What kinds of chicken predators do you see in your urban/city area?

[smilingcat]

I live in beach community of Los Angeles. so not too far away from where you are.

There are rats, stray dogs, cats and not so nice people for starter.

You might be suprised but they are there. Skunks, have seen a family walking near Pacific Coast Highway. Posums used to feed in my partner's avocado tree in her backyard. They are not that stupid. The possums used to taunt my partners two dogs all night long. Although one of her dogs killed a possum in my backyard just about two month ago. Have seen a red tail hawk with a sparrow in its talons on the ground in my neighborhood. Also seen them circling overhead. Have heard an owl, sounded like a great horned owl (not good for cats or chicken). Had a conversation with wildlife rehab personel and was told that we also have kestrels in the area. We also have coons. They have made homes/dens inside a storm drain and can be very dangerous, small dogs have no chance against a coon.

Just because you live in a city doesn't mean that wildlife has moved on. Some adapt fairly well.

so recap:

rats, dogs, cats, mean people.
possums, skunks, coons, red tail hawk, crows, blue jay, owl and kestrel.

And in Griffth Park, I'm sure there are coyotes, mountain lions and maybe bobcats. and yes snakes too. Nothing wrong with being overly cautious.

 

[CityGalChicks]

@smilingcat, thanks!!

This is all great info because living in the city makes you think there is no wildlife around. I have see the coons in the storm drains in my neighborhood, so I am aware of them. I just needed to know what I should look forward to and if I needed to be as cautious as our friends in more rural areas.

Also, my husband did mention that he has heard that there are mountain lions in Griffith park.

Thanks to everyone for the info. I really needed to hear this!!

City Gal Chick : )

 

[Whitewater]

We live in a very urban area and I personally have seen the following within a 2 mile radius, some in our alley -- some in our yard!:

Bald Eagles
Coyotes
Raccoons
Possums
Owls
Red Tailed Hawks
Coopers Hawks
Feral Cats
Dogs
Human Beings
Snapping Turtles
Wasps
Red Foxes
Skunks

And within about 5 miles they routinely humanely trap and relocate black bear, usually happens once a summer. Coyotes are becoming a big problem around the urban dog parks here -- they wait in the trees outside the park, then leap the fence, snatch a small dog and go back over the fence. We've stopped going to dog parks because of the very real coyote threat. My dogs aren't small, but I don't want to risk a fight. Or even a single bite! Anyway, if a coyote ever came after my dogs I'd take my stout walking stick and beat the ever-living snot out of the coyote. They don't scare me (BTDT, see below) -- but it's not worth the paperwork. So my dogs get socialized at other locations!

We do not have bobcat or mountain lions -- yet. Nor do we have wolves, yet, or any other very large predator. I also haven't seen any mustalids, ie, weasels or mink or wolverines. (LOL, it would be a heckofa wolverine to come down from the arrowhead . . .) The other thing we don't have is poisonous snakes, and the 1 species of poisonous spider that can live up here, doesn't live around *here*.

If we do have snakes, I haven't seen any, though I know a few suburbs over (a ten minute drive or so) they do have the occasional garter snake. Big whoop, if you ask me. I used to live in San Diego when I was a teen, on the desert side, and there were scorpions and rattlesnakes and tarantulas and black widows in addition to coyotes living on the mountain about an 8th of a mile away, and a mountain lion living in our culvert across the driveway -- a garter snake just doesn't inspire the same sort of fear

That said, the larger predators (coyote, eagles, bear, owls, even foxes) are REALLY rare. We built our coop to withstand dogs, cats, hawks, raccoons and people, seeing as how those are the biggest predators we've got. Particularly the people. Long story, but there's a reason our latches feature padlocks --and why EVERY door has a padlocked latch.


Whitewater

 

[foxinachickenhouse]

We built our coop to withstand dogs, cats, hawks, raccoons and people, seeing as how those are the biggest predators we've got. Particularly the people. Long story, but there's a reason our latches feature padlocks --and why EVERY door has a padlocked latch.

Ok- That is a long story I am dying to hear.​

 

[CityGalChicks]

@smilingcat

Whew! Mountain Lions across the street. OMG

I, too, would like to hear more about the "people predators"!

Thanks,

CGC

 

[Arosebud]

I am new to BYC and working on my predator proof chicken coop, thanks to all of your lovely advice. While lurking I have read many of your post that scare the crap out of me about the kinds of predators you encounter. I have read about dogs of course and then weasels, fox, raccoons, snakes, rats, etc. I always notice that a lot of these posts are from BYC'ers that are in more rural or less urban areas. My question is, for all of the urban chicken dwellers: What, besides dogs, have you seen in the way of predators in your urban inner city neck of the woods?

 

[Arosebud]

I have a backyard coop in the suburbs, my issue are hawks, this time of year is the worse. I haven’t found a good solution other than keeping them in the run, unless I am outside. But that isn’t a solve either, I had a bold hawk swoop in with me standing not 3 feet away last week. In the city limits I can’t have a rooster, so I would love suggestions!