R.I.P Agnes. What killed her?

[Luv Ducks]

Thank you so much for the kind words I really wish she was still here, she had so much personality

Do you know what I can do to protect my babies without keeping them locked up? Like what will ward the predators off? Thank you so much.

I guess I would be the last person to ask. After a coon got my other Wood Duck and my one Khaki Campbell I went to Tractor Supply and bought 6 of their pens for 600 dollars a piece. I was that upset and then I bought barrier panels that I pounded into the ground around them so that a coon could not dig under them. It cost me a lot but my ducks are my happy place in life and it made me happy to know they are a lot safer now. I know of no other way to keep them safe than to make their pens like Fort Knox, sorry. My husband connected all of the pens together so they have lots of room and know they are safe now.

 

[talkinboutchickens]

I guess I would be the last person to ask. After a coon got my other Wood Duck and my one Khaki Campbell I went to Tractor Supply and bought 6 of their pens for 600 dollars a piece. I was that upset and then I bought barrier panels that I pounded into the ground around them so that a coon could not dig under them. It cost me a lot but my ducks are my happy place in life and it made me happy to know they are a lot safer now. I know of no other way to keep them safe than to make their pens like Fort Knox, sorry. My husband connected all of the pens together so they have lots of room and know they are safe now.

So sorry about your ducks

 

[Project Blue]

I had problems several times with what everybody assumed was wild predators and turned out to be dogs. I have wildlife cameras set up now because something looked to be climbing over fenced and tearing large holes in the coop and climbing out after killing every single chicken. I was sure it was a bobcat Turned out to be a very determined pit bull. I've also seen a bull dog carry a chicken off that flew over the fence. It all happened so fast the dog was gone and running with a chicken in his mouth before I could get get out the door. We also had a killer Great Pyrenees that terrorize our whole neighborhood for a year. A flock of sheep, one of my cows got a collapsed lung from rolling down a steep hill, a man and his big dog attacked, a flock of chickens, were all killed, along with horses being chased, etc. In the beginning we all thought coyotes. It would happen every few weeks and usually Sunday while everyone was at church. Anyway, after setting up cameras, I'm seeing a whole lot of dogs. My phone alerts me and I can see remotely what's happening. I was an hour and 45 minutes away from home and saw the pit bull biting and pulling the door. In the past he bent corrugated metal enough to squeeze in. I could see him working hard to get in, so I called animal control and they sent an officer out. The pit bull ran off as the officer was driving in. Dogs know they are doing wrong and can easily avoid detection. In the country where my coop is, so many people have loose dogs, it's amazing how many trespass regularly. I've counted nearly 20 different dogs. The pit bull is a regular, every week or two it shows up. After it kills the chickens, he and his pal another smaller pit bull mix tear the chickens up. Then it's a buffet raccoons, opossums and crows show up. I also have German Short haired pointers, bull dog, poodle mixes, dachshunds, hounds and more that regularly show up, but they respect fences and don't destroy coops to get in with chickens. The bull dog did take advantage and grabbed a loose chicken with ease and disappeared with it. BTW, smaller predators can't eat a whole chicken at one time and usually start with the head.