Should I try and kill this bobcat?

[GingerRose]

If you free range, your taking a risk of loosing a bird. Lots of woods and lots of predators in my area. My backyard is fenced. Dogs help keep critters out, but every now and then the possibility of a chicken dinner is too much temptation and I'll get a critter in the fenced in area. Could I hot wire the fence, sure, but I don't want the expenses of doing so, nor do I think it's my responsibility to do so.

That said I shoot every predator that is actively trying to get my birds. Sure there will be others, and they will be eliminated too.

Protect the babies

 

[mowin]

Don't free range and you won't have to kill predators. They'll hunt.

The stress my birds go through when something tries to breach the coop/run is horrible. I've had injuries from them flying into the side of the run. Those predators get shot..

 

[sourland]

Realistically the choice is yours. Do what feels right for you. As you can see opinions are all over the spectrum.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Don't free range and you won't have to kill predators. They'll hunt.

Not always. Some will still get into pens even if the animals aren't free ranging

 

[samanthaoverton]

It's a nuisance animal kill it. And don't feel bad. Chickens aren't a natural food source for bobcats. They have no right to them. Think how terrified your chicken was. Also Mr bobcat does not buy their food, or haul water to them, or change there coop, or pay the electric bill if you give them heat in winter.

 

[GingerRose]

It's a nuisance animal kill it. And don't feel bad. Chickens aren't a natural food source for bobcats. They have no right to them. Think how terrified your chicken was. Also Mr bobcat does not buy their food, or haul water to them, or change there coop, or pay the electric bill if you give them heat in winter.

Agreed

 

[allenw]

If your seeing one bob cat you have more. What you do is your choice but it will be back.

 

[RosemaryDuck]

Yes. Shoot it and all the other ones that come. They are not on any endangered list.

This is how animals become endangered/extinct. Take the Thylacine for instance. People started encroaching on their territories and farmers & hunters were shooting them left and right. They thought nothing would effect the population so just kept killing them. Then realized to late there were almost none left.

https://www.nma.gov.au/defining-mom...timated there,rapid extinction of the species.

 

[GingerRose]

This is how animals become endangered/extinct. Take the Thylacine for instance. People started encroaching on their territories and farmers & hunters were shooting them left and right. They thought nothing would effect the population so just kept killing them. Then realized to late there were almost none left.

https://www.nma.gov.au/defining-moments/resources/extinction-of-thylacine#:~:text=While it is estimated there,rapid extinction of the species.

Let's just hope Buffest Orphington and the chicken's don't become extinct due to bobcats encroaching on the property and hunting the chickens left and right.

 

[The Buffest Orpington]

Thank you all for your thoughts and input. Yep, just as I suspected - no consensus on the right thing to do!

I had the same struggle last year when the cat got our favorite hen (and probably one other, though we never did find her). I'm torn between defending the flock and their right to roam free, and the understanding that another predator will come along eventually, and the cat may well have kittens depending on her (saw small cat tracks in the snow alongside the large ones). I'm not concerned about bobcats becoming endangered, since they're on the "least concern" list and people have already been fighting with them over livestock for a long time.

I'll probably end up doing what I did last time - nothing, besides only free ranging the flock for a couple hours a few times a week when I'm outside almost the entire time. What can I say, I'm a bleeding heart.