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

[Achickenwrangler#1]

Just to be sure, I wouldn't advocate not having a top on anything. On a daytime run it's OK, but all my chickens sleep inside a fortress coop. Otherwise I'd have zero chickens left. It's just that I can easily see anything trying to get in during the day and zero them in on my scope...what fun! During the day a cargo net and tarp are just a baffle to hide chicks from sight...these hawks are too wild to hop around the coop. We have few coons left in this area..dogs mostly, coons hunters for the rest. Right now a bobcat is terrorizing me and my neighbors...and the resident rabbit population., and grouse, and chipmunks, and everything else. :<

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

I could of swore I just said something! But anyway, I wouldn't leave a chicken outside at night unless I didn't mind loosing it. I only use netting on the outside daytime runs, nearly as a baffle only, so far it's worked well, I don't think the hawks can see through the cargo net but still lets sun through. At night try are in a fort, otherwise I'd have zero chickens left.

 

[dlockey]

I have 9 cats outside, and none of them mess with any of the chickens! Matter of fact, the cats run from the chickens! Or at least just kinda walk circles around them to avoid them. It's funny to watch a 4 lb chicken chase a 8 lb cat across the yard!!!

I have
Has anyone heard of a full size chicken being killed by a cat? I've heard that cats aren't an issue when the chickens are adults. That is all I have around here at night is cats. My chicks are locked in their coop at night, but I mean during the day if they happen to come across one.

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

I think it all depends on the cat. A tame domestic house cat that's never killed a mouse would prob shy away from a chicken. A feral 15 lb tom that's never eaten a,meal off a plate and would easily kill a rabbit will enjoy dining on chicken for a change.

 

[featherz]

Even the ferals around here stay away from my chickens. Saw a group of pullets chasing a feral cat just a few days ago. My own barn cats won't even touch baby chicks - I have them well trained LOL.

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

Well I just got a roo that should mature at about fourteen lbs, but I don't know what he can do about fangs and claws, we shall see.

 

[harveyhorses]

Well I just got a roo that should mature at about fourteen lbs, but I don't know what he can do about fangs and claws, we shall see.

Those beaks are not just for eating, and getting whacked with wings and spurs from a 14 lb. roo is not my idea of fun. One of my neighbors
a HUGE cat, I would put it close to 20 lbs, and she is terrified to go near my hens. Of course my hens are just fascinated by a
twitching cat tail, and pounced hers while she was napping on the sidewalk. She is also pretty mellow. Feral cats are at least one thing I don't
need to worry about, yet.

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

I had a roo that was prob eight lbs, one evening at dusk I wore a new pair or black boots with fur around the top, when I rolled the feed can away from the wall, he saw the boots and attacked them...and my knee...well, the next day it was hard to bend that knee I'll tell you, he went at it like a goose, and when I yelled he saw it was me and ran...the only time he ever went after me, unfortunately he went after everyone else. I've had feral cats kill chickens, and it took awhile to realize what was after my chickens...never expected that..one night I saw him, just a second, trying to lick the toes off my chickens which I started locking up every night....then I knew what I was dealing with. Turn about is fair play, and the chickens wound up eating him (I didn't bury him deep enough and they scratched the body up) - major yuck. The jersey giant is supposed to be a good flock protector but leaves people alone...this one has a good attitude so far so i hope he works out. He spends alot of time watching out and is aggressive enough toward the other roos...time will tell.

 

[Mimiko]

This is our cat, Leroy the Hunter with our Barred Rock, Featherhead. They all get along very well, but Feather wants his kill for herself

 

[Sallysec]

Hello all, just wanted to say thank you for this post. It took me two days of reading to get through all the entries but it gave me a lot of things to think about for our upcoming adventure into chicken keeping. We had planned to use an old shed to house them, but after reading this we plan to make a lot of adjustments to 'strenghten' it and add more safety for our birds. One thing I kept wishing, was that people would say where they are from when they related their tales. I being new to this am unsure about what I might run into. In my area lower new York (rockland county) we have raccoons, possums, neighbors dogs, stray cats, coyotes, ...but thats what I only know of, I never even tout of snakes (that made me think twice about this whole idea) .

Also I had thought to cut costs by using chicken wire on the skirt of threshed, thank you all for changing my mind. I now have 100ft of 36 inch hardware cloth on the way and a roll of twenty five feet already here. I also tout a hook and eye latch would be fine, thank you for teaching me about that as well. Those raccoon pictures are amazing. We have raccoons that combover here every once in awhile and tip over trash cans so that is what I expect to be my biggest problem.

Thank you again,
S

I plan to post my pictures of the coops enclosure when it's done, I hope you all will be critical. Your losses will help me and countless others.