Tasmanian Devil, how to predator proof?

[ForTheLoveOfSilkies]

I probably won't get a response since there may not be many people from Aust / Tassie on here that knows...but anyway..
I can't find anything on how Tasmanian Devils attack, only that they hunt and can easily eat a whole chicken bones and all

My neighbour has seen one around the street and it's been nibbling on his ducks feet at night.. so I need to know if they can rip apart wire enclosure and wood? Or dig under my coop (it has wire skirt burried under dirt and rocks on top).

 

[MissE]

I probably won't get a response since there may not be many people from Aust / Tassie on here that knows...but anyway..
I can't find anything on how Tasmanian Devils attack, only that they hunt and can easily eat a whole chicken bones and all

My neighbour has seen one around the street and it's been nibbling on his ducks feet at night.. so I need to know if they can rip apart wire enclosure and wood? Or dig under my coop (it has wire skirt burried under dirt and rocks on top).

Around here, that calls for a lawn chair, a 12 pack, and a shotgun.

Are you able to set traps?

 

[OhZark Biddies]

I probably won't get a response since there may not be many people from Aust / Tassie on here that knows...but anyway..
I can't find anything on how Tasmanian Devils attack, only that they hunt and can easily eat a whole chicken bones and all

My neighbour has seen one around the street and it's been nibbling on his ducks feet at night.. so I need to know if they can rip apart wire enclosure and wood? Or dig under my coop (it has wire skirt burried under dirt and rocks on top).

I’m not trying to push you away from this site or promote another one.... but there is another forum where folks down under chat... see link below

Backyard Poultry Forum​

Chickens, waterfowl & all poultry - home of exhibition & backyard poultry in Australia & New Zealand

http://forum.backyardpoultry.com/viewforum.php?f=31&sid=3a73081f8ed293cfe261e8736c229827

 

[ForTheLoveOfSilkies]

Around here, that calls for a lawn chair, a 12 pack, and a shotgun.

Are you able to set traps?

They are endangered so no traps, no shotgun

 

[NatJ]

I probably won't get a response since there may not be many people from Aust / Tassie on here that knows...but anyway..
I can't find anything on how Tasmanian Devils attack, only that they hunt and can easily eat a whole chicken bones and all

My neighbour has seen one around the street and it's been nibbling on his ducks feet at night.. so I need to know if they can rip apart wire enclosure and wood? Or dig under my coop (it has wire skirt burried under dirt and rocks on top).

I don't have any direct experience, but I just went and read the wikipedia article. Those creatures sound scary!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tasmanian_devil
"Devils can bite through metal traps, and tend to reserve their strong jaws for escaping captivity rather than breaking into food storage."
"eat the legs of otherwise robust sheep when they have slipped in wooden shearing sheds, leaving their legs dangling below."
"Devils can dig to forage corpses, in one case digging down to eat the corpse of a buried horse"

And it says they can climb trees, so I'm assuming they can climb fences as well.

I'm guessing those bits I quoted from wikipedia are the stories that sound most impressive, rather than the normal behavior, but it sounds like whether they get to your chickens may have a lot to do with how hungry or determined they are.

 

[45lk9p459gm-w]

Some more from Wikipedia ...... The Tasmanian devil has the most powerful bite relative to body size of any living mammalian carnivore, exerting a force of 553 N (56.4 kgf).[49][50] The jaw can open to 75–80 degrees, allowing the devil to generate the large amount of power to tear meat and crush bones[46]—sufficient force to allow it to bite through thick metal wire.[51] The power of the jaws is in part due to its comparatively large head. The teeth and jaws of Tasmanian devils resemble those of hyenas, an example of convergent evolution.[52][53] Dasyurid teeth resemble those of primitive marsupials. Like all dasyurids, the devil has prominent canines and cheek teeth. It has three pairs of lower incisors and four pairs of upper incisors. These are located at the top of the front of the devil's mouth.[54] Like dogs, it has 42 teeth, however, unlike dogs, its teeth are not replaced after birth but grow continuously throughout life at a slow rate.[45][53] It has a "highly carnivorous dentition and trophic adaptations for bone consumption".[55] The devil has long claws that allow it to dig burrows and seek subterranean food easily and grip prey or mates strongly.[53] The teeth and claw strength allow the devil to attack wombats up to 30 kg (66 lb) in weight.[55] The large neck and forebody that give the devil its strength also cause this strength to be biased towards the front half of the body; the lopsided, awkward, shuffling gait of the devil is attributed to this.[56] .......

sounds like you do have a problem with this thing. Sorry I can't help more.

 

[MarkJr]

How about electric fence?

 

[chickmamato7]

I believe they are mostly scavengers, and are good for keeping rodent populations down. If your coop is well protected, I don't see why you should need to kill an endangered species.
Maybe add a motion triggered light to your coop as an added deterrent.

 

[45lk9p459gm-w]

How about electric fence?

Sounds like it might eat it ......

 

[ForTheLoveOfSilkies]

I don't have any direct experience, but I just went and read the wikipedia article. Those creatures sound scary!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tasmanian_devil
"Devils can bite through metal traps, and tend to reserve their strong jaws for escaping captivity rather than breaking into food storage."
"eat the legs of otherwise robust sheep when they have slipped in wooden shearing sheds, leaving their legs dangling below."
"Devils can dig to forage corpses, in one case digging down to eat the corpse of a buried horse"

And it says they can climb trees, so I'm assuming they can climb fences as well.

I'm guessing those bits I quoted from wikipedia are the stories that sound most impressive, rather than the normal behavior, but it sounds like whether they get to your chickens may have a lot to do with how hungry or determined they are.

Thanks for your reply, they do sound scary.. hopefully they aren't too determined to get into my fluffies coop But from the stories it's like they can get into anything! I don't know what I'd do if my fluffies were eaten!! I've never had a predator attack before so hopefully they'll be ok... I've seen lots of rabbits on my property so maybe they'll be a tastier meal for them