Topic of the Week - Keeping the Flock Safe from Predators

[froggyphore]

my most common are hawks and raccoons. my chickens free range without a run atm, so i make sure they have copious cover (trees, brush, fence, etc) from aerial predators, and i also put large pieces of foiled insulation on the lawn to blind them and have a decoy owl that i move around. as for the raccoons i made my coop fort knox, super sturdy, off the ground, no holes that aren’t covered by 1/2” hardware cloth and i use a padlock on the door. i have a tell fence which doesn’t deter raccoons but makes it much harder for canids to get in unnoticed, esp during the day.

i don’t have a lgd, but i may in the future if the run i’m building and extra organic protection (geese, roosters) i’m getting in the spring don’t prevent my occasional losses.

i haven’t had many direct run ins with predators. if i see a raccoon near the coop at night i shine my light in their eyes and make weird noises. if i see a raptor perched in a tree i run at them yelling. if i had a reoccurring potential predator hanging around i would trap it and work with animal rehab to safely relocate. i wouldn’t use violence on a potential predator that hasn’t done anything yet. not an indictment of anyone but i think the idea that you have free rein to kill all wild animals that come in your vicinity is incredibly small minded, detrimental to the environment and borderline sociopathic lol

 

[chickengr]

my guinea fowl saved my chickens. at 2 am they were screaming so loud that I instantly woke up and ran out. fox was trying to get into the coop through a 3 in hole. foxes here are small, just a bit bigger than cats. so no more 3 in holes, lesson learned.

 

[cmom]

I had my first flock around 50 years ago and then went into the military and didn't have any birds for awhile. Luckily back then I really didn't have any predator issues. Predators will eventually discover most flocks. I really don't know of anyone who has raised poultry that hasn't lost a bird/birds to predators at one time or another. Some may go quite a long time and never have an issue but usually eventually will have a loss/losses. I have had a couple of hawks kill birds nearly right next to me. It happened so fast that I didn't have time to react. Most of the predators here roam at night and my birds are well protected. I have seen predators during the day but it is mostly in the late winter early spring when the predators are out looking for mates or for food for their young. I have had lessons learned the hard way. I have several game cameras up on my property and most nights when they roam here see a predator on at least on of my cameras.

 

[Show Sebright]

What are your most common predator(s) and how do you deter them?
Raccoons are a huge issue here. They open coops, grab birds through the run, and spread coccidiosis and worms. Pretty sure there was one with rabies at our school. We secure the coop that it is hard for me to open it. If my pinky can fit it has to be covered.
Rats are something we deal with constantly. The little things get into everything!!!! We put out poison mixed with feed.
Don’t forget about the people. We have locks on our coop to keep it the people.

What do you do to secure your chicken coop and run?

Our coop is 100% wood and hardware cloth. The smallest size. We have latches and locks to keep out people.

Recommendations-
Trap them, bring them to a protected forest on the other side of Florida. And release. It is acts funny call for people to take it and don’t touch it! Rats we poison and into the dump. Can’t do anything about people lol.

 

[Hopelives07]

Predators hunting our chickens is a constant worry for many chicken owners. Be it stray dogs, raccoons, hawks, coyotes, hawks, minks… The list of potential threats to our flocks' wellbeing is quite long. This week I would like to hear your tips and advice when it comes to keeping the flock safe from predators. Specifically:

- What are your most common predator(s) and how do you deter them?
- What do you do to secure your chicken coop and run?
- Do you keep LGD's (Livestock guardian dogs) to protect your flock? If "yes", please tell us about them.
- What are your suggestions for dealing with/disposing of predators? (Note: Please keep suggestions family-friendly and LEGAL - No "Shoot, shovel, shut up" or similar suggestions please)

View attachment 2866754

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Well, I'm new at this. First I ensured we were secure against raccoons. They're everywhere in our area.
Our coop is off the ground and enclosed with a strong fence ( upgrade from chicken wire. I've heard coons can rip through chicken wire. However I did use the chicken wire to apron around the coop to prevent digging.
Now that the turn of seasons have set in, I'm seeing more hawks. I limit them outside the coop and trust my dog to assist in sounding the alarm. So far she instinctively knows how to herd them to me.
There's a bird tarp over the coop so they're pretty safe. I have a sand floor so I also put just a sprinkle of straw on the flooring and sprinkle treats/seeds 2x daily to prevent boredom. They seem super happy!

 

[Kirmi8]

Guardian doggo is my main protector against coyotes/foxes/raccoons. But the girls get locked up inside a solid coop each night. But I need to get a clip for the door as I’ve come to realize raccoons could open the latch easily enough. We have the top of their run covered with fencing but perhaps next year I will invest in hardware cloth to do a better job of things and pray nothing goes wrong in the meantime. Also have a rooster and hopefully he behaves and does his job as protector.

 

[Ponypoor]

Predators hunting our chickens is a constant worry for many chicken owners. Be it stray dogs, raccoons, hawks, coyotes, hawks, minks… The list of potential threats to our flocks' wellbeing is quite long. This week I would like to hear your tips and advice when it comes to keeping the flock safe from predators. Specifically:

- What are your most common predator(s) and how do you deter them?
- What do you do to secure your chicken coop and run?
- Do you keep LGD's (Livestock guardian dogs) to protect your flock? If "yes", please tell us about them.
- What are your suggestions for dealing with/disposing of predators? (Note: Please keep suggestions family-friendly and LEGAL - No "Shoot, shovel, shut up" or similar suggestions please)

View attachment 2866754

For a complete list of our Topic of the Week threads, see here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/topic-of-the-week-thread-archive

Here we have foxes, coyotes, wolves, bears, racoons, mink, fishers, etc, hawks etc.

I used a 4'Electric Poultry fence, generally keeps the gals in although I have 3 young hens who have decided they want to explore.

At nights everyone come inside the barn and gets locked away. I am too old to stress and worry about their safety so I make sure they r as safe and secure as possible.

Lastly I never leave any trace of feed outside that will attract wildlife. If I am not around everyone must come into the main barn where they like to spend most of their time anyways.... Seems bales of hay make for an awesome playground for them. I have learnt to tolerate the poop on the bales .

 

[PippinTheChicken]

I've never had a predator attack yet.

- What are your most common predator(s) and how do you deter them?
Foxes, well, before we got chickens we had a motion activated light in our garden and it's still there, right next to the coop. The run is predator proof, and the chickens are closed almost immediately after they go in

- What do you do to secure your chicken coop and run?
it has a corrugated plastic roof and the chicken wire is strong. It's FULLY ENCLOSED (although I do let them out for a few hours a day)

- Do you keep LGD's (Livestock guardian dogs) to protect your flock? If "yes", please tell us about them.
nope

 

[Pippin quail]

So far I haven't lost a chicken to predators myself. I did give away a rooster to a friend and he was snatched by a coyote, along with two hens, in the middle of the day while free ranging!

The only predators I've seen around my property are coyotes, hawks and owls. I'm sure there are foxes around and skunks. Maybe raccoons, though I've never seen one in my life.

I have a very secure chicken coop. It's corrugated metal, so no predators are getting in there. The run is decently secure for daytime. It's not fully covered but does have some bird netting to deter hawks.

I have a German shepherd/border collie mix who regularly patrols the property by day. And my 9 year old daughter easily spends a couple hours throughout the day in the chicken run hanging with her peeps. So I'm sure she keeps any hawks or other predators away during the day. At night the chickens are always locked in the coop just before dark. There was one night I forgot to shut the pop door, but thankfully nothing got in.

I would like to get another dog, an actual livestock guardian dog. Currently I can't let my chickens free range while the dog is loose. She's only 8 months old and likes to chase little running animals. Also I've been bringing her inside when it gets down to -6 C or below (like 20 F I think) as she's still young and my husband hasn't finished her insulated dog house. So not much good at keeping predators away if she's in the house! Would like a bigger dog to help her out with guarding the property/chickens and keep each other warm in the winter as well. Any suggestions on breeds? I love great Pyrenees but heard they like a big area to wander and we just have 6 acres. Also looking at maremmas and other similar breeds or mixes. And trying to decide whether to go full grown dog or puppy!

My beautiful secure coop, by night!
And what it looks like inside.
And my watch dog and mouse killer.