Success (or not) with predator deterrent lights?

[MsBrahma]

Has anyone had reasonably-correlated success in repelling predators with blinking lights (Nite Guard and similar products)?

Many reviews of such products are along the lines of "We use these and we've never lost a chicken!" That, to me, is little proof of their effectiveness. Too many variables could account for the lack of chicken-killing in a given situation!

I'd like to hear from people who HAD A PROBLEM and then installed the lights. And whether the lights seemed to REDUCE OR ELIMINATE night-time predators!

Thanks a lot,

Recently bereaved (due to what was probably a raccoon)

 

[chicknmania]

I don't know if it's the lights or not, but we had one at each of our barn doors last spring/ summer/ fall season. Our purpose for having them was to keep predators out...that is, to keep them from coming in the open doors when it is dusk to almost dark, but sometimes our birds are still outside (they free range), until almost dark, and we leave all doors open in warm weather until all the birds are inside, then, of course, we shut them up for the night. The lights seem to work pretty well...at least, I'm giving them credit. Someone stole two of ours recently, so they must think they work too.... Getting ready to order more. fyi, I've heard/ read testimonials that they don't faze raccoons. So, I say...try and see...it just depends on how you are set up. I think they're worth a shot, but others might not agree.

 

[LittleMissCountry]

I got a couple, but we just got chickens so I can't speak for effectiveness. However, I bought them because our neighbor had fox getting their chickens and told me that the fox have stayed away since they put up two of the blinking lights. That was last year and I have read that the animals get used to the lights after awhile so it doesn't last forever.

 

[chicknmania]

If you move them around, to a slightly different location, every couple of days, they don't seem to get used to them.

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

I set up a Nite Gaurd the day after I found fox diggings around my perimeter fence and I haven’t seen the digging since

 

[MsBrahma]

Maybe we'll give them a try. We have really enjoyed free ranging our chickens, and then last week we lost all but one. The first was to a fox (saw it happen) and then three to some nighttime predator, probably a raccoon. We have borrowed a trap but so far have only caught a possum. Personally I don't think this was the guilty party, but we took him to another area anyway.

 

[MsBrahma]

BrahmaChicken, we loved Ms. Brahma... She's the name I took, obviously. It was so sad to find her and the others slaughtered.

 

[JDN]

Maybe we'll give them a try. We have really enjoyed free ranging our chickens, and then last week we lost all but one. The first was to a fox (saw it happen) and then three to some nighttime predator, probably a raccoon. We have borrowed a trap but so far have only caught a possum. Personally I don't think this was the guilty party, but we took him to another area anyway.

I’m sure the chicken keepers in that area appreciate that. Do the responsible thing and eliminate them .

 

[MsBrahma]

I would be very surprised if there are any chickens in the area we chose. I drove out there beforehand and then google-mapped it from home to check for roads. We believe in doing unto others as you would have others do unto you. (That goes for predators, too.)

 

[MsBrahma]

Although a coyote would be a different matter.