Texas

[gameandmore]

i told myself i wouldn't do it, but ahh i just had to go buy 2 more RIR`s.

im addicted and need an intervention.

 

[TexasLisa]

i told myself i wouldn't do it, but ahh i just had to go buy 2 more RIR`s.

im addicted and need an intervention.

O dear.....you have the wrong forum. This is the ENABLER'S forum.

Lisa

 

[lovingmyhens]

Hahaha!! I've said I wouldn't and my girls tell me I'm crazy but after I get back from the thanksgiving holidays I'm getting two EEs. I just want the pretty eggs. I hope this doesn't upset Lucy and Ethel too much

 

[Ms Jellybean]

Lots of the predators you mentioned will not likely be a threat to a full sized chicken.

Opossums generally take eggs and chicks, leaving adult birds alone. Ditto with snakes, rats and cats. I'm not sure about skunks. You can discourage hawks from going after your chickens by simply setting up blocks for the bird to fly in and to fly out. Light plastic deer netting strung over the yard will work. They generally won't put themselves in a position where they can't easily escape; however, starving and juvenile birds of prey sometimes are desperate and make stupid decisions. As someone mentioned, a concrete box is the only guarantee of safety, but by making it difficult, the predators will look for food somewhere safer or that takes less of their energy, a scarce resource for them. Locking your birds up securely at night will prevent a lot of predation. Raccoons are notorious for pulling your birds through very small wire, piece by piece. I have wire on my parrot aviaries that is half inch by three inches. I've been assured by a zoological/avian vet and the San Antonio zoo, that raccoons can't get their hands through that. If they can get their hands through, they can grab a bird. I suspect the biggest predation problems happen during the night.

I believe you mentioned that you live in a suburban environment, which suggests you are less likely to run into foxes and possibly coyotes. Stray and unleashed dogs are likely to be your biggest risk of predation.

I live in an area where we have a lot of open country within the city. I love living in here for that reason. The park near my house, across the street actually, is very big with a creek and large wooded area. We have coyotes, foxes and bobcats near my house. I see them all the time (bobcats not so much) when I am out cycling. There is an historic farm just down the street from me. I live in the city's historic district and it is an eclectic (nice term to use instead of weird don't you think?) area.

I really need to be prepared for anything. Better try to be safer than sorry.

I do have a question. If you bend the fencing out 12 inches or so along the ground and cover it with mulch and have a strip of metal edging up near the coop will animals still be able to dig under? Or is burying it the best way?

 

[gameandmore]

O dear.....you have the wrong forum.  This is the ENABLER'S forum. 

Lisa

I might be in deep trouble then, but strangely i do not mind

 

[hungnguyen]

i told myself i wouldn't do it, but ahh i just had to go buy 2 more RIR`s.

im addicted and need an intervention.

I am the worst one in this area. I breed so many every year, trying to sell them .. but also keep buying . I have a habbit of loging in the Classified section in every webs I run through.

 

[bnjrob]

I do have a question. If you bend the fencing out 12 inches or so along the ground and cover it with mulch and have a strip of metal edging up near the coop will animals still be able to dig under? Or is burying it the best way?

Depends on how determined they are. But you'll definitely want that wire secured tightly to the bottom frame before you bend it out, whether you bury it in the dirt or in mulch.

A smaller predator would find it easier to slip underneath wire that was NOT buried and work the wire up until there was a hole big enough to crawl through. But if the wire were buried, they would first have to un-bury the wire, dig under the wire, and then crawl underneath and try to pop the wire up from the frame to get in.

 

[TammyTX]

One thing regarding predators - chicken snakes - their eyes are bigger than their stomachs. They will strangle your adult chicken and attempt to eat it, only to spit it out when they realize it's too big.

 

[tcmstalcup]

I am going to sell some hatchery hens that were this spring's hatch. They are actively laying. Some RIR's and Leghorns. Nothing on craigslist in my area so I need some help knowing what they are worth. What do you guys think is a fair price?

 

[bnjrob]

One thing regarding predators - chicken snakes - their eyes are bigger than their stomachs. They will strangle your adult chicken and attempt to eat it, only to spit it out when they realize it's too big.

That would piss me off. It's one thing to have a predator that needs to eat or feed their family come and take a chicken. But for a snake to do that but then not even be able to eat it, so essentially a useless killing....not cool.