Predator Protection

[centrarchid]

Hello, I have a hobby farm in southeastern Arizona. Have 30 or so laying hens and have had a horrid year with predators of the flying variety. Hawks and Great Owls as far as I can tell. Spent many hours totally covering my large hen yard with bird netting , sides go up ten feet and across the top of the about 60 x 60 foot yard. What a pain. Last night for the second time some large bird predator got in and took off with an adult buff orpington laying hen and I am just sick. I get the idea that I need electric netting and that means the yard will get much smaller (it is just dirt- not like there are good things to eat etc). But I will have to also cover the top somehow...any ideas or will regular heavy weight bird netting work across the top?

Show a picture of your setup. A Great-horned Owl should not be able to pack off an adult standard-sized Orphington.

 

[sisterpine]

Show a picture of your setup. A Great-horned Owl should not be able to pack off an adult standard-sized Orphington.

Will take photos tomorrow and try to upload them. Only other option is a bobcat, puma or coyote but I have not seen any tracks....will also rake the ground tomorrow.

 

[Folly's place]

So sorry! I also think it's more likely a ground predator. Even an eagle would have a hard time...
Mary

 

[bigleapfarm]

if its a ground predator your best bet is to take a dead member of your flock, throw it in the field right before dark with the rest of the flock inside. then blow a coyote howler call and wait with your rifle over a good bourbon. dogs are a couple hundred dollars. 223 remington or 308 winchester rounds are around $0.15 each where i live

 

[Jammerz]

Not sure where in Southern AZ you live but I was just in the McNeal and Elfrida area and it covered up with hawks. You probably have a bobcat though if it was at night and got a big bird like an Orp. I suggest a trail camera to watch your enclosure and see what is coming in. Gray foxes and bobcats are the biggest threats in Southern AZ. If you are close to a larger city like Sierra Vista then I would consider feral cats as well.

 

[cmom]

Do you have a game camera you can put up? That is how I found out what was killing my birds. It was an owl. Now I have heavy duty netting covering all of my pens because of the owl, electric wire around all of my coops and pens because of a bobcat and concrete under the gates because of a fox. I haven't lost a bird to a predator for quite a long time.