I have seen a lot of posts lately asking opinions on predator lights; those red blinking lights that is supposed to look like predator eyes to scare away other predators. PLEASE do not trust these to protect your chickens!
I bought a set of these a few years back (Nite Guards to be exact) when I got my flock. I have always kept my flock is a secure coop at night and a secure run during the day. I got these mainly out of curiosity - and being a paranoid new chicken owner I was buying every predator deterrent out there to be on the safe side. When I had the lights set up in the entrance to my barn (which didn't have a door on it at the time), I saw through the security camera a raccoon run away from the lights, but just a few days later I saw a possum walk right up to one and sniff it!
For the past week I set these lights up on my back deck to 1. protect my bird feeders and 2. protect my vegetable seedlings I was hardening off in preparation to plant in the garden. Every night I rearrange these lights as suggested. At 3:30 am I woke up to a horrible crashing sound and my indoor cat was at the sliding glass door having a fit. I flipped on the light to find a raccoon had knocked my glass oriole feeder off the handrail and was licking up the nectar. And there were the predator lights...blinking right at the coon only 3 feet away.
Luckily all I lost was an oriole feeder which can easily be replaced. Even with properly moving the lights around as the manufacturer suggests they still failed. So please, please do not trust these gadgets to protect your chickens!
I bought a set of these a few years back (Nite Guards to be exact) when I got my flock. I have always kept my flock is a secure coop at night and a secure run during the day. I got these mainly out of curiosity - and being a paranoid new chicken owner I was buying every predator deterrent out there to be on the safe side. When I had the lights set up in the entrance to my barn (which didn't have a door on it at the time), I saw through the security camera a raccoon run away from the lights, but just a few days later I saw a possum walk right up to one and sniff it!
For the past week I set these lights up on my back deck to 1. protect my bird feeders and 2. protect my vegetable seedlings I was hardening off in preparation to plant in the garden. Every night I rearrange these lights as suggested. At 3:30 am I woke up to a horrible crashing sound and my indoor cat was at the sliding glass door having a fit. I flipped on the light to find a raccoon had knocked my glass oriole feeder off the handrail and was licking up the nectar. And there were the predator lights...blinking right at the coon only 3 feet away.
Luckily all I lost was an oriole feeder which can easily be replaced. Even with properly moving the lights around as the manufacturer suggests they still failed. So please, please do not trust these gadgets to protect your chickens!
