This time the bear got inside the coop.

[Denisea3465]

Over eight decades, I've faced much scarier things than bears. Much, MUCH scarier. Facing down humans with loaded weapons pointed at me for one. I'll take bears any day over scary humans who are the real wild beasts of this planet.

We unfortunately had this happen in CO way back when, as well. I agree, much scarier.

 

[NorthwoodsChick]

What a night! I’m glad to hear your chickens (and you) were not harmed. If it were a sow the story’s ending could have been different.
Can the conservation officer arrange a bear trap for relocation?

 

[azygous]

Another quiet night. And "quiet" is the operable word since the wheel barrow with an empty steel bucket in it would have made a terrible noise if the bear knocked it over trying to gain access to the chickens. But no bear last night. If I can go a week without this bear returning, it would be a sign the bear has indeed moved on. There wouldn't be any need to trap him.

If he returns, he will be trapped, and that's a promise.

 

[Kuvasz]

Hi, Wow what a scary experience!!! I also read your account of the bear getting inside your house!! I am wondering what kind of bear? And if you have any dogs? And does the electric wire normally prevent this? How many strands of wire, and how high?

I am asking because I'm in black bear country here in the mountains of Virginia. Currently having a raccoon issue breaking into my chicken barn but I and neighbors are seeing a very large male bear in my back pasture regularly these days....so....just kinda holding my breath about which day he is hungry or bold enough to break in.

I've worked on some improvements, new floor and hardware cloth EVERYWHERE for the raccoon problem, that I can reach. No feed inside the coop anymore. (Feeding them outside on the ground...(better or worse?)

Getting ready to string electric wire strands all around it on the building, and also getting a Livestock Guardian Dog (Anatolian Shepherd) puppy at the end of the month. Will take a while for it to grow enough to scare a bear, but it seems the bear here are scared off by my 3 Border Collies (who are at all times inside my fenced yard and inside my house as well and sleep inside to keep them safe.)
Very frustrating after 10 years of having chickens, I am suddenly having to take all these measures to keep them safe. Would welcome anyone's ideas, advice, suggestions! Thanks.

 

[Farmer Shell]

Oh no! In the few minutes you had the wire off it got in there... ugh! Glad you and the chickens are ok, but that's scary!

 

[azygous]

Black bears exist in forty out of the fifty US states, approximately 900 thousand total in this country. For the most part, they are peaceful and wish to avoid people. However, it requires continual feeding to support such a heavy body, and bears are tempted by a discovery of any food source. In other words, food trumps good sense.

If a bear succeeds in tapping into this new food source, it will then get fixated on it. So your objective is to make this food source unpleasant for the bear and to prevent the bear from tapping into it. If a bear succeeds in obtaining food from a source, it will then keep coming back for more, requiring the addition of more pain to interrupt the fixation. I use special non-lethal loads, either hard plastic shotgun rounds or more painful bean bag rounds. This almost always discourages the bear from returning.

By the way, the discussion of non-lethal shotgun rounds always invites comments to the effect, "I wouldn't waste my time with non-lethal rounds, I'd kill the @#$%^&*. " Since I'm not responding here to such a person's comment, I am free to say, that's just stupid and ignorant. Trying to kill a bear is very difficult, and an injured bear is much more likely to attack you and inflict tremendous injuries. Not to mention the ethics of such a reaction. More often than not, putting a bear down isn't necessary because the methods of deterrence are very effective without resorting to lethal means.

You're off the a very good start in this objective of making associating the food source (chickens) unpleasant with the presence of the dogs. A hot wire is also very effective at causing an unpleasant association with the chickens.

I'll try to get some photos in a bit to illustrate how my run is wired. But the key to the hot wire being a successful deterrent is to (1) Bait the wire and (2) Keep the wire charged full time if possible. Baiting the hot wire with peanut butter entices the bear to interact with the hot wire in the most effective way. And keeping it on may actually prevent further attempts if my suspicion is correct that bears are able to hear the current pulsating through the wire, keeping them from wishing to get close enough again to the source of pain.

The reason I suspect bears may be able to hear the current is because of my own experience and that of my other neighbors seeming to have many more incursions when we've neglected to activate the wire.

 

[azygous]

No, I do not have any dogs.

 

[azygous]

If you zoom in, you may be able to see the little one-inch hardware cloth bait tabs I folded over the hot wire. I've found that peanut butter wiped onto the wire directly melts off in the sun, but the hardware cloth hold onto the peanut butter very well. The hardware cloth also conducts electricity very efficiently. I place the bait tabs everywhere the bear may be inclined to investigate, namely at the coop vents. I also wired my house, placing bait tabs under every window I like to keep open at night.

 

[Shadrach]

By the way, the discussion of non-lethal shotgun rounds always invites comments to the effect, "I wouldn't waste my time with non-lethal rounds, I'd kill the @#$%^&*. " Since I'm not responding here to such a person's comment, I am free to say, that's just stupid and ignorant. Trying to kill a bear is very difficult, and an injured bear is much more likely to attack you and inflict tremendous injuries. Not to mention the ethics of such a reaction. More often than not, putting a bear down isn't necessary because the methods of deterrence are very effective without resorting to lethal means

I'm just rather in awe of your courage. Not a position I would want to find myself in.
However I can't help see a great deal of humour of a crazy chicken loving women facing down a bear, shotgun or not.
I know, people get used to having dangerous creatures around them. We had wild boar in Spain.

 

[Folly's place]

Feeding the chickens outside would also be an attractant. Electric fencing, baited, and a very hot charger, on all the time.
No food outside! That includes lovely smelling BBQ grills, which need to be away from the house.
Mary