Ways to Humanely Dispatch a Predator

[Brahma Chicken5000]

I live in a small town, it’s not rural it’s more suburban, thank God I haven’t lost a chicken to a predator but I know we have foxes, raccoons, hawks, and opossums.
I would like to move to a rural area after I finish college and buy a few acres of land. I know that it’s a very real possibility that I may have to trap and dispatch a predator on the property.
What is the most humane way to dispatch a predator?
If I don’t have a gun how can I dispatch the predator in a humane way?

 

[andreanar]

Get a gun. Its not wise to get to close to slit its throat. I trap the predator, then shoot it in the trap and bury. I think shooting it is the fastest, quickest, most humane.

 

[roosterhavoc]

I live in a small town, it’s not rural it’s more suburban, thank God I haven’t lost a chicken to a predator but I know we have foxes, raccoons, hawks, and opossums.
I would like to move to a rural area after I finish college and buy a few acres of land. I know that it’s a very real possibility that I may have to trap and dispatch a predator on the property.
What is the most humane way to dispatch a predator?
If I don’t have a gun how can I dispatch the predator in a humane way?

You have plenty of time to buy a .22

 

[Folly's place]

I use a 22g while the critter is in the live trap. To the head, fast, humane. Reasonably close (10 yards) my 22g works fine too for the small predators. Electric fencing works to keep dogs, coyotes, and bears out.
Have a plan, and a very safe coop and run right away, so there's less of a problem and many fewer predator issues to worry about!
Mary

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

I use a 22g while the critter is in the live trap. To the head, fast, humane. Reasonably close (10 yards) my 22g works fine too for the small predators. Electric fencing works to keep dogs, coyotes, and bears out.
Have a plan, and a very safe coop and run right away, so there's less of a problem and many fewer predator issues to worry about!
Mary

I have a friend who lives in a very rural area and she fences her property with 8 foot deer fencing.
I will proabaky do the same but add some hot wires along the fence.

 

[Folly's place]

I once watched a buck jump over an eight foot chainlink fence, almost from a standstill. Unless you are raising game animals, try five foot including the hot tape on top. Or for chickens, electrified poultry mesh, or multiple strands of hot wire/ tape.
Mary

 

[Shadrach]

I live in a small town, it’s not rural it’s more suburban, thank God I haven’t lost a chicken to a predator but I know we have foxes, raccoons, hawks, and opossums.
I would like to move to a rural area after I finish college and buy a few acres of land. I know that it’s a very real possibility that I may have to trap and dispatch a predator on the property.
What is the most humane way to dispatch a predator?
If I don’t have a gun how can I dispatch the predator in a humane way?

Are you planning on free ranging?

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

Are you planning on free ranging?

I’m not comfortable free ranging my birds unless I’m out there with them. So in short no.

 

[LoveMyChickenBabies]

I would recommend getting a gun. What we do is if we hear the chooks start freaking out about something, Dad goes out there with his 20 gauge and dispatches it. He usually tries for the head, but if not possible he hits chest or rib area. Then he shoots the head. It is humane and fast.

 

[Shadrach]

I’m not comfortable free ranging my birds unless I’m out there with them. So in short no.

If you are not going to free range and you are not comfortable with guns then a high security coop and run, regularly inspected and maintained should for all but the most extreme cases (a bear arrives and smashed the coop to pieces) make trapping, shooting and otherwise dealing with predators unnecessary.
I realise this doesn’t really answer your question, but maybe it’s a problem you wont have to deal with.