Should I try and kill this bobcat?

[The Buffest Orpington]

It's been a long discussion if you've been following it.

The OP is:

1. Not getting a dog or other LSG.
2. Free Ranging, IS not securing their flock.
3. Plans to do nothing different.
4. Is sad for their loss.

I'm going to avoid going ad hominem to keep things civil, but do keep your ignorant judgments to yourself. If you've been "following this discussion," you can see that I am:

1. Only free ranging when I am outside with the chickens and otherwise am keeping them in the run.
2. Planning to shoot the bobcat if I see it stalking.

I already have a guard dog who isn't compatible with the chickens and will not be adding a second dog (or a donkey for that matter) to our relatively small home.

Please do keep the holier-than-thou attitude in check if you don't know what you're talking about (and even if you think you do). It adds nothing.

 

[Lenny loves chickens]

I'm going to avoid going ad hominem to keep things civil, but do keep your ignorant judgments to yourself. If you've been "following this discussion," you can see that I am:

1. Only free ranging when I am outside with the chickens and otherwise am keeping them in the run.
2. Planning to shoot the bobcat if I see it stalking.

I already have a guard dog who isn't compatible with the chickens and will not be adding a second dog (or a donkey for that matter) to our relatively small home.

Please do keep the holier-than-thou attitude in check if you don't know what you're talking about (and even if you think you do). It adds nothing.

Sorry if any of you thought I was arguing. That was not my intent and truly do love talking different sides with people. But the online does not always explain what I am thinking .,

 

[The Buffest Orpington]

Sorry if any of you thought I was arguing. That was not my intent and truly do love talking different sides with people. But the online does not always explain what I am thinking .,

No worries, that comment was directed at another poster, whose response was ill-considered. This discussion has been valuable and interesting overall.

 

[Lenny loves chickens]

No worries, that comment was directed at another poster, whose response was ill-considered. This discussion has been valuable and interesting overall.

Thanks but either way if someone feels that I was disrespectful I want them to know that was not my intent

 

[AGeese]

No worries, that comment was directed at another poster, whose response was ill-considered. This discussion has been valuable and interesting overall.

Oh I've been following it alright and apparently have an entirely different interpretation of what you've written. Good luck to you.

 

[The Buffest Orpington]

Oh I've been following it alright and apparently have an entirely different interpretation of what you've written. Good luck to you.

Okay buddy. You must struggle with reading comprehension, or not been following nearly as closely as you've said. Best of luck to you as well.

EDIT: not sure why I bother, but here's what I said:

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.

So I have the means and know-how to remove this animal as a threat, but I think I'd only do so if the opportunity directly presented itself in the form of visible stalking / another attack.

As you say, it is a very long thread so you can be forgiven for not noticing where I landed on various issues.

 

[jennyb]

We have a bobcat but he comes only at night and we free range with an auto door. My philosophy is to have a few more chickens than I need. Surprisingly, with the auto door this number stays pretty constant EXCEPT this time of year when the mammals go nuts feeding babies. Right now they are penned into the coop for a few weeks. I have an Arlo cam on the coop door. In the last week visitors include: huge boar raccoon, three possums (one with full pouch), entire fox family, armadillo (just looking for grubs), red-tailed hawk (who actually got in coop during daylight and tried to get one but could get enough height), oak snakes x2, two bobcats.

While I’m generally pretty pragmatic about animals in general, I couldn’t shoot the bobcat. He is just too awesome. Now, if he were running at a child, yes. But I enjoy trying to outthink them, I am currently making a scarecrow with solar lighting. He will sit on a chair in front of auto door.

 

[AGeese]

Okay buddy. You must struggle with reading comprehension, or not been following nearly as closely as you've said. Best of luck to you as well.

EDIT: not sure why I bother, but here's what I said:




As you say, it is a very long thread so you can be forgiven for not noticing where I landed on various issues.

So you're not going ad hominem? Yes that's exactly what you said. You have your view I have mine nothing's changed here for me.

 

[Bridget B]

Killing the Bobcat will only allow other predators to come in. Get a dog that can protect your flock should anything get near them. You will probably have to raise up a dog to fit the situation. If you can build a run that the birds can safely be kept in while the dog is trained, it would be best. A hotwire is also a great idea for keeping your run safe from predation. Before you buy a pup you might send word out locally that you are looking for a dog that can protect your birds. Someone may have one to give up.

 

[Tpaxton]

This is the second year my chickens have been attacked by a local bobcat living in the woods behind out house. We like to free range our chickens, even though we only do so in the afternoon to cut down on the amount of time they're vulnerable. Last February the cat took Meridah, our favorite chicken, who was as sweet and affectionate as I've ever seen.

This year the cat is back at its old hunting ground (our back woods). Just last weekend my wife literally saw the bobcat through our window carrying one of our chickens in our side yard, and I ran out and chased it off in time to scare it away and make it drop the chicken. She's currently recuperating (I coated her generously with Neosporin and Vetermicyn for several days), but she's still not using one leg and I'm concerned about whether she'll make it.

A second chicken seemed to have fled from the cat and seemed largely unharmed at the time, but is now seemingly in shock, refusing to eat or drink much at all, and seems too weak to walk (even though she literally ran 100 yards back to the coop when we finally found her hiding under a log right after the attack).

I'm worried about these two chickens and their chances at recovery, and I'm frankly pissed at this cat. This is the second year it's been killing and harming our chickens, and now the chickens can only free range for a couple hours a day (if they're lucky and we have time to directly supervise them).

So I'm wondering - should I try and kill this cat? I called the state and they said they won't do anything, and that I'm not legally allowed to trap the thing without a trapper license. However, I have the rifle for it and I'm legally allowed to kill it.

But I'm interested in some other opinions on whether this would be morally or ethically justified to do. I understand predators have a right to exist too. But don't my chickens deserve to free range as well? How many animals do these cats bring a terrifying, agonizing death in their lives? Hundreds? Thousands? I'm starting to feel I owe it to my chickens to remove the threat and allow them to live and free range in broad daylight again.

So what do you all think? Should I try and kill the cat, or just let nature takes its course?

It's really hard when you have chickens because I have chickens even though I live in the middle of the city. We do have owls that come at night and they do hunt the free-range chickens the chickens that I have in my coop are safe. However I would be inclined to build a large fenced-off run for them with the top on it so that they can free range. Also I have friends that live up in the mountains and they had goats and chickens and they had a very large bobcat I'm almost inclined to believe it was a lynx does it look bigger than a bobcat from the picture. But I don't think we have a lynx species in Arizona in the mountains. And they got a dog that was specifically for Guardian herd animals and they lost one chicken to this big cat and after they got the dog they never had a problem. They considered getting a Turkish Kangal because they are very protective of their charges whether it's chickens or sheep or cattle. However they got I believe a Great Pyrenees and they don't have any problems with this cat coming around anymore... IDK if is something that your budget would allow however when I move up to the mountains near them that is something I am going to do.