Sleeping with windows open

[centrarchid]

At night during much of year we sleep with windows open in part for energy conservation. This enables me to hear what is going on out in yard. I here chicks on porch, all roosters crow, wildlife (red foxes, coyotes, great horned and barred owls, occassional coon squabble, white-tail deer snorting, etc.), and chickens cackling / squalling in response to predator. I frequently bolt out of bed and house with flashlight to see what is causing ruckus. I can and do chase oppossums and coons through pasture wearing nothing but shorts. Coons not as fast as ticked off human, opposssums should not even bother to run.

What has bothered me is that I can occasionally hear neighbors' chickens being taken by predators. From inside house I usually can not determine whose so I get my light and run out to porch. Neighbors seem to sleep thru or are otherwise unaware of what is going on. Calling at 2 AM is not popular in these parts and intervening might get me shot. Hearing neighbors loss in process is almost as distressing as loosing my own. Neighbors do seem to enjoy more conditioned air and sleep more soundly. They also loose more birds, alot more than I would tolerate.

 

[Mahonri]

Talk to the neighbors about it when they are awake.

Discuss how to protect their animals.

Ask if they would mind if you intervened... but only if your really feel comfortable doing so.

Every relationship is different.

 

[D'Angelo N Va.]

Quote:
Agreed 100%..also some ppl. can not take the heat and that's why they have the a.c. running. I can take heat, but NOT cold..not even a little bit. so basically different strokes for different folks.

 

[centrarchid]

I am coming to conclusion that responsible husbandry of poultry means more that building Fort Knox and vigilantism; it includes vigilance, possibly a dog and a flashlite with batteries that do not die when you are chasing coon into woods. The belly-aching and guess work that accompanies predation of flocks where keeper fails to repond could be reduced. Baby monitors could be applied in some situations.

 

[aprophet]

this is why most folks I know who raise birds trap and dispatch preds most do not realize how a lot of different preds eat natural food a lot of fruit in their diets as this natural food goes away they switch to a more meat diet part of this is as it gets colder they need a higher calorie diet as well . but my traps work 24/7/365 I live under old pine trees the hawks and owls have a hard time navigating my yard they are a coupla 100 yards away on a constant basis but the yard is too covered in pine trees for most of them I had an owl living here for a while but I guess the wild rabbit population got too low for them and they left.Exclusion helps but trapping , dispatching and exclusion gets me a good nights sleep.