Predator mystery/ coyote question

[dannifer]

So I have a little bit of a mystery.. or maybe just a question about coyotes. lol A little first about my coop: I have a portable a-frame coop that only houses 2 chickens. One night last week I went out to turn on the heat lamp after dark and noticed a hole in the chicken wire of the run (not metal, but the mesh kind). It wasn't that big and the chickens were still alive and fine inside but something had obviously tried to chew it's way in. Even though I live in town in a subdivision, there is a field behind our yard where we commonly see deer, foxes (on occasion) and for the last year - one resident coyote. I was confused why my chickens were still alive. The only thing I could guess is that when I got home just after dark and let my dog out in the backyard, she must have interrupted somethings attempt at a chicken dinner. The next day I examined the back fence and could indeed see where something had pushed back the fence and crawled under at the corner. However, the hole didn't look big enough to me for a coyote to get through. On top of that, the coop is within a second fence that goes around my garden area which is a cattle panel fence(i think they are called.) Anyway, so I was trying to figure out what it was and prevent a future attack. Well, two days later, we saw TWO coyotes in our the field behind our house and have seen them every day since - sometimes multiple times a day! So they seem to be the likely culprit - however - even if a coyote could get through the small hole dug under the back fence, I can't see any way a coyote could get through the cattle panel fence to the coop! It occured to me that maybe they could jump it - but then why wouldn't they just jump the back fence too which is the same height instead of going under?! And then of course I wonder how they got back out of the yard so fast when I let my dog out that night.. if in fact she did interrupt them. My dog is a boxer and we don't leave her out at night cause it gets too cold. I had read before getting chickens that just having a dog at all would deter predators (even if she wasn't out there to guard it) cause they would smell her in the yard. I have encouraged her to pee around the coop and at the back fence to try to deter anything.. but obviously something didn't care. SO - anyone have any tips or opinions on this? Could I be wrong and it wasn't the coyotes? What can I do to keep my chickens safe now?

 

[greenegglover]

Hardware cloth ....yep thats my favorite fix! Its saved the day for many BYCers. Go to hardware or farm store asap. Chicken wire only keeps chickens in. Coons and the like will bend or chew right through it!

 

[Yetti]

May I suggest a little deterrent to digging. Powdered Lime. its the worst thing ever to get your eyes. it burns like heck and any animal that tries to get past it will learn quickly not to dig there.

 

[crowbuster]

Please make no mistake. A coyote or two will take out your boxer in short order. And there is no truth in the whole dog pee theory. I would say you are dealing with a coon or two.

 

[FlyRobinFly]

My dogs' scent is all over my back yard but the other day they found a coyote sleeping on a bale of hay, not twenty feet away from my coop, and chased it away. So dog pee, poop, etc. isn't necessarily a deterrent. I agree that hardware cloth (galvanized mesh) is a lifesaver, that's what I have on all our chicken housing.

Robin

 

[tomingreeneco]

You can see the coyotes at night? Time to get a gun. That is the only way to stop them. Farm down the road has problems with them killing sheep. Traps them and kills them (12 this year). I have had one come in the yard and my Guineas warned me of it. It is now dead. New ones will move in so it is a constant battle with them.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

You can see the coyotes at night? Time to get a gun.

Read the OP:

I live in town in a subdivision​

 

[clinton9]

Members,
These coyotes are very difficult mammal, to get rid of, as they are intelligent animals.
Parent coyote produce average 6 pups, but can produce 16 pups if well fed.
Coyote can jump 5 feet & clear the 5 feet fence.
Female golden eagle & puma kills coyotes.

Try things:

stinging nettles
10 feet fences
wolf dungs
plastic golden eagle
puma dungs
thorny plants near fences
five big dogs
2 canada geese

Best is to shoot the male coyotes as female coyotes go away if no male coyotes.

They had killed poultry & lambs, calves and resently few children and a 19-year-old singer.

Clinton.

 

[aprophet]

if they are crawling under fences they are easy to catch and kill, I trap and dispatch in town constantly

 

[Twiggers96]

I have to agree with it sounds like a coon.