Two-legged predators

[speckledhen]

I've always had a baby monitor in my coop. If someone slid a barrel bolt open, I'd know about it.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Quote:
How far away can the "speaker" (I know that's not what it's called) be from where you have the monitor in the chicken coops? How many yards or feet?

I have always wanted to get one but I think my coops are too far away from the house to pick up any sounds.

 

[terrilhb]

I too use baby monitors outside. I can hear anything and everything outside. Mine are about 50 feet from my house. But I can hear the chickens, goats, and guinea's. I can also hear someone's small dog on the otherside of the woods behind us. They work wonders.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Quote:
Do you think some of them work further than 50 feet away?

 

[speckledhen]

Mine are 75 feet or so from the bedroom where the speaker is.

 

[JK Farm]

I seriously asked my husband if he could run a hot wire along the gate but I received a look that makes me assume he does not think that's a good idea.

What's wrong with this?

I'm going to attempt to electrify my chicken tractor next spring using a solar powered box, and the gate will be hot as well. We live out in the country so I don't think that two-legged predators will be a problem, but I don't want the critters to find out that one part of the coop isn't hot. I would love to see a person try to open the coop though, once it's electrified.

I think it will be a popular prank at our house in the future: "Hey, can you go check the nests for eggs?"

hehehe​

 

[Chick_In_The_Burbs]

Quote:
What's wrong with this?

I'm going to attempt to electrify my chicken tractor next spring using a solar powered box, and the gate will be hot as well. We live out in the country so I don't think that two-legged predators will be a problem, but I don't want the critters to find out that one part of the coop isn't hot. I would love to see a person try to open the coop though, once it's electrified.

I think it will be a popular prank at our house in the future: "Hey, can you go check the nests for eggs?"

hehehe

Just thinking back to the legal course I took, in many states there is a 'duty to make safe'; basically preventing people from setting traps or leaving hazards around. Nutshell is that if someone falls into a hole you dug and breaks their ankle, you're liable whether or not they were up to no good. In some states it didn't even matter if you posted no trespassing. You just have to check your state laws.

 

[JK Farm]

Just thinking back to the legal course I took, in many states there is a 'duty to make safe'; basically preventing people from setting traps or leaving hazards around. Nutshell is that if someone falls into a hole you dug and breaks their ankle, you're liable whether or not they were up to no good. In some states it didn't even matter if you posted no trespassing. You just have to check your state laws.

I really think it's crazy, that if someone injures themselves while trying to steal something from my property that I will be held liable.

The way I see it, my first duty is to make my property/livestock safe from predation. Ensuring that a thief creeping on my property doesn't get injured is low on my list.

(You're right, though, that is something I should check into.)​

 

[annep]

Ok...just to solve this problem, the make my day law comes to mind...granted, that's if they're in your house, but I've always been taught not to leave the person intruding as a witness....

 

[The Yakima Kid]

Our coop is locked nightly. I won't even try to keep Shamos, OEG, or Malays - as much as I want to because the #%(*($@ cockers steal them around here. We know of someone whose rooster vanished and whose distinctive crow can now be heard from a nearby backyard. Funny what thugs will do. There are times when I think chopping off the hand for theft is a very good idea.