Stinkin' Armadillo..

[CoopDelisle]

Anybody know how to get rid of an Armadillo? One has burrowed right under our foundation, and every night digs holes all over the yard. My dog had him right out in the open the other night, and my DH went to the neighbors to borrow his gun. By the time they came back, it had dug itself out of sight!! Now it is digging in my raised beds...GRRR. Oh, and some nights, I can hear the coyotes howling...has anyone ever seen one in the daytime? We are building a run onto the coop that will have wire dug down into the ground, but I was wondering if there are any predators that will go after chickens in the daytime? (Besides dogs. When our chickens will be ranging, we will be there. Otherwise, they will be in the run.)

 

[scgamecock]

If you catch him you could have opossum on the half shell.

 

[CoopDelisle]

Quote:
Hey, what is your address? I'll be happy to drop him off at your place!

Most people I hear never see a live armadillo; only dead ones on the side of the road. I guess I could catch him and let him loose on the highway??

 

[Cara]

I don't know what to tell you about the armadillo, but yes coyotes are active during the day. Hawks will also go after chickens.

 

[scgamecock]

Quote:
Hey, what is your address? I'll be happy to drop him off at your place!

Most people I hear never see a live armadillo; only dead ones on the side of the road. I guess I could catch him and let him loose on the highway??

My wife and I spent the night in Bay St Louis MS about 12 years ago.I remember going thru Pass Christian.

 

[gritsar]

We have a pretty large number of coyotes on our place. They were especially loud one night when my SO got home from work, so we walked a bit down the lane and he spotlighted them so I could see them. I think we counted 13 pairs of eyes. I've never seen any of them in the daytime and I wander this property frequently. I've never seen/heard them really close to the house. This could be because I have a male dog that lifts his leg on the yard fence non-stop.
As for the dillos, we have one that (appears) to take a short cut thru the yard, but he doesn't stop long enough to dig. Would you take your time crossing a yard if you were being harrassed by two dogs and a cat? I hear my SO talking about how they dig up the meadows, but only listen with half an ear. I know they shoot them if they see them; but I've never been around when they do. I guess there's not much else you can do with them, if they are creating that much of a problem for you.

 

[chickflick]

Think the only way to get rid of a armadillo is to shoot to kill!! They are looking for grubs, so if you get rid of the grubs they might leave. I had the same problem when I lived in Texas. The other way to get rid of them, to hit as many as you can with your car!! Can you put some poison under your foundation??

 

[horsejody]

Yes, coyotes can be active in the day time. A few months back DH had to shoot one. It was 2:00pm and it was up in the yard going straight for my little dog (who was right next to the house). I went outside to scare it off yelling and waving my arms. Instead of running away it came within a few yards of me and its eyes were following my hands just like a dog does when you have food you are about to throw to them. A few days before that 2 of them were at my neighbors begging at the back door. It turns out that some new people (city folks) who moved into the place up behind us had been leaving food out for the coyotes and then tossing them scraps. That was just great. They were no longer afraid of people and learned to rely on them for food. We hear coyotes often at our house. They had never been a problem until then. There were no scraps laying about the idiots yard at the time so they were visiting other houses looking at tasty little dogs. Fortunately, my chickens were locked in the coop that day.

 

[CoopDelisle]

Oooh, it would be a nightmare if my little dogs or cats went missing! We are on acreage that has woods on all sides, with a creek running down one edge. My bedroom window is near the edge of the woods on one side. One night I was reading in bed, and I heard them right outside howling and the little ones yipping. The hair stood up on my neck! I looked out the back door, but did not see anything. We have lived here almost three years and have never seen one, but did see a bobcat passing through once. We even saw a beaver one evening near the road where the creek goes under it. The neighbor down the road got llamas to keep the coyotes away from his goats, and another guy said he got a great Pyrennes dog and the coyotes disappeared. But those options will not work for us. Our coop and run will be pretty secure...DH usually goes overboard on all his projects. I just worry about my pets more than anything.
Armadillos are so destructive on the yard; our neighbor almost broke his leg when he stepped in a hole that was not there the day before...and they can dig faster that you can go get a weapon and come back for 'em!

 

[d.k]

*gotta kill the grubs in the yard-- dillos LOVE grubs!