Predator's Encountered

[KLIL]

Hi Everyone,
I have had some issues with my chickens going missing without a trace. It got me thinking.
I would love to hear some of the predators you have encountered and how you prevented them from returning?

Thank you

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'm not familiar with all your potential predators in your part of Australia but here if a chicken totally disappears without a trace it is generally a snake, canine, or human. A relatively large cat will often carry one off a bit and bury what is left for a later meal but usually leaves some feathers behind. Some canines will sometimes leave feathers. You may have birds of prey large enough to carry off a chicken but again they often leave feathers. Just because certain canines, cats, and birds of prey often leave feathers behind does not mean they always do but it can be pretty good clue.

If you can determine what it is you can perhaps trap or shoot it. That is not a final solution but it will stop critters that are actively hunting your area. Part of the problem with that is that if you have one critter hunting your area you probably have many. Unless you catch it in the act how do you know you actually got the one that is doing the hunting? I once shot 16 rabbits out of my garden before I finally got the last one that was eating beans as they sprouted. Not all those rabbits were eating the beans as they sprouted but it took a while to get the right ones. I've trapped critters on consecutive nights which means more than one was visiting. I once had a skunk go into my garage through a pet door and spray. Over the next two weeks I trapped seven skunks but don't know if I got the right one. The other issue is that new predators are being born, weaned, and set out to establish new territory all the time. Hunting or trapping will remove immediate threats but it doesn't help for future problems.

A more permanent solution is barriers. What barriers will depend on what critter. My general philosophy in this is to provide a predator-resistant area during the day and lock them in a pretty predator-proof coop at night when the danger is greatest. My biggest threat has been ground based predators, some of which can climb. I use electric netting during the day which has been successful for several years. Over a 10-year period I lost one to a hawk and another to an owl. Before I put up that electric netting I lost a couple to a fox over a three year period, then several at a time in two separate dog attacks. Sine I put up the electric netting all ground based attacks stopped.

That's my arsenal, trapping, shooting, and barriers. I don't have a dog out there 24/7. A dog big enough to handle your predators, trained to not harm the chickens, and that is kept out there 100% of the time is another layer of protection. If you bring that dog in the house it can't provide protection. It can only be in one place at a time so if it sleeps on your porch it might miss something behind the barn. But a good dog can be a powerful layer of protection.

One other thing I did before I got the electric netting. When I lost one to a fox I left the chickens confined to a fox-proof run for about a month. That seemed to make the fox think there was not an easy free meal at that location so it stopped hunting that area. That limited my loss to that fox to one, but I have a fox-proof run ready.

Good luck. Predators are not always easy.

 

[Trish1974]

For me, foxes have been the worst predator. I upgraded all my run fencing with 1/2" hardware cloth...all 1300 sq. ft. of it. Expensive yes, but necessary. I brought the bottom out 16" for an anti-dig apron. I then surrounded the run with electric fencing. Without this combination I honestly do not think I'd have a flock left.

You can shoot/remove predators, but more will just take their place. I've learned its best to just make your run and coop Fort Knox. My neighbor has lost almost 100 chickens to foxes in the past 3 years. At first he free ranged, then kept them in a hoop coop, in which a fox dug under it and killed 18 juveniles in one day's time. I see he now has a set up similar to mine towards the back of his field, where the foxes run, but he does not have an electric fence and no hardware cloth. I'm waiting to see how long this new flock lasts. (By the way the little prefab coop in the picture is an integration coop - I do not keep my flock in there!)

 

[centrarchid]

For me, foxes have been the worst predator. I upgraded all my run fencing with 1/2" hardware cloth...all 1300 sq. ft. of it. Expensive yes, but necessary. I brought the bottom out 16" for an anti-dig apron. I then surrounded the run with electric fencing. Without this combination I honestly do not think I'd have a flock left.
View attachment 1494254
You can shoot/remove predators, but more will just take their place. I've learned its best to just make your run and coop Fort Knox. My neighbor has lost almost 100 chickens to foxes in the past 3 years. At first he free ranged, then kept them in a hoop coop, in which a fox dug under it and killed 18 juveniles in one day's time. I see he now has a set up similar to mine towards the back of his field, where the foxes run, but he does not have an electric fence and no hardware cloth. I'm waiting to see how long this new flock lasts. (By the way the little prefab coop in the picture is an integration coop - I do not keep my flock in there!)

That is impressive. Some day my American Dominiques will be so kept.

 

[cmom]

For me, foxes have been the worst predator. I upgraded all my run fencing with 1/2" hardware cloth...all 1300 sq. ft. of it. Expensive yes, but necessary. I brought the bottom out 16" for an anti-dig apron. I then surrounded the run with electric fencing. Without this combination I honestly do not think I'd have a flock left.
View attachment 1494254
You can shoot/remove predators, but more will just take their place. I've learned its best to just make your run and coop Fort Knox. My neighbor has lost almost 100 chickens to foxes in the past 3 years. At first he free ranged, then kept them in a hoop coop, in which a fox dug under it and killed 18 juveniles in one day's time. I see he now has a set up similar to mine towards the back of his field, where the foxes run, but he does not have an electric fence and no hardware cloth. I'm waiting to see how long this new flock lasts. (By the way the little prefab coop in the picture is an integration coop - I do not keep my flock in there!)

That is a nice setup you have. I have electric around my pens and a good heavy duty netting over the top and concrete under the gates. All because of predators but haven't lost any birds in a very long time. I don't have my electric wire nearly as high as you do and around the backs of the coops I only have one or two wires in places. Around the pens I have three wires. I don't think anything can jump over the 3 wires without touching at least one and most of the predators are diggers so the bottom wire will get them. My current averages around 9000 volts. It will sure make your heart skip a few beats when touched.

 

[llombardo]

My battle is with raccoons. They are always around at night and within 25 ft of the coop. The trees are thick along the fence line, so I hear them all the time but only see them on occasion when they are not deep in the trees. I have heavy duty netting over the top, hardware cloth from top to bottom and 2 feet out all the way around the run. I also have hardware cloth around the bottom of the coop inside the run and I have double hardware cloth in most areas on the coop. Recently the raccoons have been more active and I am back and forth several times a night. It's a good thing I have never required a lot of sleep. I also let my german shepherd and two other dogs access to come and go at night. The rooster will crow if he senses something or hears something, so when he crows at 3 am, the german shepherd is right there and I'm right behind him. The rooster has not been wrong yet. We seem to be working as a team. I have several more dogs and I can put a couple more out there in a run right across from the chickens. All I need is to be alerted, that is what I'm looking for.

I want to build a different coop and attach it to the run, by doing this, the dogs will have the ability to be around that coop at all times, but not have access to the chickens.

 

[centrarchid]

My battle is with raccoons. They are always around at night and within 25 ft of the coop. The trees are thick along the fence line, so I hear them all the time but only see them on occasion when they are not deep in the trees. I have heavy duty netting over the top, hardware cloth from top to bottom and 2 feet out all the way around the run. I also have hardware cloth around the bottom of the coop inside the run and I have double hardware cloth in most areas on the coop. Recently the raccoons have been more active and I am back and forth several times a night. It's a good thing I have never required a lot of sleep. I also let my german shepherd and two other dogs access to come and go at night. The rooster will crow if he senses something or hears something, so when he crows at 3 am, the german shepherd is right there and I'm right behind him. The rooster has not been wrong yet. We seem to be working as a team. I have several more dogs and I can put a couple more out there in a run right across from the chickens. All I need is to be alerted, that is what I'm looking for.

I want to build a different coop and attach it to the run, by doing this, the dogs will have the ability to be around that coop at all times, but not have access to the chickens.

What you describe is similar to my setup. The barn near NE corner of our property where the fence at property boundary and dense tree growth is not conducive to blocking raccoon traffic. Additionally, neighbors on other site leave food out for pets that raccoons go some distance to get. Occasionally the raccoons try to check us out. Generally, a hotwire about 6" above ground keeps the raccoons out but storms make keeping fence hot difficult and raccoons like to change routes when weather changes.

 

[KLIL]

I'm not familiar with all your potential predators in your part of Australia but here if a chicken totally disappears without a trace it is generally a snake, canine, or human. A relatively large cat will often carry one off a bit and bury what is left for a later meal but usually leaves some feathers behind. Some canines will sometimes leave feathers. You may have birds of prey large enough to carry off a chicken but again they often leave feathers. Just because certain canines, cats, and birds of prey often leave feathers behind does not mean they always do but it can be pretty good clue.

If you can determine what it is you can perhaps trap or shoot it. That is not a final solution but it will stop critters that are actively hunting your area. Part of the problem with that is that if you have one critter hunting your area you probably have many. Unless you catch it in the act how do you know you actually got the one that is doing the hunting? I once shot 16 rabbits out of my garden before I finally got the last one that was eating beans as they sprouted. Not all those rabbits were eating the beans as they sprouted but it took a while to get the right ones. I've trapped critters on consecutive nights which means more than one was visiting. I once had a skunk go into my garage through a pet door and spray. Over the next two weeks I trapped seven skunks but don't know if I got the right one. The other issue is that new predators are being born, weaned, and set out to establish new territory all the time. Hunting or trapping will remove immediate threats but it doesn't help for future problems.

A more permanent solution is barriers. What barriers will depend on what critter. My general philosophy in this is to provide a predator-resistant area during the day and lock them in a pretty predator-proof coop at night when the danger is greatest. My biggest threat has been ground based predators, some of which can climb. I use electric netting during the day which has been successful for several years. Over a 10-year period I lost one to a hawk and another to an owl. Before I put up that electric netting I lost a couple to a fox over a three year period, then several at a time in two separate dog attacks. Sine I put up the electric netting all ground based attacks stopped.

That's my arsenal, trapping, shooting, and barriers. I don't have a dog out there 24/7. A dog big enough to handle your predators, trained to not harm the chickens, and that is kept out there 100% of the time is another layer of protection. If you bring that dog in the house it can't provide protection. It can only be in one place at a time so if it sleeps on your porch it might miss something behind the barn. But a good dog can be a powerful layer of protection.

One other thing I did before I got the electric netting. When I lost one to a fox I left the chickens confined to a fox-proof run for about a month. That seemed to make the fox think there was not an easy free meal at that location so it stopped hunting that area. That limited my loss to that fox to one, but I have a fox-proof run ready.

Good luck. Predators are not always easy.

Im going to get a camera over the coop so I can see what's going on and what is coming and going. And also, make sure there is no holes in fences on the coop side of the house.

 

[KLIL]

For me, foxes have been the worst predator. I upgraded all my run fencing with 1/2" hardware cloth...all 1300 sq. ft. of it. Expensive yes, but necessary. I brought the bottom out 16" for an anti-dig apron. I then surrounded the run with electric fencing. Without this combination I honestly do not think I'd have a flock left.
View attachment 1494254
You can shoot/remove predators, but more will just take their place. I've learned its best to just make your run and coop Fort Knox. My neighbor has lost almost 100 chickens to foxes in the past 3 years. At first he free ranged, then kept them in a hoop coop, in which a fox dug under it and killed 18 juveniles in one day's time. I see he now has a set up similar to mine towards the back of his field, where the foxes run, but he does not have an electric fence and no hardware cloth. I'm waiting to see how long this new flock lasts. (By the way the little prefab coop in the picture is an integration coop - I do not keep my flock in there!)

We have foxes. I haven't seen any near the house yet. Do they attack in the day?

 

[Top Rooster]

Yes they do attack during the day and evening, i had one fox attack in the afternoon took about 5 chickens and another time during dusk, both were shot one died and the other I think was only minorly injured and never came back. But my biggest predators is probably the raccoons they have taken several. What I have done to protect against them is have a secure coop above ground and trapping and killing them. Do you have dingo where your at they could be getting your chickens.