predator control

This project started back in December originally as just a coop addition. After the addition was built int he garage changed paths and decided to scrap the entire current coop and continue building. Built 2 additional piece to created a coop that is 12x4. The coop was moved out of the garage...

Please help me identify what could possibly be taking my chickens. I've lost three...and this morning I'm completely stunned! First one I found a tuft of down feathers, no blood and no other signs of struggle. The second one I heard the chickens frightened and they were flying toward the...

Our chickens have always been free range, but a Mama Fox came a few weeks ago and took 2 of our favorites. I want to now build a coop run. Here is my plan: -There is a wall on the coop, so there would be 4 foot high hardware cloth (1/4 in.) on 3 sides. -The posts and hardware cloth would be...

I was at the lake with two of my ducks and I received a phone call from my brother, he had seen either a coyote or a fox (were thinking coyote but I can’t be sure since I didn’t see it) standing near the duck pen and staring at them. My brother says he immediately shouted at it and scared it off...

Hello all! I am fairly new to the duck mom life and I have 8 ducks, 2 of which reside inside at night, and 6 which stay outside (my khakis that are much more skittish). I recently was approached by a neighbor who let me know he had recently lost a few of his chickens and ducks to a fisher and...

Hi everyone! This week I hatched 6 ducklings that came from the eggs of my beloved babies that got taken too soon by predators. I am determined to build them the most safe pen / hutch imaginable for when the time comes for them to move outside. I was thinking of even buying a small sized shed...

Clearly some sort of predator. The first one I found missing her head. Figured the husband opened the wrong gate bringing dogs inside for the night and recovered the dog quickly. He denies this (but he lies). The second one I found this morning. Intact but the head a bit bloodied. The...

We are in the process of building a new run (we live on a fenced acre in a rural area) and our biggest predator concerns are raccoons and hawks/eagles. Our run is about 50 ft by 25 ft and we have two coops inside of it. Our plan is to predator-proof the run so that when we go on the occasional...

I am about to start building a coop, and I am trying to think through the best way to install a hardware cloth apron around the coop and run. The coop is essentially a reverse Wichita on a capped cement block foundation. I am thinking that the top of the paver cap will be a few inches above...

Chicken newbie here! I am planning to build a semi-stealth chicken tractor in MO for 3 girls. I live in the suburbs but have seen hawks, raccoons, skunks, opossums, and fox in the immediate vicinity. I need my tractor to be easily moveable by two adults and it will be my girls primary home...

Hi Everyone! We are going to have a small urban flock of 3-4 hens (buff orpingtons and black australorps). They will mostly be in their coop/run but when we are there to supervise we’ll let them out in our yard. We have a TON of very smart raccoons and a few rats/mice etc where we live so...

I am building a new chicken run (moving to a new location) and want to have smaller hardware cloth on the new location of 1/4" size to prevent mice. The only gauge I am finding online for that size is 23 which feels flimsy and can easily be opened by a raccoon. Should I go up to 1/2" so I can...

Hello! I have recently purchased a pre-made coop and am in the process of setting it up. I want to predator proof the coop as we have coyotes and raccoons in the area. I have read that to predator proof the coop from underneath and prevent anything from digging under the coop, that you need to...

So, we know we've had a predator/pest problem for a while. But it wasn't until recently that we realized the magnitude of the problem. A little backstory (hang in there)... About 1 year ago or so we had a possum kill and eat one of our Light Brahma cockerels. :mad: So, we set out a live trap and...

Hello, I have been having problems with a hawk swooping by and picking off my beloved chickens that I raised since they were little peeps. This flock I have is one of my best flocks yet with diverse breeds such as wellsummers, cuckoo marans, buff orpingtons, and highland browns. They are a very...

This morning we had our first experience with a chicken hawk. We live in a suburban area, with a small coop and four chickens: 2 barred rocks, a golden sex link and a white silkie. Luckily, we were right by the window and saw the hawk drop down, so we ran outside and shooed it away. At first we...

I became a first-time chicken owner this past July and ended up with two hens and three roosters, all bantam silkie Cochin mixes. I have about 5 Acres, mostly Woods and they were super happy content chickens survived 3 blissful months with no issues until this a-hole Hawk came along and got one...

Good morning, we are new to the whole duck thing, we have 3 females & 1 male, over the last 6 months they have had many nest and sat alot but it seems at about 2/3 weeks a preadtor gets all the eggs at once, it's so sad. We've set live traps, tried deterent, and nothing works. 2 of them have a...

We just expanded our a chicken run for our 4 back yard city chickens. We had never had a single problem with predators before. We live in Louisville, KY in the middle of the city. I grew up on a farm and raised tons and tons of free range chickens and like to think I know how to keep them safe...

I let my chickens free range during the day and lock them up at night. A few months ago my Buff Orpington, Buffy was killed by a fox. As I was counting my chickens before locking them up that evening I noticed she was missing and when I went looking for her, I followed the trail of feathers and...