Wild animals, especially, can have a hard time in the winter. Due to a shortage of food and bitterly cold temperatures, finding food is difficult & dangerous. Bears are the only predators that truly hibernate during the winter. Foxes, minks, raccoons & possums will stay in their dens till severe weather passes. Till their hunger drives them out to hunt in your backyards for treats.
They will do anything to get into your chicken coop, which looks like KFC to them. Below we will examine a few winter common chicken predators and provide tips on how to keep your flock safe from them.
The most persistent and smartest predator is the raccoon. Adaptable to urban, suburban, and rural habitats, raccoons thrive in a wide variety of environments.
In experiments, they have unscrewed jars, unlatched doors, and untied knots! Additionally, their ability to remember solutions to problems for up to three years makes them superior predators and survivors.
They eat insects, frogs, small mammals, chickens, and fruits as part of their diet. It is common for them to eat rodents, garbage, pet food, etc. when living in cities. They're the ultimate survivors.
Your coop's nesting box and all the entrances should be locked to keep raccoons out.
Related Article: How To Protect Your Chickens From Coons
Another excellent hunter is the fox; this versatile animal is a common sight in urban areas. In terms of hunting habits, the fox is mainly nocturnal. It's easy for a fox to dig its way into a poorly-built coop and kill all the chickens inside.
Rather than killing for fun, foxes eat what they can and store the rest elsewhere for later consumption. When they get in, they will return again and again, except in well-protected coops and runs.
To get familiar with the routine, they'll 'stake out' a likely spot, then attack when the time is perfect.
Related Article: How To Protect Your Chickens From Foxes
Weasels are skilled hunters of rodents and voles. Burrowing into burrows is exactly what their bodies are designed for. Weasels seem to kill just for the heck of it - they are voracious killers. It doesn't seem to be scared of anything & will attack humans if cornered.
To survive, it needs to eat about 1/3 of its body weight daily, but it can kill a lot more if it's able to. In a relatively short period of time, it can completely devastate a coop.
You have to make sure you seal up your coop so they can't break into it. In many cases, they get into coops through small cracks in the floor & can fit through the tiniest holes.
Related Article: How To Protect Your Chickens From Weasels
A possum is basically a lazy, opportunistic creature. In essence, they are scavengers, feeding on garbage, roadkill, and other finds. There is no doubt that the possum is one of Mother Nature's clean-up crews. Fruit, berries, and insects are also on their menu.
Until danger passes, they will play dead and avoid confrontation. Possums also eat eggs & baby chicks. They'll also disembowel adult chickens if they get the chance.
Related Article: How To Protect Your Chickens From Possums
Chickens are also preyed upon by omnivorous coyotes. Your flock is more likely to be attacked at dawn or dusk when they prefer to hunt. You must learn to live with coyotes if your flock is free range.
Besides poultry, they often take small dogs, rabbits, cats & other small house animals. A coyote pack can kill a full-grown deer with ease.
Electric fencing is your best defense against coyotes if your chickens roam free.
Related Article: How To Protect Your Chickens From Coyotes
Chicken is a favorite food of owls, eagles & hawks! As silent hunters, they are stealthy and have the advantage of a bird's eye view when hunting. You cannot shoot or harm raptors or owls under any circumstances because they are protected by law.
Install hardware cloth, chicken wire, or netting to the roof of your run if you find they're becoming a big problem.
Related Articles:
During winter, both barn & wild cats can prey on your flock. Depending on where you live, you might need to look out for cougars & bobcats. Unless a coop is an easy target and humans won't see them, these smarty cats won't even consider attacking it.
On the other hand, if you feed barn cats, make sure you carry on feeding during winter. Don't underestimate the power of a hungry barn cat.
Feral cats and barn cats often eat eggs during the winter if they are accessible. Their paws are used to press the eggs against the walls of the nesting box in order to open them.
Make sure your coop is kitty-proof if you don't want feral cats stealing your eggs or eating your small birds.
Related Articles:
Your flock can be protected from predators in a variety of ways. Free-ranging your backyard chickens, however, is inevitably going to result in losses. As a keeper, your job is to minimize losses & risks.
Predators can be kept at bay by following these tips:
There is always the risk of losing a chicken when you free-range your flock. Alternatively, if you are unable to live with this, confine your chickens in a safe area and only let them roam there.
Is there anything else you do to keep predators at bay? We'd love to hear your ideas!
Further Reading:
They will do anything to get into your chicken coop, which looks like KFC to them. Below we will examine a few winter common chicken predators and provide tips on how to keep your flock safe from them.
Raccoons
The most persistent and smartest predator is the raccoon. Adaptable to urban, suburban, and rural habitats, raccoons thrive in a wide variety of environments.
In experiments, they have unscrewed jars, unlatched doors, and untied knots! Additionally, their ability to remember solutions to problems for up to three years makes them superior predators and survivors.
They eat insects, frogs, small mammals, chickens, and fruits as part of their diet. It is common for them to eat rodents, garbage, pet food, etc. when living in cities. They're the ultimate survivors.
Your coop's nesting box and all the entrances should be locked to keep raccoons out.
Related Article: How To Protect Your Chickens From Coons
Foxes
Another excellent hunter is the fox; this versatile animal is a common sight in urban areas. In terms of hunting habits, the fox is mainly nocturnal. It's easy for a fox to dig its way into a poorly-built coop and kill all the chickens inside.
Rather than killing for fun, foxes eat what they can and store the rest elsewhere for later consumption. When they get in, they will return again and again, except in well-protected coops and runs.
To get familiar with the routine, they'll 'stake out' a likely spot, then attack when the time is perfect.
Related Article: How To Protect Your Chickens From Foxes
Weasels
Weasels are skilled hunters of rodents and voles. Burrowing into burrows is exactly what their bodies are designed for. Weasels seem to kill just for the heck of it - they are voracious killers. It doesn't seem to be scared of anything & will attack humans if cornered.
To survive, it needs to eat about 1/3 of its body weight daily, but it can kill a lot more if it's able to. In a relatively short period of time, it can completely devastate a coop.
You have to make sure you seal up your coop so they can't break into it. In many cases, they get into coops through small cracks in the floor & can fit through the tiniest holes.
Related Article: How To Protect Your Chickens From Weasels
Possums
A possum is basically a lazy, opportunistic creature. In essence, they are scavengers, feeding on garbage, roadkill, and other finds. There is no doubt that the possum is one of Mother Nature's clean-up crews. Fruit, berries, and insects are also on their menu.
Until danger passes, they will play dead and avoid confrontation. Possums also eat eggs & baby chicks. They'll also disembowel adult chickens if they get the chance.
Related Article: How To Protect Your Chickens From Possums
Coyotes
Chickens are also preyed upon by omnivorous coyotes. Your flock is more likely to be attacked at dawn or dusk when they prefer to hunt. You must learn to live with coyotes if your flock is free range.
Besides poultry, they often take small dogs, rabbits, cats & other small house animals. A coyote pack can kill a full-grown deer with ease.
Electric fencing is your best defense against coyotes if your chickens roam free.
Related Article: How To Protect Your Chickens From Coyotes
Birds of Prey
Chicken is a favorite food of owls, eagles & hawks! As silent hunters, they are stealthy and have the advantage of a bird's eye view when hunting. You cannot shoot or harm raptors or owls under any circumstances because they are protected by law.
Install hardware cloth, chicken wire, or netting to the roof of your run if you find they're becoming a big problem.
Related Articles:
- How To Protect Your Chickens From Owls
- How To Protect Your Chickens From Eagles
- How To Protect Your Chickens From Hawks
Cats
During winter, both barn & wild cats can prey on your flock. Depending on where you live, you might need to look out for cougars & bobcats. Unless a coop is an easy target and humans won't see them, these smarty cats won't even consider attacking it.
On the other hand, if you feed barn cats, make sure you carry on feeding during winter. Don't underestimate the power of a hungry barn cat.
Feral cats and barn cats often eat eggs during the winter if they are accessible. Their paws are used to press the eggs against the walls of the nesting box in order to open them.
Make sure your coop is kitty-proof if you don't want feral cats stealing your eggs or eating your small birds.
Related Articles:
- How To Protect Your Chickens From Cats
- How To Protect Your Chickens From Bobcats
- How To Protect Your Chickens From Mountain Lions
Top Tips to Prevent Predators
Your flock can be protected from predators in a variety of ways. Free-ranging your backyard chickens, however, is inevitably going to result in losses. As a keeper, your job is to minimize losses & risks.
Predators can be kept at bay by following these tips:
- Keeping out predators requires a predator-proof coop. Coop locks and latches must be sturdy and secure. It is quite amazing how brilliant raccoons are at opening latches, despite the fact that they do not have opposable thumbs. Generally speaking, a raccoon can open a latch if a three-year-old child can. So a secure coop is a must!
- Don't leave leftovers in your chicken run or coop. Possums, rats and others vermin will be attracted to rotting food.
- Keep an eye out for any holes or entrances in your coop on a regular basis. Anything wider than ½ inch can be squeezed through by smaller predators such as weasels, mice, and some snakes.
- Regulate free-ranging times. The flock should go out after dawn and return by dusk. By doing this, you will be able to prevent coyotes from being a nuisance.
- The bottom three feet of your birds' enclosure should be made of ½ inch hardware wire if they are enclosed in a run. In this way, chickens will be protected from raccoons and possums. The wire should also be buried bending outward about 12-18 inches away from the coop in a trench dug around the run. Dogs and foxes will be discouraged from digging as a result.
- It is becoming increasingly popular to have livestock guardian dogs. Your dog lives outside with your livestock and is trained to protect it. They'll keep bigger predators away, like raccoons & foxes!
- Chicken wire can be used to cover runs if eagles, owls or hawks are a problem. Alternatively, can you weave string or wire into a crisscross to make aerial access more difficult? These will deter aerial predators who will fear getting their wings and talons tangled up. Putting old CDs on fishing line will cause light reflections that are distracting in the breeze. Provide some kind of cover for your flock if they free range - small trees, shrubs & DIY covers like tarp tents.
Conclusion
Your chickens would make great dinner for many hungry animals out there! Above are some tips on how to make it hard for predators to access your backyard flocks. Despite our best efforts, we cannot always succeed.There is always the risk of losing a chicken when you free-range your flock. Alternatively, if you are unable to live with this, confine your chickens in a safe area and only let them roam there.
Is there anything else you do to keep predators at bay? We'd love to hear your ideas!
Further Reading:
