Chickens and coyotes...

[greenmojo]

After losing some of my ducks to coyotes, I added three strands of hot wire around my small pond and pasture. I try to kill every coyote that I can, but like others have said, there is no limit to them. Worse day was when we found four dead ducks just laying there another missing. The only thing that makes sense is a coyote got into a killing spree, then could only carry one off. I know others who have had livestock killed by predators that did it just for fun, but that was the first time it has happened to me.

I've had the hot wire up for about a year and a half and the only loss that I've had was from a hawk or owl. When coyotes kill, the animal usually just disappears without any sign of it unless you find where they ate it, then there is a neat pile of feathers all in one spot. When a hawk or owl attacks, there are feathers all over the place!!!! What's really nice is when I go for a walk around the fence after it rains and I can see their tracks walking along the fence line, then going away.

I came out one morning, and there was bunny fluff all over, and drops of blood on the tracks of the dozer and splattered on a nearby trailer... I am guessing a hawk, raven or owl had its way with a rabbit overnight.

~Moses

 

[the old grind]

Watch out for mink, too. They sometimes do what we blame coyotes or others for, ... kill all and eat just one. (trail cam!)

One can leave a dug-thru hole/tunnel and set a conibear on the inside (some 'setting' experience helps). No 'dispatch' needed.

'Robbers' are like weeds. You literally make killing 'em a hobby or they get out of hand. You will not win the war, but may take pleasure in winning many battles.

btw, 'catch and release' is the best way to help critters find their way back to your patch, and if you do so .. they will. (Good luck trapping them a second or third time, ... you might have to.)

 

[dirt ditch]

Chicken wire isn't designed to protect chickens; it's designed to keep chickens in - and that's it.
A raccoon, never mind a dog or coyote could go through that chicken wire like it wasn't even there. On top of that, it's easy for a raccoon to reach in through the chicken wire and grab chickens at will, same with hawks as well.
A couple articles:
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/11/coop-security-hardware-cloth-vs-chicken.html
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2013/07/11-tips-for-predator-proofing-chickens.html
For the bottom part of my chicken coop, I used 1/4" hardware cloth over 2"x4" horse fencing and then another layer of 1/4" hardware cloth on the inside; hence making the bottom of the coop and coop run triple layered.
I also forgot to mention above that the coop and coop run are now surrounded by a .5J/2000 volt electric wire. This wire also runs on the inside of the dog run to keep the dogs in (one dog in particular likes to dig under fences to get out; electric fence is the only thing that will keep her in).
when I get my permanent fence, it will have electric wire both inside (to keep the dogs in) and on the outside (to keep raccoons, coyotes and other pests out).
Good luck!

Looks like you have a good fortress for your chickens. We like our pen. So far it has kept out everything including the neighbors 3 dogs, lots of raccoons, and possums. Not saying ours is indestructible, but I guess our mileage has varied from other peoples.

 

[FTG-05]

I had my first chicken scare yesterday. Fortunately, everything worked as planned.

I was working in my shop trying to install a 3rd function kit (which ended up being a disaster, but that's for another thread) and took a small break. As I stood in my shop door, I saw something coming down my driveway about an 1/8 mile away. I couldn't make it out and didn't have my binocs with me, so used my Ruger 10-22 with 4 power scope. It was some sort of dog, one I had never seen before. One thing was clear, it was headed directly for my chickens!

I swapped the 10-22 for my Colt HBAR and stood in the doorway watching the whole thing unfold. Dog kept coming, stopped to take a pee against a tree (it was a male given that it lifted it's leg) and that's when my kenneled dogs (the dogs inside the fence with the coop) got wind of it and started barking. Yea, and it was their "Intruder Bark" as well! Dog took off over my pole barn field and I lost sight of it. The bad news is that my so-called faithful watch dog, Molly, was still taking a nap in the shop and pretty much wasn't aware of anything going on... Oh well, we love her anyway.

About 3 minutes later, I went up to my pole barn field in my RTV (Molly being the passenger, as usual), never saw the dog, but did jump a deer that was hanging out in the brush of my Poplar grove, not 50 yards from where my chicken coop is located and then saw my resident turkey as I went down the road to my neighbor's house about 1/4 mile away. My neighbors saw the dog going towards my place, but didn't see it go back. Haven't seen it since.

Yea I know: cool story Bro!

 

[DieselBound]

We've been free-ranging leghorn layers for over 5 years and have not had a single loss to a ground-based predator. Here and there we lose some to aerial predators, though if the dog is out and about that doesn't happen. We also have ducks, geese and Guineas. Lost one goose to a coyote. Numerous ducks to coyotes: last straw was looking out my den window after hearing some thumping sounds (geese like to hang around the house and make a racket) and seeing a coyote running off with a duck (dog was inside the house at the time).

We run our layers in portable electronet fencing. Have a mobile hoop house (made out of cattle panels, modeled after the hoop coop from Plamondon: Range Poultry Housing: Coops for Grass-Fed Chickens [Videos] | Practical Poultry Tips). Close the door at night/dusk to protect from owls; open in the morning.

Our other fowl reside in a fixed Run (with pond). When anyone is home to supervise (and have the dog out) we let all these critters run loose. At dusk we make sure to herd them all back inside their Run. Also have a hoop coop here, but only the Guineas roost in it: last bunch weren't good about using the coop, they tended to roost up in trees at night and end up dead in the morning, from owls (lost 17 out of 18 before getting the latest batch). Aerial predators were a problem with our ducks so we ended up putting netting over this Run (so far this has stopped all the killing).

We're in the process of fencing just shy of 6 acres. Once this is done all the critters will run free. The dog will be out more, though she's still an indoor dog at night. She is trained to run off aerial predators: nothing like watching an eagle swoop down and then see the dog in an all-out run behind it- eagles and such NEVER touch down with the dog around! (neighbor up the road from us has an official LGD and it doesn't do squat for aerial predators!) We'll be getting one or two LGDs which will be permanently outside dogs: we'll have our existing dog train them on dealing with aerial predators. With two or three dogs outside any coyote that gets inside the fencing (it'll be fixed knot woven wire fencing, graduated, 48" high with electric running on top) will sure wish that it didn't!

Our Guineas are KEY in the entire security scheme of things. Nothing happens out of the norm without them raising a HUGE fuss. And when there's a clear threat they really elevate the fuss. The dog is keyed into this (as are the geese and the ducks) and will, at a minimum, stop whatever she may be doing and gain focus (instantly she's all business!); if the noise persists then she's on a dead run to find out what's going on. Best $72 I ever spent, this dog (pound rescue)!

 

[Threepoint]

Friends of ours have a little Australian Shepherd that was introduced to the chickens as a puppy. He lives in their large fenced enclosure, and sleeps in the hen house. He considers it his job to protect "his" chickens, including baby chicks. It's amazing to watch. If he thinks a chick is getting into trouble, he'll gently carry it back to the others. :laughing:

 

[Threepoint]

[snip]Worse day was when we found four dead ducks just laying there another missing. The only thing that makes sense is a coyote got into a killing spree, then could only carry one off. I know others who have had livestock killed by predators that did it just for fun, but that was the first time it has happened to me.[snip]

Don't know if you have them around, but raccoons, skunks and minks will kill fowl just to do it. Tear the heads off and leave everything.

 

[DieselBound]

Don't know if you have them around, but raccoons, skunks and minks will kill fowl just to do it. Tear the heads off and leave everything.

Owls do that to our Guineas.

 

[TomSeller]

Friends of ours have a little Australian Shepherd that was introduced to the chickens as a puppy. He lives in their large fenced enclosure, and sleeps in the hen house. He considers it his job to protect "his" chickens, including baby chicks. It's amazing to watch. If he thinks a chick is getting into trouble, he'll gently carry it back to the others. :laughing:

Yes that would be amazing to watch. Does he bark or crow?

 

[DieselBound]

Our dog brought my wife a LIVE and unharmed kit (young rabbit) once. Wife put her hands out and told her to "drop." Plop. I get flagged down while on the tractor. She shows me the kit and tells the story and then asks what she should do with it. Heck if I knew! Just figured that I didn't want anything to do with it; best to take it back to wherever it came from. So, I look at my wife and told her to have the dog take her to where the dog got it. I thought I was being funny. I hopped back on the tractor and continued my work. Later on I hear that the dog took the wife and kit exactly to the spot where it came from (which was probably about 80 yards and behind the house from where we discussed what to do). There was another kit at that spot, the dog wasn't making it up!

I watch what I say around the dog!