What are my risks?

[JustMandy]

We're about to build our first coop and put our 6 hens outside his weekend. We can't have free range birds in our city so they'll be in a coop/run all the time.

We live in an old neighborhood in the city. In the nearly 7 years we've been here, I've never seen a raccon, opossum, snake, or any other pest. I have an open compost bin, we've never even had mice or rats.

My yard has privacy fence by the road and chain link between the nighbors yards. My two neighbors have kind old dogs.

We have had trouble with ferrel cats. They like to take up residence under our deck. We like to perminently evict them.

I've seen hawks in our area a few times and will cover the run.

So, how worried do I need to be about preditors? I'll never get rid of all the cats, eventually another will make it's way here. How crafty are they? Can they get through chicken wire like coons or dogs?

Is there any "city preditors" that I haven't considered?

 

[Ridgerunner]

I don't know where you live but you might call animal control and ask if they ever see any raccoons, possums, skunks, snakes, or foxes in your area. The answer might surprise you. I've trapped possums in an urban/suburban area and seen raccoons use storm sewers as ways to get around safely in cities.

Cats are usually not dangerous to grown chickens. They are dangerous to young chicks. With grown chickens, I'd be more worried about those kind old dogs. It's not that they are vicious. They just like to play with new live toys and their play can be deadly. Snakes will eat eggs and young chicks but probably will not threaten a grown chicken.

Other than dogs, most dangerous predators come out at night in an urban/suburban setting. They are very good at not being seen at night an hiding during the day. Please check with your local animal control and see what they say.

 

[sourland]

It's a rare area that does not have wild animals that might constitute a risk. Here in the East, Philadelphia, Pa. has an ongoing racoon problem, and N.Y. city has periodic problems with coyotes showing up in Central Park. Prepare for the worst, and your chickens will be protected. Remember chicken wire keeps chickens in- it does not keep predators out. Hardware cloth is the way to go.

 

[Zahboo]

Quote:
I would take precaution and use hardware mesh or welded wire with hardware mesh the couple few feet. Bury the wire just a little bit. Racoons can be in the suburbs too ya know, so I wouldn't take it easy just because your in the sity.

 

[fancbrd4me02]

Almost every urban area has racoons, skunk and opossum. Some have bobcats. When constructing your pen, assume that something is going to come along and try to either (a) dig under (b) chew through (c) pull chicken parts through wire or tear wire apart. Make sure that you use hardware cloth and I always bury mine, but some people make an apron on top of the soil along the perimiter of the pen. Give your birds a sheltered place to roost and nest where they cannot be grabbed through the wire. Make the top of your pen solid or of heavy gauge wire.

 

[JustMandy]

Thanks. I was definatly going to err on the side of caution. I just wanted to hear from others what that meant exactly.

I will call animal control, what a good idea. I would have never thought of that.

 

[chickerdoodle]

Raccoons LOVE the burbs!

They know they can get food easily near the cities and take advantage of every opportunity and are truly ubiquitous. Use 1/2 inch hardware cloth--at least the first 30" on the bottom and the rest welded wire if you cannot afford to do it all. A 2 foot skirt around it as fancbrd4me02 mentioned too. A covered run not only protects from overhead predators but allows the hens to use it all year and helps keep them from being bored and picking on each other.

 

[AinaWGSD]

I would assume you have at least raccoons and probably opossums too. I have never seen either in my neighborhood during daylight hours, and I've lived (more or less, within a mile) in the same neighborhood for 9 years. But coming home from a late-night walk one night I let the dogs off leash in the front yard and thought I saw them take off after the neighbor's cat...until the "cat" went down the storm drain! I've also had the dogs corner a 'possum on the fence in the back yard and one morning about 9am in a different nearby neighborhood (that I happen to know has at least 2 or 3 houses w/BY chickens) we saw a momma opossum and her babies trundling right along the sidewalk in broad daylight! And I do see road-killed opossums and raccoons on a regular basis. Plus our one neighbor says that there are 'possums living in his garage and that they got very nervous when the dogs moved in next door. A little closer to the edge of town they have coyote and even fox near the forest preserve. And of course the hawks are thick around here, and I've even heard owls in the tree out front (although it was too dark for me to see it). And while your neighbors' dogs seem sweet, I still wouldn't necessarily put it past them to kill a chicken given the chance or write off the possibility of stray dogs who aren't chicken-friendly finding their way into your yard, although with the fencing you describe and the chickens needing to stay in a run all the time I would think either is a fairly low probability.

 

[Mattemma]

Prep for the chickens like you are already under attack!


I have not seen raccoons in years,but recently there was a paw print right in my gate(dh leaves the gate open) by the driveway. I know they are around.Been a while since I saw the opposum at the neighbors shed,but I bet that is around too.Hear an owl at 5am. The last 2 days I have had 4 darn hawks swoop down to scope out the girls in an uncovered run.Even with me there yelling they still come close.

Covered run and secure coop is the best bet.I have dreams about going to the shed,and my girls are torn apart.

 

[patman75]

I never saw a raccoon in my yard until I got chickens. I killed 4 in the last year. Build your coop to protect against everything.