Survived first attack

[mikeyD]

No wild hogs here , I'm in NY. Building a tight, strong structure was my best defense, auto door, and those flashing LED's work great.

 

[TW1Kell]

I've tried using lights and they worked for awhile. Maybe if I had used flashing ones? I'm going to have to try that. Many predators seem to become accustomed to motion sensor lights, even. They worked awhile for me, but then I started having problems again. I watched a 'coon one night, and he froze when the light came on. Then ran a bit, and froze again...you see where this is going? I eventually ran him off, but...had I been asleep...minus another of my hens, probably. Probably just a reaction to a light coming on with him being at the periphery of my yard. There is NO traffic of any kind as my driveway is 1/2 mile long and I live right beside a slough where the "bottoms" begin. LOTS of critters. Deer in the yards in daylight, even.

Predators are the most time consuming and troublesome aspect of chicken raising, that's the main reason that I seem to "have an answer for everything". If we share ALL of our trials, we may find solutions. Please consider that I am not the bad guy that my posts in this thread may lead you to believe. I have spent my life defending "us" and still do it with my chickens and other pets. As a Special Operations Soldier (Officer and Enlisted), I have a bit of experience in protection of people and facilities. I apply all of that to my little "Kingdom". Nothing quite matches "being there" when something tries to attack your precious pets, and I must admit that I am very fond of my chickens, so much so that my friends wisecrack and pick at me about it, endlessly. BUT...they have lost all of theirs and I am at 51 chickens, now. I must be doing something right.

I hope that the original poster won't give up on their bird pets. Assess all of what you read and decide what is feasible for you, and go from there. I simply apply a more "hands-on" approach. I actively hunt and kill my chickens enemies. It may not be right for you to do so. I wioll be adding a flashing light circuit to my motion sensor lights. It might allow me to not be woken up in the middle of the night from a noise in my pen. Cog (my rooster) starts crowing anytime there is a disturbance. Even 2-3 am. I think he's "callin' fer back-up!" hehe

OH! And just because you don't have wild hogs now, doesn't mean that you won't soon. I remember when Armadillos were unheard of, in Mississippi. We've had them in the northern part of the state for a couple decades, now. Hogs were unheard of, here, 10 years ago. My neighbor had a Basset Hound killed right in front of his family, last Spring. 2 Coyotes carried it off in broad daylight. He lives beside the country store at the end of my road...7 witnesses saw it all. hard to doubt them all.

 

[mikeyD]

First off Oorah, and thank you(1,1,1 recon). Second try using leds that flash constantly (not motion) from sun down to sun-up red in color. The red wont bother u but sure annoys everything else. Havn't even seen a deer or tracks in about 6mo. (freezer getting low!!) After the bear broke in this was my answer after catching big cats, coons and anything that lives around here. Worth a try for you and maybe catch some sleep. My picture should tell a story about my approach.

 

[TW1Kell]

OOOrah! (2,3,FMF and Army)

I getcha. That has always puzzled me on red lights for predators, Deer and other herbivors can see red, meat eaters can see green, but neither can see the other...I'm gonna have to look up about owls and so forth. That's why we use red lights and lasers when hunting predators at night. They simply cannot see red. I walk the red laser up Hogs' faces and they never flinch til the shot.

 

[nova022]

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

Hi Melabella!

It has been almost 3 weeks and no return visits. I am very happy about that. I love my camera. It takes great pictures and I am happy that I only have to use it to watch my chickens antics now.

 

[nova022]

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.

I have heard that we have yotes, but have never seen them around here. We have had bear sightings as close as 1/2 a mile away. I have seen bob cats, foxes, raccoons, opposums, hawks, owls, wild hogs and the two stray dogs. So far the only things I have had problems with are the raccoons and the dogs. I go out at night before I go to bed and when I get up at 4:00 AM for work. I take my dogs with me and they have run something small off a time or two, but I could not see what it was only hear them. Except for possibly a bear I feel my coop and run are pretty secure and I only let the flock out if I am there and can protect them.

Thank you for your service.

 

[TW1Kell]

Thanks, but they did give me a check every month

'Coons will also eat chickens and are particularly visious about it. They'll drag a chicken, a piece at a time, through the wire of a cage or pen, if they can reach them. That is the reason why many elevated cages have double cage floors. Weasels do that, as well. Predators are probably the most difficult aspect of raising chickens. Bears? I have no idea how to defend against them other than active engagement with a powerful weapon, and I hope you never have problems with them. Will bears eat chickens? All of the others that you listed can be defended against.

As an aside, I cannot sleep a full night through, due to injuries sustained during my full and happy life, so I spend considerably more time out, at night, then most folk do. If I can't sleep, I "check out the place" quite often. I fear that I have hi-jacked the thread, but we have had some good points. I hope we've helped the OP.

 

[nova022]

Thanks, but they did give me a check every month

'Coons will also eat chickens and are particularly visious about it. They'll drag a chicken, a piece at a time, through the wire of a cage or pen, if they can reach them. That is the reason why many elevated cages have double cage floors. Weasels do that, as well. Predators are probably the most difficult aspect of raising chickens. Bears? I have no idea how to defend against them other than active engagement with a powerful weapon, and I hope you never have problems with them. Will bears eat chickens? All of the others that you listed can be defended against.

As an aside, I cannot sleep a full night through, due to injuries sustained during my full and happy life, so I spend considerably more time out, at night, then most folk do. If I can't sleep, I "check out the place" quite often. I fear that I have hi-jacked the thread, but we have had some good points. I hope we've helped the OP.

It does sound like you have had a very full, happy and interesting life and have shared a lot of useful information that I enjoyed reading. I don't mind sharing a thread with people who know more about a subject than I do. I do want to know how to handle any predators that become a problem.

 

[TW1Kell]

Well, thank you. When it all comes down to it, there's not much that beats a human standing there to scare off predators. Since I am semi-retired, now, I can spend more (probably too much) time watching all of my projects. I tend to do protective acts because I spent my life protecting. Some people think it is vicious to shoot predators, but I think it's worse to just let them kill all of your hard work. What they look at as a grocery store, we tend to look at as our pets and egg-laying lil friends. The main predators of chickens (hawks, 'yotes, foxes, weasel/mink/ermine) tend to return to their "grocery store" until you have exactly ZERO left on their shelves. Killing them is most often the only realistic means of protecting your flock.

 

[nova022]

I got a little too over confident after surviving my first attack so successfully. When I went out to get eggs this morning I opened the lid and reached in to find a four foot rat snake with it's mouth wrapped around an egg. I do not know how he got in unless he came in the day before when they were free ranging and I did not notice him. I am concerned that if he did find a way in through the run or coop itself that other creatures could to the same. I have 1/2 hardware cloth enclosing the run and on the window and vents in the coop.
All my chickens are six months or older large fowl and I am wondering if a snake that size could hurt or kill them? I don't mind sharing an egg now and then because they do an excellent job of keeping rodents away.

Any ideas on how small a space a snake that size could get through and what other predators could also get through it too?