Survived first attack

[Sandstorm495]

Wow, good job with the coop!!

 

[Melabella]

When I first decided I wanted to raise chickens I read as much as I could about predator proofing my coop and run and it appears it was worth the effort and investment. My husband was not happy with the expense and extra work of enclosing the entire run with hardware cloth and felt chicken wire or field fence would work just fine. After tirelessly explaining the need for hardware cloth (he called it nagging) he finally gave in and used hardware cloth. He thought putting it on the floor of the run was over kill and he thought putting double latches on all the doors was ridiculous, but I explained some more and he did it. After the chickens were safely ensconced in their little fortress, I asked for a game camera for Christmas and happily I received it and sat it up right away.

When I came home the day after Christmas I found the tarps I had put up to block the cold wind on two sides of the run torn off and all the collard and cabbages I had planted along the perimeter dug up and trampled. The covered fenced area (the none hardware cloth) where I let the girls forage when I am outside was mangled in several places and pulled away from the posts. The girls were all in the coop and would not come out and the 12 week olds were in their box in their grow out pen huddled in a corner acting hysterical.

I took the card out of the game camera and viewed the events that had occurred. It appears two dogs, lab size, but I don't know the breed for sure had visited the chickens from 12:59 until 3:07 trying to get to the girls. Fortunately they were unsuccessful but I have 70 some pictures showing them digging, jumping on and chewing on the fencing and generally terrorizing the chickens.

I am so glad I read the information on this site before building the coop and run. Thanks everyone. .

Hi Nova!

Wow, I just found this thread, and so very happy that all the precautions you took paid off! I have been wanting a camera like that, as I would love to be able to figure out who is laying what eggs! I am going to go back now, and see if you have had a revisit from those bad boy dogs!

Good Luck!
MB

 

[20736]

You did everything right.
congrats.

 

[mikeyD]

Have had problems with bear, foxes, coons, Nite Guard lights work great and they are solar. About twenty bucks, they keep my ladies happy.

 

[Melabella]

Have had problems with bear, foxes, coons, Nite Guard lights work great and they are solar. About twenty bucks, they keep my ladies happy.

Do you have to move their position around? I was thinking about getting some.

Oh, and by the way....

to BackYardChickens... glad to have you!

MB

 

[TW1Kell]

For dog work, I use an AR74 (that's an AR chambered for the AK74 round) with a starlight night vision scope. None have survived night-time marauding of my chickens. Daytime, either, for that matter. My driveway is 1/2 mile long, and I own both houses on the road. ANY animals wandering around my "Kingdom" get a warning shot on their 1st visit, about 1 foot in front of them. 2nd visit...thewre are no 3rds. Everyone around has been told this, and they all acted accordingly. I love all animals, but my chickens are my hobby. I defend my hobby like my family.

 

[mikeyD]

get a few, don't really have to move them around just have them facing different directions. Staying up all night with rifles seems a little in the excess unless you have a real problem. These work great, I think in confuses predators more than anything else.

 

[TW1Kell]

I hunt wild hogs, 'yotes, and other predators for farmers, on a professional level. All you usually have to do is stay up at the "prime hours" (depends on the predator type) and shoot one, or usually even shoot AT one, and your problem is over, for awhile. It's not really as time-consuming as it sounds. I spend an hour or 2 a night, during peak hours, in each field or pasture that I protect. From a chicken pen standpoint, I go out at about 2 am, then at 4am, and shine a spotlight or scan with the scope or NVD. I do this every 5-6 nights. I protect my chickens.

 

[Melabella]

I hunt wild hogs, 'yotes, and other predators for farmers, on a professional level. All you usually have to do is stay up at the "prime hours" (depends on the predator type) and shoot one, or usually even shoot AT one, and your problem is over, for awhile. It's not really as time-consuming as it sounds. I spend an hour or 2 a night, during peak hours, in each field or pasture that I protect. From a chicken pen standpoint, I go out at about 2 am, then at 4am, and shine a spotlight or scan with the scope or NVD. I do this every 5-6 nights. I protect my chickens.

Sounds like a reality tv show in the making. That is way cool. Not the shooting animal part.. I'm an animal lover, but also understand the protecing of ones livestock and livlihood.

The hogs freak me out... I know there is a real need to get that problem under control.

MB

 

[TW1Kell]

Yeah, I've been told that, quite often. Hogs actively attack humans (well ANYthing, actually) so, it's alot like combat. I'm an animal lover, too, but with the way hogs act, I don't mind fighting back. They eat fawns, peanut and corn crops, people...actually, I don't know anything they won't eat. The way they attack is why I carry the weapons that I use. It's just like combat, except that they don't have a rifle.