Tell How Predators Got Your Chickens. Save Somebody Else From The Bad Experience

[cuisinista]

After losing 5 hens and a guinea fowl, we began trapping and putting wire over every part of the coop where anything might get in. A good thing is that we haven't lost anymore. After initially trapping a fat mother skunk (might have been pregnant) and 2 sub-adult offspring about a week ago we trapped another juvenile skunk last night. We will continue setting traps and being vigilant.

 

[jeepgurl]

My coop was in a chainlink fenced area with netting over the top. I live in the city so I thought this would do. Nope, a bobcat came over through the netting and killed half my flock. I must have interrupted him, as none of them were gone, just dead. I rebuilt my coop area like a giant dog run and put the coops inside it. I concreted the chainlink into the ground and over that went several layers of chicken wire. I lined the inside edges with slump block just in case. Recently, I noticed the chickens frozen still on the security camera. I went outside and there was a mountain lion trying to get a chicken dinner. He didnt get anything. My coop may be ugly, but its the fort knox of chicken houses.

 

[okallthis4eggs]

My coop was in a chainlink fenced area with netting over the top. I live in the city so I thought this would do. Nope, a bobcat came over through the netting and killed half my flock. I must have interrupted him, as none of them were gone, just dead. I rebuilt my coop area like a giant dog run and put the coops inside it. I concreted the chainlink into the ground and over that went several layers of chicken wire. I lined the inside edges with slump block just in case. Recently, I noticed the chickens frozen still on the security camera. I went outside and there was a mountain lion trying to get a chicken dinner. He didnt get anything. My coop may be ugly, but its the fort knox of chicken houses.

Bobcats and Mountain Lions in the city. Your not safe anywhere. Sounds like you have it predator proof now.

 

[bruceha2000]

Well this is all sort of scary. I'm converting a horse stall in a barn to be a coop. There is already 2x4 welded wire around most of the open area above the walls. I bought more 2x4 welded wire at TSC yesterday (they didn't have anything smaller) to attach to the rafters so nothing can climb up the wall and get in through the top.

But now I'm reading there are predators that can get into very small holes. I'm guessing you will tell me the 2x4 isn't tight enough. Would it help if I had a layer on the outside of the wall AND the inside or will the predators just 'snake' their way through? Or if the welded wire is on the outside, will chicken wire on the inside work since the critters wouldn't have space to get into a position to rip it apart?

I have seen a fox in the field and hear the prior owners had weasel problems. He considered chickens 'expendable' so I don't know how hard he tried to protect them.

Thanks,
Bruce

 

[Hamstery]

But now I'm reading there are predators that can get into very small holes. I'm guessing you will tell me the 2x4 isn't tight enough. Would it help if I had a layer on the outside of the wall AND the inside or will the predators just 'snake' their way through? Or if the welded wire is on the outside, will chicken wire on the inside work since the critters wouldn't have space to get into a position to rip it apart?

I know for sure that a weasel can get through chicken wire. It's happened to us.

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

If you can stick a hotdog through it, it ain't safe....not anywhere. I know,why call it chicken wire? Use it's fine for chickens, I use ratwire, works on rats....everybody calls it hardware cloth and I'm like huh? What is that...hardwire is another term, welded wire another, if you have any doubt, take your nine lb hammer claw and see if you can rip a hole in it. If not, your safe.

 

[RawrOsaur200]

Sadly this happened just yesterday to my 4 lovely chickens.Two stray huskies got into my coop somehow by opening the brooding box.But to me its strange becuase the fact the latch was closed and had a pipe cleaner wrapped multiple times around it.It was a pre-made model and of course we were going to build a bigger one so that when older they are more comfortable.It was just a temporary that we could use till they were older.Anyway they chewed through the botton of the brooding box and the tray fell out along with my silkies.They ended up killing 3 of them

but my other one was strangely on the roof

.Now im planning on building a bigger more secure one before I get anymore.I was devestated.Very sad to get attatched to something then come out to it injured or dead!This was also my fIrst year with chickens so its been an awesome expierence.This site has helped me be more aware of what a predator could do just for 1 chicken.

 

[RawrOsaur200]

I was also sleeping while this was happening.They were only babies!

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

Yeah, I wish more people would read a thread like this, right now am looking through threads on coops for ideas, and most of them are woefully unprotected....tsk tsk...I see a smorgasbord for coons...which, in suberbia are everywhere..you just don't see them at two am-..oh well, can't save them all.

 

[JuicyFatHead]

Our chickens free range, and occasionally we run errands in town for about an hour and leave them out. We live in bush Alaska, so there is a lot of cover, but also many predators. Bears come by and dig occasionally, until they get shocked by the electric fencing. A coyote once walked right by my chicken coop without looking. The chickens had just gone to roost. We have only lost two chickens to hawks, and that was over 2 years ago. The same hawk was unraveling the wire we had over the top in a grid. Which has since been replaced with netting. We caught a different eagle pulling staples out of where the netting meets the fencing (whole log frame). But we see hawks almost everyday. Around August, a hawk perches on the coop every morning before we let them out. Bald Eagles rarely take anything around here. But there is a nest very close by, and my neighbor had a juvenile eagle dive for her ducks, but the netting saved them.

Yesterday I was gone in the morning for about 20 minutes. When I came back two of my ducks were badly injured, and one was missing. No tracks, no feathers. I do believe I found drag/struggle marks. The ravens have been making a lot of noise and I saw some carrying 'chunks'. My husband and I searched the woods but can't find the body, which I would rather not leave out!

This thread is great and really informative! We hear of weasels killing entire flocks around here. I'm always nervous about how well our coop would keep one out. We've built the run well, but I've heard they are incredibly good at getting in. Now I hear that chicken wire doesn't keep them out! I'll have to get hardware cloth/ratwire asap). My ducks always sleep outside. My chickens go in the coop. Maybe I should lock the ducks up in the duck coop.

I sure am glad we don't live where there are raccoons anymore. They are hands down the WORST for chickens! In VA, we used a live trap from a biologist and this one raccoon got in AND OUT a few nights in a row. We never actually caught him.