Official BYC Poll: The Worst Predator

[Lauramay1980]

My neighbors dog that bugger cleaned me out of 17 good laying hens in one day.

 

[gamebirdsonly]

Dogs are by far the worst. Between my own dogs and others over the years I have probably lost between 300 to 400 birds to dogs. Plus rabbits. cats have been the second worst predator for me. They usually kill my pigeons, doves and chicks and some bantams.

 

[KentuckyRooster]

Owls...owls are terrible. I like them but not near my birds. And hawks. I hate hawks, though none have been lost to one yet. I've lost birds to owls and to dogs, but the darn dogs are human error. I petsit and a couple dogs have slithered off and grabbed a bird before.

What about a Tegu...we lost one to him too, but again human error. Someone was supposed to be watching but fell asleep and he went from where he was to the coops and took a bird.

 

[KentuckyRooster]

The best protection against coyotes is a horse or donkey penned up at night where the chicken house or pen is. Traps for coons and possums. Chicken wire covering the chicken pen is a must for hawks and owls. I realize that winged raptors are protected, but...

They may be but they can't blame me if my dog takes it out of the sky...

 

[MartinsPoultry]

I honestly have yet to loose a chicken to a predator but to illness. It still hurts the same

 

[OG Anomaly]

ive recently lost 4 to a skunk. UGH! Coyotes are also a big problem!

Sorry about your loss
Love your Oscar Wilde quote! hahaha, so true!

 

[Chickie pants]

Just seen a giant black snake in the chicken coop should I be worried?

 

[chickencheeper]

WEASELS!!! They are sneaky, smart, wasteful(rip
Chickens apart), viscous, and can squeeze through quarter-sized holes. Second would be raccoons because they are intelligent, sneaky, and have opposable thumbs which makes it easy for them to open chicken doors and reach through fences. Though I have to say WEASELS take the cake(and the chicken).

 

[Fricasee]

I voted raccoon, but I have lost as many to a dog as I did to the raccoon. The dog thing was kind of a freak occurrence. Raccoon could happen again anytime since they are everywhere.

 

[Fricasee]

WEASELS!!! They are sneaky, smart, wasteful(rip
Chickens apart), viscous, and can squeeze through quarter-sized holes. Second would be raccoons because they are intelligent, sneaky, and have opposable thumbs which makes it easy for them to open chicken doors and reach through fences. Though I have to say WEASELS take the cake(and the chicken).

Gawd, my landlord said a weasel waltzed into his bedroom yesterday and he only lives a few hundred yards away from my chicken coop.