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\n<\/p><\/div>"}. Generally, any creature can pass on disease to poultry, especially wild rodents. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. Also, strengthen your chicken coop to keep the bobcats out. But domestic animals can be chicken killers, too. Predators are stopped, right down to the ground, and the management system of moving your chickens to fresh pasture seems to be an additional effective deterrent. We know ads can be annoying, but they’re what allow us to make all of wikiHow available for free. Guns can serve a purpose on the homestead and a farm. You can also invest in traps and guard dogs to repel predators. wikiHow's Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article is backed by trusted research and meets our high quality standards. Weasels are notorious for entering coops through small openings. If you find that the chicken wire holes/opening are too wide, and the wire infirm, upgrade to 1/4" hardware cloth. Ensure your coop is less attractive to coyotes as much as possible by eliminating garbage and dog food from your coop. 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. They will chase off everything from the mailman to coyotes. You should also make sure to release animals like skunks and raccoons far away from other people's homes. Is there any way your family can bobcat proof the chicken coop. To learn how to use a cat or dog to guard your chickens, scroll down! Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 66,489 times. Clean out the coop every day since uneaten chicken feed can attract predators. Avoid chicken wire, as this material is designed to keep chickens in rather than keeping predators out. When a hawk tries to dive through the wire or mesh, it becomes entangled, and your chickens have time to run away. You do not want to simply make predators another person's problem. To prevent a canine catastrophe, if you get a livestock guardian puppy, be sure to supervise its interactions with your chickens when it is young, and correct it any time it gives chase to your feathered farm animals. But you must do it every night, for it only takes once for a raccoon to get in and destroy your flock. Question by Sharon Rose: How do you keep you goats and chickens safe from bobcats? Bobcats can also use their claws in any openings of your coop to snatch chickens. A little extravagant for your average backyard poultry keeper but maybe worth thinking about for smallholders. Use chicken wire or hardware cloth as an effective barrier against predatory birds. Smart chickens learn quickly to take cover if danger is circling overhead. Chickens can be out during the day but return to the coop which is locked at night to insure their safety. Live traps are another option, but many chicken owners choose to avoid this until they’ve directly observed a predator attacking their flock. Llamas apparently keep foxes away by driving them off. How do I keep chicks safe from black rat snakes? Purchase a humane and specifically-built trap from a hardware or ranch store to trap any imposing snakes that enter the coop. The young Llama grows up with the flock and sees them as ‘family’ and will apparently chase foxes away! It's important to check your coop frequently for any nooks or crannies, as predators can easily take advantage. Do not allow food scraps to linger. If your cat seems aggressive towards chickens, even after controlled interactions, you should not let the cat outdoors near the chickens. There is a catch about dogs, however. If you are new to raising chickens, you might not even be aware of what predators are around. One idea would be to rig your property so a bell or some sort of alarm would go off when the bobcats trip a wire. Put a roof on it. Even if rats and mice do get into it - and they have a nasty habit if finding a way through the tiniest of holes - it's nowhere near where they can do damage to your flock. However, they are most likely to attack your flock during daylight hours. If the weasel was not dispatched it is highly likely it would have come back night after night to feast on nicely fatted hens. Their sense of smell and eyesight is keen for hunting at night or during the day. Live Traps. 9) Bobcats. You may need to invest in a taller fence, and ensure your chickens' run has a roof over the top. Start off by inspecting the coop for damaged or weakening wood that could be used as access points by snakes. Add an angle at the top facing outward at 45 degrees, and 16 inches in width. Reinforce any openings with chicken wire, since small mammals, like weasels, can easily get through tiny spaces, but it is hard for them to get through the little holes in chicken wire. How do I add protection to a pre-made coop? All cats are different. Spray the chickens with water. Bobcats might be steered away from a location if they are sprayed heavily and repeatedly with water. Bobcats and coyotes are fantastic jumpers and can easily clear 4-foot-high fences, so build your enclosure appropriately tall, or add a cover net to keep the varmints from vaulting the fence. Bobcats can also use their claws in any openings of your coop to snatch chickens. Here are the most common chicken predators: Some predators, like snakes and rats, are only likely to eat baby chicks or half-grown pullets, not full-grown birds. Letting them out at random will ensure the hawks remain cautious. If you're worried that your chicken coop isn't secure enough, consider building or buying a new one that's elevated off the ground and covered with a roof, which will help keep out most predators. Clean up any food scraps that the chickens do not eat before nightfall. We've recently had a bobcat coming into our fenced yard at night and attacking our chickens. An open field without cover is a deterrent to predators. Do not leave small pets outdoors unattended or in a poorly-enclosed yard. It seems that nearly every wild creature, and many domestic ones, can appreciate a delicious chicken dinner. As featured in Backyard Poultry & The Chicken Whisperer, PredatorPee's chicken coop predator protection products work to keep your flock safe.Because chickens have a weak sense of smell, urine from animals like bobcats, coyotes, and wolves does not effect them at all - but the pests will stay away! Please help! In the past, we have lost numerous chickens to hawk attacks here on the homestead. Another option is an automatic coop door. Put lights around the coop at night; motion-sensor lights work well. Hardware cloth is a small, sturdy mesh product sold in rolls at your local hardware store. Learn more... Chickens can be very vulnerable to predators such as foxes, coyotes, and other carnivores. An open field without cover is a deterrent to predators. Guineas are not quiet animals, and you cannot train them to pipe down like you can with (some) dogs. Provide lots of hiding spots. There are 12 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. Can squirrels pass disease onto chickens? Without getting into the politics of gun ownership, shooting the offending animal or firing a shotgun in the direction of the offending predator will certainly scare away or get rid of the problem. If you have a serious problem with hawks and owls, consider covering the chicken run with hawk netting. Keep your compost pile far away from the coop. Another option is to use electric net fencing to protect your chickens. Please help us continue to provide you with our trusted how-to guides and videos for free by whitelisting wikiHow on your ad blocker. They don’t leave much of a trace because they are able to carry your chickens off without much disturbance. % of people told us that this article helped them. Dogs are great protectors of the small farm or homestead and will keep everything from sheep to cattle to baby chicks safe from marauding predators including other dogs. Mow the grass or field near or around the coop. Instead, invest in a welded wire hardware cloth. The first order of business is to have a secure coop with a door that shuts securely at night. A determined, hungry animal can and will break through chicken wire. Simply sprinkle or spray on ground. So, what animals should you protect your chickens against? Others, such as skunks, will just eat chicken eggs and will leave the hens alone. If you use a chicken run, it should have a secure cover to keep hawks from swooping inside. Like most carnivores, bobcats are exceedingly shy, reclusive and rarely seen. Bobcats are the most common and widely distributed wild feline in the lower 48 states; the animals adapt well to human presence as long as they have sanctuary. If you have chickens or fowl, ensure they are put up at night. Keep the water pressure light so that it scares the chickens without hurting them. Last Updated: September 8, 2020 Take a look at the results here! How to Protect Chickens from Feral Animals, http://www.grit.com/animals/predators-of-chickens?pageid=2#PageContent2, http://www.ci.brainerd.mn.us/DocumentCenter/Home/View/469, http://articles.extension.org/pages/71204/predator-management-for-small-and-backyard-poultry-flocks, https://www.backyardchickencoops.com.au/can-you-keep-cats-and-chickens-together-in-the-same-backyard, proteger a los pollos de los animales salvajes, consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. Bobcats and coyotes are fantastic jumpers and can easily clear 4-foot-high fences, so build your enclosure appropriately tall, or add a cover net to keep the varmints from vaulting the fence. Install Motion-Activated Lights Introducing "One Thing": A New Video Series, The Spruce Gardening & Plant Care Review Board, The Spruce Renovations and Repair Review Board. This will prevent digging predators. Dig a trench 12 inches deep around the entire coop and bury hardware cloth there. These can attract coyotes and bring them closer to your chicken To help combat this type of behavior, simply surround the chicken's run with a 2 foot wide apron of hardware cloth. When you see chickens wander into your garden, give them a quick spray with a standard garden hose. Fish and Game may trap the cat if it’s been found killing livestock, and relocate it … There are some simple steps you can take to protect your precious hens from predation. These devices use a motion detector which is able to “see” 24 hours a day. You can prevent squirrels from populating the area by keeping food secured away in plastic storage containers, or setting up humane traps, if legal in your state. If you know that bobcats live within your area, the only way to ensure that they can’t access chickens is to have their coop completely enclosed. They also have a powerful sense of smell and hearing, so they’ll be aware from a long distance away if you have chickens. For example, a weasel was shot and killed after eating the faces off of several hens in the coop. This is not to keep the chickens in but to keep the predators out. Consider motion-controlled spraying as well. Just make sure not to keep a schedule when letting the dog out if it’s an indoor dog. Fencing must be at least six feet high with the bottom extending 6-12 inches below ground level. Best of luck to you If you have fruit trees near your chicken coop, be on the lookout for fallen fruit. they have a broad range and the birds need secure housing and runs. I'm not sure about the goats. The final layer of predator protection is a gun. Unless you're very familiar with building yourself, it's best to have professionals build your chicken coop. Planting bushes and allowing your chickens access under decks and overhangs is essential when they free range. wikiHow's. Traps can serve as a good potential offense against predators, but be sure to research the safest kind for the animal you need to catch and use them judiciously only when all other measures have failed. I am a podcaster who is starting to put videos out on YouTube. When building your run, make sure you bury hardware mesh at least 2 feet deep around the compound- 4 feet deep would be ideal. Some cats will always target chickens as prey, even when properly introduced. The Bobcat ranked number 9 in our Worst Predator Poll! You do not want to end up electrocuting yourself while building the fence. It is well-known that Llamas are used to protect flocks of sheep with lambs from predators. These 17 tips will help keep your ducks and chickens safe from predators in your back yard. Many of these animals steer clear of civilization; others pose a very real threat to pets. Other tips include: Electric fencing can be a good option for securing poultry. It worked thankfully. As always, prevention is always better than cure and the best way to keep away coyotes from your chicken coop is by ensuring that your chicken coop is coyote proof. Something like this is ideal, placed away from your chicken run. Step 4: Keep your coop and run clean. Image by frank2037. Reinforce the coop windows with tough wire, and the run as well. While you’re removing perch spots which are high up, don’t remove hiding spots for your chickens. Choose from bear urine, bobcat urine and more. Learn tips for creating your most beautiful (and bountiful) garden ever. Coyotes, bobcats, stray dogs, cats, hawks, snakes, skunks, raccoons, possums, ferrets… there is a long list of potential predators that would happily make a meal of your backyard ducks or chickens … wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published, This article was co-authored by our trained team of editors and researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness. As you can imagine, a chicken – or even several chickens – stand no chance against a bobcat if it is able to get close enough to grab a hold of them. Discover how to keep chickens safe from predators the natural way! Their sharp claws come out during the hunt to make the kill. They can often kill the chickens without even realizing or intending it. We reinforced the coop door so the rest are safe, but when I go out in the morning to open the coop there are fresh tracks in the dirt. Bobcats are a massive threat to your chickens as they hunt with a litter. One thing to remember: chicken wire will keep chickens in; hardware mesh will keep predators out. Urine from other species can be beneficial in repelling bobcats and other animals. Like most predators, bobcats can easily muscle through weak points of a fence post or coop. New cats and kittens can be introduced to chickens gradually, especially at a young age. Every day a chicken or goats gets taken away by a bobcat and there is nothing I can do since I am only 15 years old. Coyotes also tend to attack in the nighttime, so you can further prevent them from harming your chickens by keeping them in an enclosed coop after sunset. Bobcats are notorious for leaping at a high level and climbing fences. I don't know much about bobcats so it's to the point where I'm scared to take my dog out at night. There are several ways to set it up. There are other ways to protect poultry and some of them will work for any animal on the farm.
how to keep bobcats away from chickens
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