Which is your worst predator

[MsChickenMomma]

hawk!! and yes they are protected,grr. we have a pair of them, have a loose web over my run. I just walked to my kitchen sink and sure enough one tried it,chickens gone nuts, feathers flying and it didn't get one, d#@$hawk perched on my clothes line post till I got out there in 22 degrees n a T-shirt too. one back giant was down I checked her some she kinda flighty at the moment, but no blood I can see,but she got back up and started scratching after 5 minutes. putting more rope over run later, off to tsc and Lowes I go.

That's scary. I don't have a run for my girls. We moved her with the intent to free range them, so we never built one. They have a fence to give them some protection from stray dogs, but that's about it. The fence has big enough spaces (6x8 I think) that they can just climb right through it. The hawk that we have hanging around started attacking them every time I would let the girls out. One of the times I let the girls out, one of them wasn't even fully out of the door and the hawk came out of nowhere and tried to snatch her. Thankfully the hawk never got any of my girls, but I still can't let them outside. It's cold enough now that they don't want out much anyway, but I still feel bad...

Hawks are such a nuisance. It is really frustrating because there is absolutely nothing you can do to keep them away.

 

[cabinchicky]

I went through the show us your inventions thread and found one by A
T or T.A. Hagen(sorry if spelled wrong) he wired a spider web type of netting which I copied somewhat. I have to add more for now but our expansion in '14 will have it like his trees allowing.

 

[FaithM]

For me, it's coyotes. They even come out during the day!

 

[Coop Deville]

It's such an irony. Let your chickens free range without any protection (like when I was building or improving my run) and they're just fine. They perch in trees and stay safe. They feed and wander and explore the whole yard. Of course, poop on the back patio and who knows where the eggs are, but they're fine.

Then you pen them in and keep things orderly, and have a fresh supply of eggs in a regular location, but it works against your flock's safety because they can't get out but predators manage to get in.

So then you really fence them in. I've spent so much on hardware cloth, cedar fencing, and cinder blocks for the run base. I cannot see them as well through the thick fencing (one perk of my less-secure run, or completely free-ranging, was looking out the kitchen and living room windows and seeing the flock cavorting and feeding). I feel like my chicken area has lost some of its character because it's hard to see them.

At least they're safe. Guess it's a trade-off.

 

[cabinchicky]

we use an electric chicken netting since bringing the girls outside nothing has gotten through it but old neighbors pit before it was hooked to charger. we plan to hot wire one or two strands out along our fence in spring. we have coyote,fox,coon,opossum, feral cats,skunk and stray dogs, not lost one yet due to hot fence but the hawks n falcons have gotten close. they are lucky they are protected, I love trap shooting.the lil pains in my %&#!

 

[roostersandhens]

1st Worst: Coyote. 2nd worst: Hawk.

 

[gilmeryote]

Coons are the worst for me, trap several every year around my pens. Add possums to the list also.

 

[cabinchicky]

our coyote numbers have dropped from last winter, would see several around my home and in the area. three different hunting groups bagged 7 in a weeks time, they getting brave again I am seeing signs in my yard. the guys will start hunting them again soon I think, wish they would hunt coon but not into it with fur prices.

 

[MsChickenMomma]

We have never had a problem with coyotes. Our property is 3/4 surrounded by woods, and in the winter we can hear them yipping and howling, but we haven't ever seen them. There is a trail running through the woods, and we once found two dead wild turkeys on the trails. All that was left of them was the legs and spine. They were big birds too. I'm just thankful they go after the wild turkeys and not my chickens.

 

[cabinchicky]

momma my home is about like yours, we have seen them going through the yard and across the drive to get to a pond. we hear them a lot too, they dug up a deer hit on road last year that was buried along the woods and there wasn't much left afterwards.