I had my trusty pocket pistol with me, while doing some work around my poroperty, and a fat woodchuck comes ambling out of the weeds from the direction of the Chicken tractors. At ten feet he was no match for the little cb caps from the small auto. Down in 2, home in 1. Since this critters demise, things around the coops have settled considerably. Do 12 pound wood chucks threaten a flock, or are they just after the corn and pellet feeds? PS. last year, 1 possum of middle development, 3 Raccons of various size, and 1 Chuck, have been removed. 2 roaming dogs and atleast one Coyote have been targeted, but no shots or joy there, they are wary.
the woodchucks, like the squirrels, who live in the area around my house are more interested in the chicken feed than eggs or chickens. I trap them and relocate (6 or 7 in the past year) but soon find a new woodchuck has taken his/her place.
Woodchucks are strictly vegetarians and would not bother either the chickens or eggs in any way or form. They will, however, destroy a garden in nothing flat so you killed one for the wrong reason. The only problem they would cause in the chicken yard/coop would be burrows that could house other, less kind, critters but I'd wait until I saw them starting to dig before I'd off them.
They can ruin your outbuildings by burrowing under and destroying the foundations. Woodchucks don't last long here.
The Coyotes have learned I have a long rifle .22. They dont get very far into range. I am not rural enough to blast away, so everything has to be calculated for colateral damage. It is about 500 ft to the tree line, that ends my property, and another 450 or so to the next house on the road over and behind me, not really enough range. The Coyotes ramble through the tree and bush infested fenclines between at will. The Woodchuck was taken out because of the burrows in my other outbuilding upsetting a stack of steel shelving I bought for scrap. It is tipped and fairly scattered because of the tunneling. There is no food there. Skunks and Possum harbor there trying to pick off the trash. Late yesterday night, the dog went off, and I fairly cought a Possum raiding the cat food outside. He is no more..
I had a woodchuck chew a hole in my chainlink fencing. Never bothered the chickens,but they damage property and vegetation.
