Bits and pieces from the sticky at the top of the thread:
*This forum is for dealing with predators and pests. Period.
*Although some ways are not considered ideal to some, it serves the purpose of removing the offending predator. If you have an idea or a helpful comment, please do reply. If it is a sarcastic comment about the disposal or capture of a predator, please keep your thoughts to yourself. We are not here to judge one another on methods or ways and means.
*If you wish to suggest an alternate non lethal means of control, please share it in a non judgmental way that is a viable solution and not merely complaining about who was here first etc, IF it is directly related to the OP's request for assistance. If a non lethal alternative is offered, please be appreciative and remember that there are many ways and means and flaming a member for suggesting such an alternative will not be tolerated.
This is always a touchy subject. Always. We have killed the occasional predator that has come into our building site and killed chickens. This summer we had a mama raccoon and her 4 babies that got into our coop and killed a mama hen, leaving 5 orphans. The dog alerted DH to the situation, and he went out and killed them. Nature has not filled that void. We have not had another coon family come into our buildings to kill our chickens. Are there still plenty of them around? You bet! Our grove is full of them. They live in our abandoned machinery. Do we kill them because we see them around? Nope. My chickens have not free ranged for a few months. Why? Because we believe a coyote wiped out 5 of them in 2 days. We're not sitting up at night waiting for the varmint to come so we can kill. We don't have traps set (yet). In this instance, we chose to lock up our birds instead.
We have seen the results of a species that gets overpopulated. Fox with mange, rabid skunks, coons with what I believe was distemper. (According to my vet, skunks are a more common carrier of rabies than coons here.)
Oh, and on the subject of rabies. It may be fragile enough to just kill by washing your wound with soap and water, but I'm not willing to take the chance that that's all I'd need to do. Are you? I mean, really - if you were bitten by what turned out to be a rabid animal (maybe an unvaccinated barn cat that got it from the skunk eating her babies that she tried to protect), would you really just go wash your hands and call it good? Or would you call your clinic and get the rabies shots? My point here is what you'd do if you came in contact with the disease, not the unvaccinated barn cats, so don't go there. Just accept the fact that it happens. Not every cat in the country gets a rabies shot.
We all have to do what is best for our situation. I am prepared to suffer the occasional loss, but will not tolerate my whole flock being wiped out. I will not judge those who choose to let nature live "because the animals were there first". I will not judge those who choose to take a more permanent approach to predator control. I hope we can all show one another that same consideration.
