Will light around outside of coop deter predators?

[gavinandallison]

Inside my coop at night i have a radio playing talk radio station. It is instinct if they hear human voices they will keep away, no problems so far...................

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
The thing is, NOTHING scares raccoons away permanently. They habituate. Once the same raccoons hangin' around have noticed that the light always comes on, the radio's always playing, the water always squirts out at them, whatever, they get so they just shrug and go about their business.

I mean, you can DO it, it doesn't HURT and certainly it will scare off some casual predators just passing through; but I would not count on it to do anything that your actual physical defenses don't.

Pat

 

[Carols Clucks]

We have solar lights the whole way from the door to the coop.

But they are not there to scare off critters, but to make sure that should mom hear something out there, she can look from the house or go out and check with just a small flashlight and be able to see the side walk

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

Motion lights DO work for coyotes but not raccoons. The best thing that works for them is a .360 Savage Rifle.

Also, having dogs, keeping brush/trees/grass down around the coop will also help deter them. We haven't had any on our place but we have had them around it. My in-laws who live across the pasture have a pond & LOTS of aspen trees and thick brush. There is a family of coons who frequent my MIL's coop and recently packed off a white rock hen in broad daylight (2pm on a Sunday!) My FIL did manage to shoot the mother coon and one of the babies but the other two got away and I am sure are still lingering around.

 

[Trucker33377]

I am putting up an electric fence.asap

 

[Annasg]

I have a security light for my home but it is right outside the chicken house. It has not deterred the predators. I am going to have to make some adjustments though because I have had so many problems with predators in the past, this time I made mine air tight. Not a good idea! Now I have going to have to make vent holes. Not sure how I am going to do this since the building is finished already and it has double walls. It is going to be quite a job to do. The double walls are 6 inches apart. Big job!

 

[Annasg]

Electric fence will not keep out weasels or snakes

 

[deweb52]

We had, we think, a weasel get into our chicken coop & yard this past week. It killed 16 of our 18 chickens plus my Khaki Campbell drake & duck. We have not had any problems all last summer, fall & winter until now. After that we have been closing them up in coop & just out during the day. But today it came out during the day & got my last Khaki duck. Head was gone & neck thru the fence w/no feathers left. My question is I have some multi color Christmas lights that I can make flash. I'm wondering if this would deter from the weasel from coming back plus putting a radio in coop to make extra sound. Do you think this will work? I'm also going to put chicken wire along the bottom of chain link fencing also. I have it elsewhere & that's not where they are getting in.

 

[Folly's place]

So sorry! Lights, radio, and chicken wire will not deter predators of any size. Your predator(s) will be glad to return for any new birds, until you make their coop and run safe. A dig-proof foundation, hardware cloth well attached, no openings larger than 1/2" diameter. Maybe electric poultry netting around the yard too. You can try trapping and shooting the current flock destroyer, but more will arrive until the coop and run are safe. Mary

 

[deweb52]

I had an idea hardware cloth was my only resolution to prevent the unwanted critters from getting in. Ft Knox will be constructed this summer since we live next to a swamp, it has to be. Thanks