't a squirrel, and very few birds, to be seen for 2 months or so. We are a certified wildlife habitat and it was strange not having any wildlife, even the possums took off. They are coming back now, so I'm hoping the still unidentified pred is gone.

But, like you did, we have really beefed up defense!

 

[Wolf-Kim]

As the pendulum swings!

It's natural for things to run in cycles, very rarely will something in nature stay steady or constant. The earth cools and heats, summer and winter, predators thrive with prey thrives. Everything has highs and lows and you're probably just noticing it.

We were just talking about it at our beekeepers meeting. This year was very bad for bee swarms, but it just gets the beekeepers getting ready for the following years because usually it means that there is going to be 2-3 successful and fruitful years after a bum year.

-Kim

 

[MagsC]

I understand about ebbing and flowing but it sure seems as if the wildlife population here has really made a comeback over the last 10 to 15 years(or more, thats conservative.

)
When I was growing up in this area, you didnt see/hear much. The biggest increase I have noticed as been the coyotes. We NEVER used to hear them, now we do all of the time.
This past year raccoons kept getting into the corn in the garden, that was another first.
And a cougar was seen out by my parents place (at first the people thought it was the neighbors big yellow lab drinking out of the stock tank until they got a closer look!)

 

[LynneP]

My maiden name is Bruce!

Bring in your dog when you hear coyotes, they will try to get him.
Same problems here, very busy year from wildlife- it's great that you are prepared!

 

[rhoda_bruce]

I did think on that. He was a stray, but I suppose he can go in a pet taxi. One of the kids took him home. My husband is a Bruce. There are a good many here and although of Scottish decent, they mostly speak French/English and hold to Cajun heritages.
It is quiet so far tonight, but I am waiting. Everything picked up nice and tight.
Ya'll know, so many people are brand new to chickens this year. Its like they dove in head first and are learning as they go. Not that it is a bad thing, but I figure if their coops aren't put together with all the preditors in mind, it could be disasterous.......Okay, here we go. Howling again and dogs barking.

 

[LynneP]

I had a cat attacked by a coyote but she got away then suffered partial paralysis from a cracked vertebra. I called a chiropractor who does pets for free, but he was so far away that I decided to follow his directions and she is nearly normal again. Once a pack picks a location they stay nearby until they raid it of everything they can get.

The original French name for 'Bruce' is 'de Brix' and it is from Normandy. The Scots and French here were allied too. This is the source of many of the Cajuns...

 

[horsejody]

Quote:
It may also be that people don't shoot them like they used too. Back in the day, people would shoot them on sight or go looking for them to shoot them. Nowadays, people are more likely to not bother with them or assume that the ol'mighty government will step in to protect them if they become over populated. Right or wrong, that's the way it is.

 

[MagsC]

You are probably right. I remember a lot of people around us used to coonhunt that dont anymore and they did hunt other wildlife as well. Very good point.