Can coyote climb?

[Michele]

I have electric fence, lock up the chickens at night and now I saw a coyote eating a baby chick today at noon!!! I even have a outside dog that barks at everything. I think the baby chick ran though the fence and the coyote grapped it. Does anyone know if they can climb a 5 foot fence? I will shoot and trap anything that gets into my chickens. I have had raccoons wipe me out in one night and it makes me sick what those predator can do!!! Some just kills for the fun of it and doesn't even eat them. I live in Indiana out in the country and it doesn't help that no one hunts raccoons or coyotes anymore because there is no money in it (so people say). Any suggestion on what else I can do? Thanks for you help!

 

[farmgirlie1031]

They can jump fences just like an agility dog can. 5 foot would be a pretty easy jump for them. I'm sure they could probably climb a fence also.

 

[Lea71]

I've seen them hurdle barbed-wire fences. They can't crawl under a car though...ask my cat, Boo, that's how she gets away from them. Believe it or not...she's made it 4 years now...longest a cat has lived in these hills.

 

[LynneP]

They climb they jump they dig....clever hunters. Oh my...

 

[RoyalHillsLLC]

I have been debating whether it would be worth fencing off several acres with a 6 foot fence to keep them out better. They have started back this summer. After about 6-8 months with no predation, I have lost two, one of which I confirmed was a coyote and luckily he came back for more while i was watching and he ate a full load of six shot. I lost another one a couple weeks later.
I know in fox pens and coyote pens where they run them for sport, a 6 foot fence works pretty good at keeping them in.
Anyone here with a large coyote and bobcat problem tried a 6 foot fence and have any personal experience whether it helped?

 

[chevydmax04]

I got hit the other morning by a coyote or two. Took both my roosters, 5 layers, 5 broilersa and 1 turkey. Not a trace of them othrer than a few piles of feathers with a little blood. Then the thing taunts me by running across the yard with a chicken in it's mouth!!

 

[Big_Charlie]

May I recommend that all chicken owners in the eastern states become coyote hunters. Here in KY, it's open season on them all year long since they're considered an invasive species. I suspect it's the same in most eastern states. There are plenty of folks around here who hunt them just to keep the population down, not for fur - though coyote pelts do make nice men's coats.

Big Charlie

 

[mangled]

Pennsylvania has no laws against coyote hunting. We got quite a few when we first moved onto our land, all quickly dispatched with 12 gauge .00 Buck or the 30.06, whichever was handiest.

As for the Bobcat question, a 6 foot fence would keep one out, probably, if there were no trees within 5 or 6 feet of the fence.

We have a bobcat with cubs, and from her tracks, she's an amazing climber and jumper. The cubs, not so much...YET.

The crew taking down our old house has a 6 foot chain link construction fence around the hole where the basment was, and I could see her tracks around the fence for a couple days, then no tracks except inside, so she had to have gone up a tree to get in. Bobcats will dig, as well.


Good luck-
Em

 

[AngieChick]

Quote:
The problem with coyotes is that if you shoot them, the remaining population just has more pups to make up for it. It's their way of maintaining a viable coyote population. So, while going after problem coyotes will take care of that particular issue (and should definately be included in a balanced approach), wholesale shooting of coyotes won't really help. The "vacancies" will just be filled with younger ones shortly thereafter, and the younger ones tend to be a bigger problem. Really the only answer is to coyote proof as best you can. And yes, they can jump, and can get really BIG. The minimum I would go for is 6 foot, barbs on the top, and possibly electric. Coyotes are bad news.