Urban Predators and Control

[Latitude33]

First off, thank you to BYC and the great posts all y'all have made on multiple topics. IMHO, this site is awesome.

Ok, now to my question, in Urban/Suburban environments, what sort of predator controls have folks used? Locally, I can't use much more than a paintball or air gun.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

First off, thank you to BYC and the great posts all y'all have made on multiple topics. IMHO, this site is awesome.

Ok, now to my question, in Urban/Suburban environments, what sort of predator controls have folks used? Locally, I can't use much more than a paintball or air gun.

It is best to know what type or kind of vermin or prediator that poses the biggest risk to your poultry. Without knowing more I recommend that you install a single wire electric fence 4 to 5 wires tall.

 

[Trish1974]

I agree with chickengeorgeto: electric fence! I don't think I'd have a flock left without it.

 

[itsasmallfarm]

best control of predators is a good defense, i run electric fence and hard ware cloth for the roof and the walls of the run. so far for over a year it has worked to keep predators out, and we have lots (coyotes, coon, weasel, hawks/eagles)

 

[Ridgerunner]

You have local and state laws. Many people like to ignore them but I think it’s best to at least know what they are. Some examples. If a dog wanders onto my property here it is illegal to just shoot it. If it is threatening a person or doing damage to your animals or property you can dispose of it, but dogs can’t read “no trespassing” signs. Arkansas has a strong tradition of using dogs for hunting so they protect the dogs. People around here have paid huge fines and spent some jail time for shooting a dog that was on their property but doing no harm. In some places electric fences are outlawed or you have special restrictions. In many places it is illegal to release a trapped animal other than on your own property. At the same time and being in California you might want to really check this, but there can be restrictions on how you can kill a trapped animal if you even can. In some places there is no legal way to get rid of a trapped predator. This stuff is not always logical.

Where I live in a rural area I have been known to shoot certain critters and I often trap them. I prefer live traps so I can decide what I want to do with what I catch. I’ve released doves and feral cats before.

Some people will suggest SSS (Shoot Shovel Shut up). I could get away with that out here, no one pays any attention to gunshots with all the hunting and target practice. But in other areas all it takes is someone to see you shoot or shovel, they may not shut up.

I consider shooting or trapping a temporary measure. I do it. The benefit is that you are removing a predator that is hunting your territory. But there are others being born all the time. They may not come around your area for a while but they are out there. They don’t send out notices when they are coming either. The way you find out they are visiting is that you have dead chickens.

Even if you lose a chicken and trap something how do you know you got the right one. It’s not at all unusual for me to trap animals on successive nights. I’ve caught possum on two consecutive nights before I finally got the raccoon I was after the third. I’ve caught raccoons on successive nights which means more than one was visiting. I once had a skunk go into my garage through a pet door and spray. I trapped seven skunks in that area in a couple of weeks’ time. I don’t know if I got the culprit or not.

Barriers are you best overall defense. What kind of barriers will depend on your circumstances, what you are trying to protect against, and how much you are willing to spend. Your risk tolerance plays a part too. How much does it hurt to lose one chicken? Any fence with any material will provide some protection but lots of critters can go under or over. Chicken wire will stop some critters but some larger ones can tear it. Hardware cloth is better but some large critters can tear that too. The gauge of the wire (how strong it is) and the size of the holes make a difference. Heavier welded wire will stop some things but the holes might be big enough for some critters to go through. How you attach it and what you attach fencing to have a lot to do with how safe it is. There are no perfect materials or perfect construction methods. The more you are willing to spend the stronger you can make it.

I don’t know enough about you, your circumstances, or what you are willing to spend. In suburbia for a small number of chickens people often build a totally enclosed coop out of hardware cloth. They put a top on it to stop climbing, jumping, and flying predators and bury wire around the perimeter or use aprons to stop digging predators. But if your area is very large roofing it may not be very easy. It’s really hard to make a large run totally predator proof. The strategy I use is to make my run predator resistant and securely lock them in a predator proof coop at night. In spite of what a lot of people tell you, practically any predator can hunt during the day. Many of them are more active at night when no humans are around to disturb them but bobcat, coyotes, foxes, raccoons, hawks, dogs, skunk, even possum, can be around during daylight. Nighttime is your greatest time of danger so locking them up at night is usually a good thing.

If it is installed properly and it’s legal an electric fence or electric netting can be very effective against practically all ground-based predators. Since I started using my electric netting I’ve lost one to a hawk and one to an owl, that’s it. It does not work well in snow but in Southern California that should not bother you.

If you can tell us something about your area, how big an area you are talking about and stuff like that, we might be able to offer realistic specific suggestions. But without some details the topic is so wide open it’s hard to get specific.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

In pest control there is a concept called INTEGRATED pest management. What that means is that you the poultry keeper decides what the best management practice is in each situation.

Sometimes all that needs to happen is that you need to tighten up your fence. In other situations you'll need to tighten the screws on the pest. I have yet to read were someone has advocated for the catch and release option for chicken mites so maybe there is still hope for the human race.

 

[Latitude33]

Thank you all for your insight. I truly appreciate your feedback. Realize I didn't give complete information in the initial post. Locally, the primary potential predators are domestic dogs, urban coyotes, hawks, opossums and cats. Thank you again.