Wolf stalking my pens.

[kartking22]

Thanks for all of the ideas. I do have an electric fence around the bottom of the pen. This seems to deter most preditors. I just don't like the thought of them coming around at night. I just noticed coyote tracks this morning too in the snow. Wish me luck. DNR has less of a need for the coyote population here. We can kill them anytime of the year. My question is... Why did they reintroduce the wolf when they have so many problems with the coyotes?

 

[gaited horse]

smith and wesson [sp] say to sss

 

[kartking22]

Coyotes are fair game anytime of the year here. Wolves are protected and watched by the DNR in this area. Many have collars with GPS location for tracking. Half a dozen wolves were killed during the deer gun hunt season this year. That's the total of the persons that actually reported the kills. How many people kill these preditors and don't report them? How many of them are actually out there?

 

[curliet]

Here in MI we've had problems with bears, cougars (again, we don't have cougars here, haha) coyotes, raccoons, you name it. One of the best deterrents we found was simply a dusk to dawn light. Ours shines toward the coop, with some of the light spilling over to sourround the coop. Our chickens learned to turn around and sleep with their faces toward the wall after we got this thing, so it doesn't bother them a bit. But those big predators sure don't want to go into the light. (getting a little voice in my head saying "go toward the light..." never mind, not enough coffee yet) A motion dector light might do as well, but I think that having the light on before they even get there, keeps them from getting up close in the first place.

 

[Pumpkinpup]

Quote:
My sentiments exactly!

I will second that!
As for the lady bug comments. Lady bugs are very beneficial to anyone who gardens because they eat aphids that will destroy crops. They are a natural organic pest control. I know they can be a pain in the fall as we have them in hords here too and I always have a huge cleanup every year but I feel like it's a small price to pay for the benefit I recieve from having them here

 

[ozark hen]

Quote:
I would have no problem with this method.
I have enough problems with possums, racoons, etc. I wouldn't/couldn't deal with things much bigger getting INTO my chickens. If they are kept at bay and family safety is not an issue then let them be.

 

[epona4]

As for the lady bug comments. Lady bugs are very beneficial to anyone who gardens because they eat aphids that will destroy crops. They are a natural organic pest control. I know they can be a pain in the fall as we have them in hords here too and I always have a huge cleanup every year but I feel like it's a small price to pay for the benefit I recieve from having them here smile

I wouldn't mind actually lady bugs. It's these darn Asian beetles that I hate. The orange ones that manage to get in the house every spring in fall! Hate those!

b​

 

[Brit4Shains]

{Wish me luck. DNR has less of a need for the coyote population here. We can kill them anytime of the year. My question is... Why did they reintroduce the wolf when they have so many problems with the coyotes?}

The answer when I lived in Frankfort (35mi S.W. of Traverse City) is that the wolf is the natural predator of the coyote... as told to me by our DNR rep... of course this is the same guy that told me that my picture of a cougar crossing the road I lived on wasn't a cougar, as there aren't any in Benzie county... he kept the pic though to "investigate" the issue.

as to our predator issues in S. Central Michigan(just moved down here in Sept) we have 3 Great Pyrenees and lot's of Kencove step in electric nets with a good charger... seems to be working well for my flock of poultry and sheep and my goats...

Hope this helps...

 

[kartking22]

WI DNR has a web site for all cougar sightings. See dnr.wi.gov.edu/wildlife/carnivor/cougar sightings.htm. The site claims that all pictures of cougars in WI are ALL hoaxes. Tell that to the guys that were chased out of the woods here while turkey hunting. I wish that they could have shot a picture rather than backing off and geting the heck out of there. They never hunted there again. Luckily, we never saw the cougar in the area again but it was sighted a few miles away later that year. The wolf has been sighted dozens of times by me and other neighbors. First sighting for me was ignorant. My chickens were running around in the yard when I saw a german shepard looking dog across the road from my house. I yelled at it and told it to go home. I realized the next day that none of the neighbors had a german shepard and I had put my life on the line because this was a wolf looking for food. DURING the day. Thank God I scared him away or I could have been his next meal.

 

[nnbreeder]

It's quite common for wolves to hunt during daylight hours. If no small children are present I would put up a hot wire with an energizer that would rock their world!! Premier and Gallagher both make units that will turn wolves and even bears but they are pricey.