My grandfather always had chickens. It was a stable on his place. I asked him several times how he kept them safe. He told me several of the things he did to make sure that he always kept them safe. He learned this from mistakes he made over the years of lost hens and roosters not to mention the loss of all the eggs. So I remembered much of this and talked to several other people that have chickens and asking them for suggestions. I wanted to know everything I could before I got a flock of chickens so I would be prepared for all possibilities.
Where you live will determine what animals you have to deter to keep your birds safe.One of the possible predators you have will be raccoons, as they are just about everywhere in the USA. They can dig, climb and some have been known to turn knobs and even flip latches to open doors. Snakes and if you have weasels around the can fit through very same spaces in the fence and such. Coyotes and even dogs can jump fences and hawks and eagles will just fly into your coop. Some common predators are raccoons, coyotes, birds of prey (eagles and hawks), weasels, foxes, dogs, skunks, snakes, opossums, and even dogs and maybe even cats.
To keep these animals out you will need to build a strong coop to keep them out. You might have to raise your coop off the ground to keep them out, making a den underneath will give them a place to hide. Keep a cover over your coop to keep hawks and such out of the coop, if it is too big to cover trying fishing line strung across the run several times to help to stop them from flying in. If you have an open top and use fishing line turn the top of the fence back toward the outside to make it hard for climbers from getting in. Cover all the holes to keep snakes and weasels out, any little hole can be a possible way for them to get in. Always use a two-step lock to keep raccoons from opening it real easy.
You can try things like pie pans and old compact disks tied to a line and hung around to scare unwanted guests away. It might not always work but it could be worth a try.
The fence you use is important also, chicken wire is easy to bend and break it works great for keeping chickens in but no keeping predators out. Use welded wire fence and put some hardware cloth around the bottom about half way up the welded wire. Always use screws to fasten it to the frames and not staples as it will be easy for raccoons and such to pull them out to get in. Use hardware cloth on your window openings and bury some in the ground all the way around the coop to keep them from digging in.
Train your chickens to come to the house to roost at night and make sure it is locked up. Most of the animals that will attack your chickens will be nocturnal and are most likely to try to get a meal at night. If you free range your birds make sure they have a place to go for shelter and hide if they need to during the day. They have a poultry electric netting to keep them where you want them if you free range them and will keep some predators from getting at them. Keep in mind this is not going to keep hawks and eagles and such from getting to your chickens.
Get a rooster as they will fight off some predators and/or raise an alarm so you know something is going on. Guinea fowl and geese make go guardians also, a good herding dog will help keep predators away. Just be careful with just any dog some will chase them and kill them by accident, most herding dogs take their job very seriously.
Just be sure to get the coop and the house built and ready before you get your chickens. Get the chickens for the purpose you need or want. Do you want lots of eggs or a bird for meat or a good dual purpose bird? Stay tuned for that subject in my next post.
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Iv had 10 chickens for years and never lost one. Our trick is we get the baddest ass rooster you can find train him to attack when anything comes near the hen house. It is a double edge sword at times when he's chasing me through the yard tho but well worth it for the fresh non GMO eggs lol.
My grandpa had one of them bad roosters and came at me everytime I went to get eggs. I hated that rooster but he kept the hens safe. So like you said it is worth some headache for those fresh eggs.
Been there! We had one you had to kick across the yard on a daily basis! LOL
Melissa
Yes, I have been there too! He just came back even harder the next time. He was a little hard headed.
very nice post you have there.. educating steemians... on how to raise homegrown chickens and eggs @basicstoliving
true as a lot of bariers to poultry but with your tips ( thanks to your grand father) you doing great which reminds me of also my post on why we should raise home grown organic chickens and eggs... plus uses o egshells for ourselfs... pets and garden..take a look...!
thanks once more... upvoted to support go work
Thank You! My grandfather influenced and helped me with lots of knowledge about animals and growing things. I try to pass on the knowledge to all so others can learn from it.
Great choice @basicstoliving keep it up... Do also find time to check my blog posts as we have related tips... Regards
Great post. Do you have any experience with chicken tractors? We're thinking of doing some meat birds next year and I would prefer to move them on pasture.
I do not have any experience with chicken tractors, sorry. The only thing with tractors I would worry about is predators getting in underneath the bottom rail of the tractor. There are many people that do nothing but chicken tractors. I would get a good herding dog to look out for them. Thank You for reading my post and the upvote. Have a good night!
That's what I'm afraid of. I've seen people wire the bottom as well but to me that kind of defeats the purpose. I've seen people use wooden slates, which is better but still...We do have a hard working cattle dog though so that should help with predators. Haven't seen a raccoon since we've been out here but I'm sure they're around
I have seen some with wire on the bottom, but how to move them with the chickens inside and not hurt the chickens is what I was wondering about. Not sure about the wooden slats either. I have seen them just leave the bottom open. Not really sure.
So glad we don't have weasels here. I've heard how hard it is to keep them out!
We had a visit from a fox though. Foolishly thought 5ft fences would be enough to keep them out. It taught us the weaknesses in our defences though.
Foxes are sneaky and the weasels are even worse. you need about 8 ft fences to keep foxes out.
I think they would need to be smooth too! We saw this fox jump the top of an 8ft wire fence!
I really enjoyed this article. Learning from others past mistakes is the way to go if we can. Unfortunately, I still make a few on my own.
I never in a hundred years would have thought about raccoons removing staples to gain entry. I know they are smart little buggers and have had them open latches and some locks before.
It's certainly our duty to provide a safe environment for our animals and in turn, they provide for us. I look forward to reading more from you.
Thanks! Yes, those raccoons are very smart and will figure it out. I try to talk to everyone I can and pick their brain so I do not make the mistakes that will put my animals in harms way.
I have had coons unlock latches, break into the rafters of the barn ...you name it ...we have tons of the little buggers here in Florida and smart they are....it is a constant battle even now, we just have ducks and it is the same story. You just have to stay ahead of them i reckon...We free range and feel that is the only way to go as it defeats the purpose to pen them...We get occasional airlifts by hawks but only with young...We have learned to keep them in a run or round until quite big. SO worth it though..our new ducks have the deepest orange yokes i have ever seen...:)
another great article...as you can see I love this topic! LOL
Happy Day!
Melissa
Have you ever put out coon cuffs to get rid of a few of those coons? I see you love this topic and it is a great topic you never quit learning as you go.
what is a coon cuff...you have my interest for sure!
It is a trap that catches their foot and holds them. It is a small tube that you put bait in because a coon holds food with front feet, so he will stick his foot in to get the bait and it catches him and holds him till you get there to deal with him.
Oh wow! You are hardcore...i love it! We just use the metal critter traps with the lever...it always seems to work. The my husband drops them and buries them...We have quite a coon grave yard in these parts. :/
Love it brother. i miss my birds hehe. Soon we will get more. Upvote and resteem..
Thanks, brother!
You have all sorts of problems in the US, thank goodness the only thing we had to worry about was the neighbours dog, Dad sorted him very quickly and he never came back.
Our biggest problem was the hens laying in their own nests rather than in the hen house where they were supposed to.
Yes, sometimes the hens had a mind of their own and make a home away from home.
Yes, Keep those birds safe. I lost 2 to raccoons.
Great post.
Raccoons are a big problem. They learn from everything you do. It is a game that is hard to win somtimes. Put out traps and get rid of them is the only way sometimes.
Funny story... once years ago..we were new to the chicken biz and my husband decided to relocate the first coon we caught..our son was about two...we drove him far away to the lake and when my husband let him out ..he chased my husband around the truck up into the bed and out again...well you see the idea...my husband finally made it back in the cab but barley in one piece..coons now get a hole in the ground and a bullet in the head...LOL
That is the only way to be with coons.
upvoted and resteemed...
cheers again!
Thank You!
Thanks! Have a good night!