It ’s unfortunate , but it will happen : One day , you ’ll walk into your chicken cage and discover the worst - case scenario . Something has killed your chickens . It ’s a nightmare scenario that happens to anyone who raise domestic fowl . While it ’s impractical to think that you may winnow out the threat of something preying on your chickens , you may do some things to extenuate the risk to your crybaby .
Like any risk mitigation strategy , it ’s always best to be proactive . In other Bible , do matter to deal the threat before they even become athreat . By always mean onwards and being diligent , youcan protect your chickens whenthey ca n’t protect themselves .
The Risk Assessment
There are two ways to remember about risk assessment regarding your chickens : pre - coop construction or post - coop building . Each assessment strategy has a plan you may employ to help spot possible problems or wipe out the danger before it even becomes a problem .
If you have n’t built your coop yet , it ’s comparatively easy to think ahead and implementconstruction technique to make your coop vulture - validation when your chicken are in the pen . you may employ material and building techniques to mitigate threats by thinking like a predator .
If your henhouse is build already , there are still some things that you may do to retrofit it further . If you follow some uncomplicated consideration , your chicken will thank you .
Building Considerations
If you are building a volaille coop from scratch , it ’s much easier to plan predator - proof construction techniques from the showtime . While the urge to save money and cut recession on construction costs is ubiquitous , if you want to protect your chickens and have a low - alimony Gallus gallus henhouse and take to the woods to boot , begin with good materials and be consistent in your construction quality .
For instance , your opt wire may be the most important construction component . Go into any computer hardware or feed - supplying computer memory that sells fence supply , and they ’ll have chicken wire . Chicken wire is a calorie-free - gauge , hexagonally configured telegram made to keep chickens in — not keep predators out .
A raccoon or bay lynx can easily shoot a cakehole in poulet telegram and move into the coop to decimate your flock . or else , apply hardware cloth to protect your chickens . Hardware cloth is a heavier bore telegram than crybaby conducting wire and has small holes between the wires . The smaller hole make it more difficult for a mortarboard to get a talon through or a racoon to pull a maw in the wire .
Peter Turner Photography/Shutterstock
Therefore , it make sentiency to spend the extra money to project your chicken run in effect and cover any coop window with hardware cloth instead of Gallus gallus conducting wire . weigh , too , covering the top of your chicken streamlet as well . It will protect your chickens from avian predators or ferine cats during the day when your tidy sum is out forage .
While you could use ironware cloth to pass over the top of the run , you could also use mainsheet metal . Materials such as correlated alloy or roentgen - gore can have a dual purpose of protecting your chickens from threat that come from above . In addition , a henhouse roof can also provide spook on hot Clarence Shepard Day Jr. .
Using the same hardware cloth material , you could also consider buy an proscenium around the wimp run . An apron is just a breadth of hardware cloth that lies horizontally and head for the hills around the perimeter of the wimp run at the run ’s al-Qaida . Once the forestage is in piazza , you could cover it with dirt to hide it .
Peter Turner Photography/Shutterstock
The open wire spacing should n’t prevent grass from grow through the apron . What the apron does prevent , however , is marauder digging at the foot of the chicken test and getting in . Peter Turner Photography / Shutterstock
Install a Coop Door
The most vulnerable part of a chicken ’s daytime may be when they sleep . Once your poulet go to roost , they are all but incapacitated . A chicken wo n’t fight back at a marauder . Therefore , if predators get inside where your chickens rest , they could wipe out the intact flock .
A coop room access can work out that quandary . you could install a dim-witted door that you ’ll have to go out and close each fourth dimension the chickens go to seam . Alternatively , several company manufacture automatic door that open up and closelipped via timers or a photovoltaic cell that makes the doorway open in the morning and secretive in the even . Automatic threshold are good and commodious , especially when you ’ve got to go out of township .
Whichever door you take , the keystone is to completely keep apart your flock at night where nothing can get in . Except for you , of grade .
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Read more : better the door in your cage to ensure your mountain ’s security measure .
Use Good Latches &Strong Fasteners
Like ironware cloth , good latch and robust ironware to construct your coop and run are also imperative . It will cost you more money , but complex latches and strong fasteners such as screws and bolts keep out predators such as raccoons .
raccoon are chic , and they can open simple latches with their articulating hired man .
Motion-Activated Lights
Because most marauder come at dark , you could avail dissuade them by installingmotion - activated lights around your henhouse .
In preconstruction planning , an electrician can run an underground power source to your coop . you may also install solar - powered lights for your run . The melodic theme is to startle possible predators and scare them forth from your wimp .
Read more : No poulet coop is impenetrable , but take these steps for added security measures .
Savoy tymesha/Shutterstock
Predatorproof Your Yard
Even if you have an existing cage or are plan to build a new one , you’re able to mitigate the effects of predators by proofing your yard . An promiscuous way to do that is to keep weeds from your coop or plan your cage construction in an area out from weeds or heavy brush .
recollect , predators expend their disguise , embrace and the component of surprise to catch their prey . If you’re able to take some advantage away from the predators , you’re able to mitigate their effects on your slew .
Guard animals can also be helpful . A dog , a goat or a rooster can help deter predators . Kate Aedon / Shutterstock
Monitor
In the end , it ’s up to you to protect your mint . Even if you used the skillful cloth and construction practice to build your cage , you still involve to remain diligent and supervise your area continually .
I care to keep motion - sensing television camera deployed to see what may be sneaking around at Nox .
Today , you may bribe these cameras from sporting good stores , which are comparatively inexpensive . Some tv camera require you to remove a computer memory card and download the pictures , while others use cellular technology and text you an image the moment it ’s taken .
In accession , bet for tracks and scat singing that may designate vulture roaming nearby . By watching what ’s happening around the coop , you’re able to plan accordingly to deal with any potential predator .
marauder - proofing your chickens does n’t have to be expensive or easy . By remain on top of the problem , you’re able to insure your chickens will live a foresighted and productive life . An ounce of prevention is truly deserving a pound of cure .
More Information
If you desire to work up a solution , you must understand the trouble . One of the first footfall is to determine what predatory animal live in your surface area and understand the threats to your flock . Each predator species will prey upon your poulet differently , so it ’s best to meet the threat header - on .
Therefore , the first footfall is to make a potential list . Consult with a local wildlife biologist or animal damage restraint specialist to find out what chicken predators are most common in a specific area .
For example , in my area , we principally have coyotes , bobcats and raccoons . Therefore , feral cats and foxes are n’t much of a threat . As such , I can key in on these three predators and develop scheme in my initial building and on-going flock management to deal with these beast and keep them away from my sight .
To chance out more about identifying vernacular predators , check out my article “ ID Chicken Predator problem To Protect Your Flock . ”But I ’ll do a brusk recap here . Savoy tymesha / Shutterstock
They are almost everywhere and one of the most common mammalian in the United States . They are extremely adaptable and can make their home in city and rural area . These intelligent mammals have incredible problem - solve abilities . twosome that with articulating finger and forepaw , and you have an animal that can be deadly to your flock .
Chickens are especially vulnerable to racoon ravage at night . Because poulet ca n’t see in the dark , they wo n’t pass when attacked . Therefore , the results are devastating and staring if a racoon fuck off inside your coop at night .
While typically not wimp killers , these nocturnal animals are nest raiders . Slow - actuate , they can affect your pile — especially if your hens are sit on nest , incubating chicks .
Like opossums , skunks are primarily egg stealer . However , they will feed a chicken if given the chance . They run to exhaust the wimp ’s viscera as opposed to the breast or other inwardness . They incline to dig .
determine to discern if a skunk ’s been present is aboveboard . smack for them . While dope spray when imperil , that musky smell follow them everywhere .
make bold wimp predators , they ’ll steal a biddy in broad daylight . After a poor stalk , they ’ll run into the batch , snatch a birdie and run off to exhaust it . While they can dig and affect your troop while in their campaign or coop , your chicken are most vulnerable to coyote when they are out foraging in the yard .
Like raccoon , brush wolf are coarse in urban and rural surface area alike . They are extremely adaptable , prolific , and timeserving and , as such , are a changeless threat to your flock .
One of the most recognised and baneful predatory animal for birds is the feral bozo . These felines , for whatever understanding , are stateless and are push to hunt for their food . savage cats are tough to detect because they are furtive and come and go in the darkness .
Unless you becharm one on a movement - feel camera , you may never see them . Instead , you may have a secret chicken predator that is like a phantom .
These formidable chicken marauder can dig , sneak , chase down chickens and altogether decimate a flock . Like ferine cats , they are sneak and difficult to see . Unless you catch them in the routine , chances are you may never see the feline .
Bobcatsare also more common than you may guess . They live across the United States . Like prairie wolf and raccoons , they are extremely adaptable and are usually found in urban expanse , as they apply fleeceable space for travel corridors and prey on whatever animals they can find .
If you ’ve induce an adequately work up chicken run , war hawk and owls can forgo your mickle . If the crybaby operate open and free - ranging out of their penitentiary , they are vulnerable . Hawks hunt during the day , and owls hunt at night .
Therefore , chickens locked up in a home at dark are n’t susceptible to depredation . The same hold during the day . Chickens circumscribe to a run are safer from avian marauder .
Charles James Fox are crafty , can savvy and will steal a hen and feed off , and you may never know what happened to it . Where foxes populate , they can be deadly volaille predator .
This article originally appeared in the November / December 2022 issue ofChickensmagazine .
