Predator Protection in Grass Valley

[Rinalias@]

I'm certain this has been asked before, but I'm interested in a more specific locale (if anyone has experience).

I work for a sanctuary for farmed animals called Animal Place. We will be moving to a 600-acre facility in Grass Valley, California in Nevada County.

We will be housing chickens/turkeys in a pasture setting with some trees and rocky outcroppings. We have a variety of breeds but specialize in the care of "spent" egg laying hens and "broiler" production chickens as well as production turkeys.

They will be locked up at night. The fencing will be 6' high w/ overhang and dug down 12-15". I don't know yet how large the pastures will be.

Are any of you familiar with aerial predators in Nevada County? (Or even the overall predator issue?) Is this something we should be concerned about? We've been toying with the idea of overhead netting or fishing wire to exclude aerial predators, though we know a determined hawk could penetrate netting.

Right now, we are in Vacaville in Solano County. We've never had aerial predator problems, even with a nesting pair of red-tailed hawks nearby. We also have a large population of ground squirrels who are even more vigilant w/ aerial predators than the chickens, which might help.

Any insight is appreciated!

-marji

 

[~*Sweet Cheeks*~]

WELCOME to BYC from the Pacific NW -

That sounds like a great place to work and how great it is that old layers and production birds can live out their lives in flocks with others.

And it's great that you're planning ahead to help protect your birds. Just because you didn't have a problem in one area doesn't mean you won't in another.

Good luck with the move.

 

[Happy Chooks]

I'm familiar with Grass Valley. It's a lot more wooded (with lots more wildlife) so I think you'll have a good deal more issues with predators. So you would need to protect especially against raccoons, foxes, coyotes and hawks.

I'm 15 miles from Grass Valley, and I have lost a chicken to a hawk. (not a red tailed hawk) It came back the next day and tried again, but luckily I saw it and scared it off. We've since added some barriers to deter the hawks.

I guess it depends on what type of run you are thinking. I certainly wouldn't put them in a big, open area. You'd just be asking for trouble.

Edited to add: My chickens roam in my orchard with 7 ft fencing around them, and they are locked up at night.

 

[lavandula girl]

I'm in El Dorado County, and our biggest number of fly-overs are definitely the redtails. Our property is semi wooded, which protects my birds pretty well. The biggest issues will probably be grey foxes and raccoons. We also have long-tailed weasels and the occasional mountain lion to contend with.

 

[mythkat]

Off topic, but do you adopt out your birds?

 

[mediazeal]

There is one gal here that says her turkey is her hawk deterent
Are you planning on running them together when they are out free ranging?

Will you have lots of places to hide from hawks when they see them and will you have roosters to watch and warn?

Sounds awesome. Congratulations on the new sanctuary!

 

[panner123]

Not sure where in Grass Valley you will be, but my uncle has some property on Perimeter Rd. His biggest problem is coyotes. Then comes mountian lions, coon, fox and once in awhile a bear. The hawk is not much of a problem for him, for he has a number of herd dogs for his sheep and goats. They keep an eye on the sky all the time. When they go crazy the chickens head for cover. The best thing to do is keep plenty of small brush available for the chickens to hid under. If your runs are not to big you can hang old CDs from fishing line across the runs. That works for me.

 

[coolchickens]

Hi -

I'm familiar with G.V. also. I used to work up there and live in similar area. It sounds like your fencing is for the night time housing. Will they be free ranging on the 600 ac during the day? My chickens all free range and are locked up at night. I have had no problems with the hawks, and they do fly over daily, but if there are young ones they may try. The biggy is the daytime predators such as coyotes and bobcats. I lost a lot of chickens to a bob cat but now I've added a rescue livestock guard dog (AKbash dog) who has kept coons, coyotes, skunks, everything, off my property day & night. He is gentle with all the other animals on my property and I believe the hawks see him also as they seem to steer away. Good luck with your sanctuary. Sharon in Cool, CA