Thanks i already got rid of the mice and roaches with a device you plug in the electric outlets. The "poison" was useless and just provided an additional snack for them it seems.
The problems now are again... foxes, possums, and racoons.
dixygirl:
I totally understand the predator problem, with the furbearer population rapidly expanding and everything else protected, chickens almost need full body armor.
As for the live trap a small amount of canned cat food is the best bait I've found. However a raccoon, fox, feral cat; not to mention a bobcat are not docile animals even in a livetrap, so "Be Careful" relocating them.
Myself, "poison", is not something that I intend to use although, there are a variety of things such as "Antifreeze" that are very effective.
For me, its a .22 for up close, .30-06 for long range and 12ga for aerial.
Also the chicken coup & pen are pen is protected by a perimeter electrical fence.
I think I read here not long ago about using plaster of paris mixed with sugar for mice/rats. I wonder if it would produce the same effect for larger mammals?
To me personally, there is no good poison, I have to many chickens, dogs cats, grandchildren to think of poison.We also live far away from to many people,so I shut up my chickens at night, and keep them in a run in the daytime, only time they free range is when i can sit on the back of the P/u and watch them late in the afternoon.Try a motion sensor light, it may help to scare them off.
Most rat poisons contain warfarin, which is a blood thinner. In large enough doses it causes internal bleeding, and the vermin bleed to death.
My chickens free range all day, but we have two large dogs who patrol our land, so we have had no problems with ground dwelling predators. As for the hawk who got my EE Mo, well his day is coming......
Maybe you could find a good dog......
Also, having males in the family urinate around the property will often deter many predators.....
In my experience Free Range Chickens = Dead Chickens.
It is just impossible to get rid of all the predators. If I let mine out I have to watch them every second. I had them out once, went in the barn for something and a coyote grabbed one of my chickens just 20 feet from me! It must have been hiding in the brush watching.