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

[ColoradoChicks]

Love this thread. It's always good to see how others deal with problems.

I live on an acre in a rural subdivision. We see coyotes and foxes in the county-owned open space to the back frequently, hawks overhead daily, and had a bear in our yard last month. I've never seen a raccoon except dead on the road. We don't have weasels here.

My entire yard is protected with a 6' welded wire/wooden fence. The ladies have a 3500 square foot "free-range" area inside that fence they happily share with a goat and a pot-bellied pig. I don't close the pop door at night. I do have a dog that patrols the yard during the day, but is inside at night.

I've only lost one hen, when she got spooked by the pig and flew over the fence and got killed by the neighbor's dog. More info on that here

http://www.justtherightthings.com/2012/06/it-was-a-good-day/

Do most people have fences to protect the "free-range" chickens? (I realize that's a misnomer because every chicken has range limitations.) I protected my coop/run like crazy after reading stories here but I've never had a problem.

I'm just wondering if other people with a 6' perimeter fence have problems? I have neighbors with chickens that don't worry at all - they say hawks is the only worry here.

I've got five more babies coming in August and, of course, want to keep them safe too.

Thanks for all the good advice!

 

[ilovedragons2]

I lost 4 when a 'coon pushed the poop pan out from under the nesting boxes of a store bought coop.

 

[okallthis4eggs]

ColoradoChicks the thing that jumps out at me in what you said is you don't close the pop door at night and you have seen coons dead on the road. Coons live in trees so climbing over a 6' fence is nothing to them. Also for the most part coons are nocturnal so you won't see them much during the day if at all. In Kentucky their numbers are out of control because of a lack of natural predators and they are seldom hunted or trapped anymore. I'm really concerned you might get a visit from a coon one night. Some people go for years and then one night it happens. Worth giving some thought.

 

[prettychicks]

Love this thread. It's always good to see how others deal with problems.

I live on an acre in a rural subdivision. We see coyotes and foxes in the county-owned open space to the back frequently, hawks overhead daily, and had a bear in our yard last month. I've never seen a raccoon except dead on the road. We don't have weasels here.

My entire yard is protected with a 6' welded wire/wooden fence. The ladies have a 3500 square foot "free-range" area inside that fence they happily share with a goat and a pot-bellied pig. I don't close the pop door at night. I do have a dog that patrols the yard during the day, but is inside at night.

I've only lost one hen, when she got spooked by the pig and flew over the fence and got killed by the neighbor's dog. More info on that here

http://www.justtherightthings.com/2012/06/it-was-a-good-day/

Do most people have fences to protect the "free-range" chickens? (I realize that's a misnomer because every chicken has range limitations.) I protected my coop/run like crazy after reading stories here but I've never had a problem.

I'm just wondering if other people with a 6' perimeter fence have problems? I have neighbors with chickens that don't worry at all - they say hawks is the only worry here.

I've got five more babies coming in August and, of course, want to keep them safe too.

Thanks for all the good advice!

You can never predict when a problem might arise until it is too late. It only takes one time for something to get in and wipe out your flock. A stray dog, a coon, etc. It is good that you took precautions.

 

[EeyoreD]

I've never seen a raccoon except dead on the road.

If you've seen one dead on the road then that means there are live ones around. Like okallthis4eggs said, you could have no problems and then one night... the fence won't help with them. I would close the pop door at night for them, too.

Do most people have fences to protect the "free-range" chickens? (I realize that's a misnomer because every chicken has range limitations.) I protected my coop/run like crazy after reading stories here but I've never had a problem.

I'm just wondering if other people with a 6' perimeter fence have problems? I have neighbors with chickens that don't worry at all - they say hawks is the only worry here.

This is my first time with chickens but my 8 week olds get free run of the place during the day. I live out in a pretty rural area (my "next door" neighbor is several hundred feet down the road, there's a big farm across from me and the back and other side is all wetland/woods.) and my chicks get free run of the place during the day. Generally they stay by the woodline where there is lots of cover from trees and undergrowth during the day. I do have hawks around and they scurry when they see one fly over. It's probably likely I'll lose some one at a time at some point, but generally the small wetland birds harass the heck out of the hawks when they're nearby so, so far no problems. I expect/expected some one-off losses during the day to hawks, it was difficult to lose 11 in one night from a coon, though.

I suppose I should edit to add that my adult Muscovy ducks seem to hang out with my 8 week olds so I'm not sure if they're schooling or protecting them or if it's just some weird fowl friendship.

 

[aprophet]

Just wondering how many people would be willing to share their horror story of how they lost their chicken or chickens to predators. I think it would be helpful to the people who are just getting into raising chickens to understand what could happen if the necessary precautions are not taken when putting together their coop and run.

I trap hard during trapping season getting rid of the preds for 8-10 sq miles has the effect of not having preds for 4-6 months they will start filtering back in about aug -sep , november 15 th trapping season starts again

 

[okallthis4eggs]

Thats all good but has to take a lot of time trapping that long. Do you make much at it or you doing it just to get rid of the coons, foxes and coyotes. I hear a coon is worth from $10. to $15. What do you do to protect against hawks?

 

[Ragingsun]

I just went to the hardware store today to check out the hardware cloth vs. poultry wire. WHAT A DIFFERENCE! Seriously! We will be covering even the vents with the hardware cloth. My hubby works for the railroad and has access to lots of pallets (nice new ones) and I was thinking of using many of these for lumber. Has anyone used anything like that for lumber?

 

[prettychicks]

I just went to the hardware store today to check out the hardware cloth vs. poultry wire. WHAT A DIFFERENCE! Seriously! We will be covering even the vents with the hardware cloth. My hubby works for the railroad and has access to lots of pallets (nice new ones) and I was thinking of using many of these for lumber. Has anyone used anything like that for lumber?

Alot of people build coops and brooder boxes out of the lumber from pallets. There are alot of sites online about it. The only thing you have to worry about are any chemicals that may have contaminated the pallets. If they are new, it shouldn't be a problem.

 

[MusketeerinFla]

I hear a coon is worth from $10. to $15.

There are some folks a ways down the road that eat raccoons. They pay me $25.00 per raccoon! Might as well make the masked bandit pay for his crimes! MiF