Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps

[JulesChicks]

I'm pretty sure we will have coons to deal with as well. We have visually identified a fox, coyotes, hawks and 1-2 eagles on or over our property. We're in Skagit Co, not too far from the water.

 

[jbkirk]

It's funny because we've never had any problems with coon's or deer. And we've never lost a sheep to a coyote either.(electric fencing)

 

[Amberjem]

Hi Local Peeps! I've been lurking here since joining about a month ago and though it was about time I introduced myself. My family just bought a fixer on a few acres and we will be getting some chicks as soon as we can get the coop and run built. We have 2 young children (5 and almost 9), 2 dogs and 2 cats. We have a lot of work to do - clearing old blackberry briars, leveling the land a bit and then building the coop and run. We're so excited to get started! It's great to have the BYC forum in general for learning and sharing and also the local thread too. Thanks!

 

[ShockValue]

Luckily we had no predator issues yet where I am (Rural Port Orchard by the water), but I've personally seen the following in our area:

Raccoon
Coyote
Fox
Mink
Eagle
Hawk (not sure what kind)
Owl (Do they go for chickens?)
Opossum
And escapee dogs.
Black bear (Doubt they would go for a chicken, butcha never know

 

[clawstar]

I live in lakestevens and I also have seen all of the above (or evidence of them) -the bear +cats otters and deer (otters and deer wouldn't go after chickens but may attract bigger problems...)

 

[Hinotori]

Hi Local Peeps! I've been lurking here since joining about a month ago and though it was about time I introduced myself. My family just bought a fixer on a few acres and we will be getting some chicks as soon as we can get the coop and run built. We have 2 young children (5 and almost 9), 2 dogs and 2 cats. We have a lot of work to do - clearing old blackberry briars, leveling the land a bit and then building the coop and run. We're so excited to get started! It's great to have the BYC forum in general for learning and sharing and also the local thread too. Thanks!

Welcome!

 

[ochochicas]

We have had zero losses from birds of prey. We have them (hawks, eagles, owls) but the roosters keep a look out and the hens take cover when needed. We don't leave the babies out unattended. We do have one free range hen that has raised two sets of chicks outside and we didn't lose a single one. She is smart enough to stay under the trees when the birds are hunting.

That said, we have had several encounters with coyotes and the neighbors' dogs. The dogs have come close but have not killed a chicken yet. The coyotes have killed 4 chickens (3 of them roosters) in the last year. We now have a better coop and cannot let the chickens out before 10 a.m. Keeping a radio on helps. There are some other predator deterrents I have read about but have not tried yet. We also have bear, cougar, bobcats and raccoons. The raccoons don't come to the house anymore after we shot at them a few years back. You are better off building a big run with a roof and letting the hens out for a limited amount of time in the afternoon when you can keep an eye on them.

 

[JulesChicks]

Thanks for the warm welcome

My brother is in Snohomish County and he recently lost most of his flock - picked off one or two at a time. He discovered that the girls were running to their favorite foraging spot in the front of their property where a coyote had learned their pattern and was lying in wait for them each morning. I read someone here on BYC said not to let the flock out to forage until about 10:30 am to prevent that (which agrees with the above post). So, I think it's prudent to have a large run for those times we will be away and the daily times they will need to be safely outside. I'll let them out when I'm home, which is often, and I plan to have at least one rooster to help keep a lookout.

Wow, reading the above posts, we have a lot of predators in Washington! Very happy to hear that many of you haven't had many losses from them...

 

[clawstar]

Just chased a vary big opossum out of my yard!! (With help from my 100 pound German shepherd)

 

[JulesChicks]

Wow! What are opossums after? Eggs, feed or something else? Are they big enough to get the chickens?