To secure the coop, I first secured any siding or boards that were just nailed on with either screws or added metal angle brackets to make sure there was not way to pry a board lose. Lastly I put a latch on the large door way up high and made sure it is a tight fit that takes a lot of force to open it. Always give your chickens a place to hide while out in the pasture. Improve Fencing and Housing for Increased Protection. A covered pen also protects against ground-dwelling predators. There are times when using lethal means is the only way to get rid of a predator. Take away any food, such as birdseed, suet and food scraps. Teach your resident livestock that your fence is not to be trifled with by stringing hot wire across the top of the fence or setting up a electric mesh poultry fence around the coop or free range area. My hens were always pretty good at protecting themselves. In return, they will supply you with eggs, entertainment, pest control, fertilizer, meat and more. This situation though should not be allowed to get out of control because even if the predators don’t come for the chickens they will come for the rodents. A lot of them are the same as in North America or at least very similar to them. They can fight off smaller predators such as skunks, weasels, and other rodents. Justin Buchli/Shutterstock. Utilizing electric fencing may not be feasible if you have young children that routinely visit the chickens. Good predator management starts with quality fencing. There is no worse feeling than coming out to the coop in the morning to find a horrible murder scene with feathers, blood and carcasses strewn about the coop. Whether you keep chickens in the countryside, city, or somewhere in between, one of the most important things you can do to keep your flock safe is to protect them from predators. For these reasons, I used heavy-duty hardware cloth with 1/2″ holes around the entire coop. This includes keeping them in an enclosed run. Be sure your dogs aren’t tempted to chase running, squawking chickens if … eval(ez_write_tag([[250,250],'countryfamilyhomestead_com-box-4','ezslot_4',106,'0','0'])); Our coop was broken into once by a family of raccoons and the entire flock of young hens were wiped out. A freshly killed deer will attract many critters to come investigate. Some predators are content to dig to get to your birds. Doing all these things should keep most predators away, but sometimes it’s just not enough and you may get a persistent predator continuously trying to get your chickens. The U.S. Department of Agriculture states that the number of people raising backyard poultry has increased by nearly 40% since 2013. All it takes is a coop door left open after dusk or a damaged hole in the fence. You can protect the outdoor run by covering it with plastic mesh fencing or by crisscrossing string over the top. Corey is an antique tractor enthusiast, woodworker, and general fix-it or build-it guy. Be careful of meat and food scraps thrown away in an outdoor garbage can. It’s vital that they have a safety shelter that they can run to when they sense danger. There will still be dangers during the day if you allow your chickens to free-range, but at least at night you can have the peace of mind that they are safe and secure. Many predators such as hawks or owls dive right in from the sky and will take your chickens away. Your chickens are being watched. Protecting Chickens from Predators. The first thing you should do is remove all potential hiding spots in and around your chicken cages, chicken run and backyard poultry coop. These animals will sound … Set it out near the coop or on a route a predator would use leading to the coop with a little bait inside. Hang bright ornaments around the coop, such as CDs, bird-scare ribbons, wind chimes, bells or plastic owls. Whether you’re in an urban environment or surrounded by acres of land, other critters may want to cash in on the hard work you're putting into raising chickens. Do Guard Geese Protect Chickens from Hawks. You may have seen them perching high up, such as on a dead tree or telephone pole. Perhaps the best possible thing you can do to protect your chickens from predators is to ensure that they are in a secure chicken coop. The extra effort is part of how we protect chickens from predators. Interestingly, roosters have different calls for predators approaching chickens from the sky or the ground. At the top of the hierarchy of predator control is not having anything enticing for them to be attracted to your property in the first place. Let’s look at the effective methods of preventing predators from attacking your flock of chickens. Snakes and rats will come around looking for eggs or baby chicks to eat. Interestingly, roosters have different calls for predators approaching chickens from the sky or the ground. Place solar-powered night animal predator lights around the coop. (Both burying and extending is not necessary with electric mesh fencing.). Surround your coop with a quality wire that dissuades climbing. There has been evidence of a second attempt but they were unsuccessful and haven’t been back since. One guy for 10 girls is a good ratio. After the attack we attached a second layer of welded wire fencing to the outside. Because raccoons will easily tear a screen, hardware cloth is a good choice for windows. Measures to protect your flock from chicken predators. Fences not only keep predators out, but also keep chickens from becoming a nuisance on the neighbor’s property. Alpacas and donkeys are also considered strong guard animals. Check it every morning until you catch the culprit. Along with their care and maintenance, you’ll want to consider the impact the... Part of a larger homesteading family, Maria and Corey Sitkowski enjoy their small Michigan homestead by raising poultry, growing fresh produce, making maple syrup and providing for themselves as much as possible. However, make sure to check your fence from time to time with an electric fence tester to make sure it’s still hitting. Some things to consider to attract predators are food sources, shelter or hiding areas, and vermin that may be around the homestead. If you have a large open area to raise chickens, make sure you have clear visibility by cutting down any tall grass and bushes within 50-75 feet. If your coop is small, such as a movable arc, consider using a smaller meshed hardware cloth instead of chicken wire. Whether you know it or not, critters around your farm are waiting for their chance at an easy chicken dinner. Therefore, you can always try the following: Close your flock, especially at nights. Or at least minimize those attractants because just owning livestock is an attractant in itself. Raise your coop off the ground by at least a foot. You might also want to set up a motion-activated light on the coop to scare off any predators that go near it at night. This is another method used to protect … Top Ways of Protecting My Chickens From Predators. Cover the floor of the tractor in hardware mesh to prevent predators digging their way to your chickens. Protecting your chickens from predators begins with proactive measures. Live trapping is the first option if don’t have that killer instinct. If the hawk continues to attack, you may have to forgo free-ranging altogether. It’s up to you to protect your chickens from predators, and it all starts with your chicken coop security. While a coop should keep your chickens safe at night, there are still predators that hunt by day. Red-tailed hawks are the raptors that take the biggest animals, such rabbits and squirrels, so learn to identify this hawk. The most common chicken predators are rats, skunk, birds of prey, opossum, raccoons, foxes, bears, coyotes, weasels, snakes, bobcats, minks, badgers and fisher cats. Do the same with your permanent fence surrounding the coop. Let’s identify the the many different types of chicken predators based on what area of the world you happen to live. Your email address will not be published. I then used eye-bolts, chains and clasps to secure the lid to the nesting box. Hang bright ornaments around the coop, such as CDs, Place solar-powered night animal predator lights around, It’s important to have predators on your land to keep prey such as rabbits and voles from causing crop damage and contamination, but a hawk sees rabbits and chickens, still work in harmony with your resident raptors. Protect Your Chickens From Common Poultry Predators. We should do all we can to ensure this doesn’t happen to our flocks. © 2020 Copyright Country Family Homestead. All these should be prevented from accessing your chickens by all means. Once a hawk discovers that chickens are an easy food source, it will continue to hunt until it’s no longer worth its time. Raising chickens is a valuable practice for any homesteader, but protecting chickens from predators can be a tough job. Live traps like this one on Amazon are relatively inexpensive and pretty easy to use. Mow the grass or field near or around the coop. Raccoons can reach through a fence and grab a bird if they don’t have enough room to get away. Make your coop and surrounding yard and pasture distasteful and inaccessible to predators. How to Protect Your Chickens from Predators. This is where they should always be at night. eval(ez_write_tag([[336,280],'countryfamilyhomestead_com-banner-1','ezslot_5',107,'0','0'])); There are definitely some animals to keep around the homestead to help protect your chickens against predators. Check out this post which is one of the most popular of all time. We have lots more on the site to show you. Raptors are federally protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, so you can’t harass it in any way or try to force it off your property. When you finally decide to add chickens to your homestead, there are a ton of questions you’ll have to answer. Any of those hideouts as well as overgrown vegetation or even long grass that is located too close to the chicken coop is just asking for trouble from a predator. Focus Prose LLC is compensated for referring traffic and business to these companies. As cold weather approaches, check the exterior of your coop and run for weaknesses and openings. Not only is it a mess to clean up when a critter tears into it and spreads trash through the yard, but it also keeps them coming back looking for more and finding none the may start to eye up the chickens instead. Please try again. A rooster will hustle his girls inside or under cover as soon as a threat appears. To protect your chickens from feral animals, keep them in a secure coop at night so nocturnal predators, like raccoons, can't get to them. A rooster is very helpful in free-range and contained flocks. Fencing is the number one way to protect your chickens from predators. To keep these tricky carnivores out, bury welded-wire mesh around the perimeter of the chicken run. If you allow your chickens to roam free rather than keeping them in a coop or pen, it’s much more difficult to protect them from predators. It’s up to you to make them change their minds in a humane and fair way and let them know that your chickens are off the menu. Having a very secure chicken run and coop is imperative for the safety of your flock. Unfortunately, chickens are vulnerable to a dismaying number of predators, from petite weasels to brawny bears. Wildlife usually roam in a set area, so removing a frequent visitor and releasing it into a wild area should remove the problem for good. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Because our chickens are so prone to predation, we have to think like predators in order to convince them that invading our coop isn’t worth their time. Protecting Chickens from Predators. You can bring fresh clipped grass to your hens as long as it’s free of chemicals and as long as you have poultry grit available. For example there are different species of foxes that inhabit nearly every corner of the earth. This article originally appeared in the September/October 2020 issue of Hobby Farms magazine. Still others are great for sounding an alarm such as donkeys, geese and guinea fowl. The run is made from garden fencing wrapped around pressure treated posts. Secure this food in airtight containers or in buildings that are sealed up to not allow the odors of those foods to drift away off the homestead for a passerby to notice and come investigate. I tried to think like a hungry predator to be sure I am always one step ahead of them. I hope our time-tested tactics below will help you protect your chickens from predators, too, to avoid the pain of losing a feathered friend. Poultry Predator Prevention. For example, mow down long grass, cut back the shrubs and vines, and remove piles of lumber and other junk. Electric poultry fencing is an even better option to protect against ground predators. Our experts will call you on your preferred time. Skunks can be difficult to trap for obvious reasons! 3. Copyright © 2020 EG Media Investments LLC. Predator attacks are the number one cause of death of backyard fowl. Block the space underneath the coop with chicken wire buried 2 feet below the ground to discourage digging. An open field without cover is a deterrent to predators. Can You Raise Chickens and Quail Together? All rights reserved. You can still work in harmony with your resident raptors. Cover Their Coop Here are some tips for coop construction and care that will help keep predators at bay. If you have any dog or cat food stored in an outbuilding it will attract critters such as raccoons and possums for sure. Two options to employ are setting traps that target the species you believe is responsible for causing damage, or using a shotgun or rifle and wait for the critter to show up. One of the most important things for you to do when you are going to be getting chickens is to make sure that you have provided them with a safe and secure place to live. Install 6′ tall perimeter fencing. Includes design of a predator proof enclosure, types of predators and their most likely method of entry, and other tips to help keep them safe. Before going this route be sure to know the game laws in your area and never target an endangered species. link to Can You Raise Chickens and Quail Together? One shock is all it will take to keep most predators away from your chickens for good. Others are just more or less protecting their own area by chasing away predators such as llamas and alpacas. Your backyard chickens depend on you for health, housing and safety. Place food and water in protected areas. Dogs, roosters and guinea fowl are considered the best animals to protect chickens. Red-tailed hawks have a reddish hue on the tops of their tails, a dark bellyband and dark wingtips. Chicken keeping is such a wonderful hobby for anyone with a small amount of space in the backyard or garden and a desire for fresh eggs (and entertainment). View our disclosure policy for details. Figure out Who Done It. Required fields are marked *. When avian predators are a problem, covering the chicken run with wire or mesh can be effective. No matter how much preventative measures you take, there is always a chance a predator will show up anyway. Brush piles, stacks of old lumber, junk machinery and other items like that are all great hiding places for predators to hang out and wait for and opportunity to snatch a chicken or two. Dogs are also a danger to backyard flocks. Protecting your chickens from these predators is an important step for any backyard poultry farmer. Read more: Identify the predators on your land by the tracks they leave. Do not allow food scraps to linger. Identify the predators on your land by the tracks they leave. This way will enable you to easily see when the hawks are coming. Our coop had been surrounded by board fencing and chicken wire for years, even though I knew it was not the best choice. Read more: Check out these 10 tips for keeping chickens safe from predators. There is also a danger of something digging it’s way under the fence to get into the run. Wear thick leather gloves to avoid any possibility of getting scratched or bitten. The best way to protect your chickens from hawks and other birds of prey is to keep the flock in a covered pen or enclosure. I vowed to never let this happen again so I fixed up the coop to be as secure as Fort Knox. Burying mesh at l… Give your chicken-friendly dogs the run of the chicken yard – particularly at night. The holes in the fence are 2″ by 4″ which is big enough for a raccoon to reach into or even for a rat to fit through. Scraps thrown away in an outbuilding it will attract critters such as on dead. Second layer of welded wire fencing to the nesting box don ’ ts for protecting chickens from predators can difficult! Predators it is good to protect against ground predators had been surrounded by fencing... 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