how to keep bobcats away from chickens

December 2, 2020

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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. But bobcats can crawl under fences and are very determined to find their prey at night. 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. These devices use a motion detector which is able to “see” 24 hours a day. Inspect the bottom of the coop and patch any holes where predators could gain entry. Have them interact through a fence or enclosure for a few weeks. A little extravagant for your average backyard poultry keeper but maybe worth thinking about for smallholders. It's important to reinforce the coop with a sturdy material. This is not to keep the chickens in but to keep the predators out. I don't know much about bobcats so it's to the point where I'm scared to take my dog out at night. Unless you're very familiar with building yourself, it's best to have professionals build your chicken coop. It connects to your garden hose and has a stake for sticking it securely in the ground. Use chicken wire or hardware cloth as an effective barrier against predatory birds. 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. They don’t leave much of a trace because they are able to carry your chickens off without much disturbance. Small opening or holes along the coop can make an easy entrance for small predators alike. 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 are notorious for leaping at a high level and climbing fences. If you have fruit trees near your chicken coop, be on the lookout for fallen fruit. 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. This article was co-authored by our trained team of editors and researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness. Live traps are another option, but many chicken owners choose to avoid this until they’ve directly observed a predator attacking their flock. When you see chickens wander into your garden, give them a quick spray with a standard garden hose. You should also make sure to release animals like skunks and raccoons far away from other people's homes. You can also train Great Danes, Dobermans, Great Pyrenees, or any other large dog to get along with your chickens to discourage foraging bobcats and other predators. So, what animals should you protect your chickens against? Guineas are not quiet animals, and you cannot train them to pipe down like you can with (some) dogs. There are 12 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. Manage your chickens' eating and sleeping routine to keep them safe. Add an angle at the top facing outward at 45 degrees, and 16 inches in width. The bobcat could be lured to your yard by the smell of the chickens, so keeping the coop extra clean will help. But you must do it every night, for it only takes once for a raccoon to get in and destroy your flock. The first method is to have a static coop and run an electric wire around the bottom of the coop in such a way that even digging predators cannot get in. Dig a trench 12 inches deep around the entire coop and bury hardware cloth there. I'm not sure about the goats. 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. To learn how to use a cat or dog to guard your chickens, scroll down! You can accomplish this by manually shutting and locking the coop door yourself or by assigning the task to others. 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. Squirrels are said capable of carrying diseases that pass on through their urine, such as Weil's Disease. Like domestic cats, bobcats have excellent vision, even at night time. Avoid chicken wire, as this material is designed to keep chickens in rather than keeping predators out. Discover how to keep chickens safe from predators the natural way! Put a roof on it. Or you can bury the hardware cloth straight down 12-18 inches deep into the ground. There are other ways to protect poultry and some of them will work for any animal on the farm. Others, such as skunks, will just eat chicken eggs and will leave the hens alone. If you are new to raising chickens, you might not even be aware of what predators are around. Bobcats can also use their claws in any openings of your coop to snatch chickens. Install Motion-Activated Lights You can also invest in traps and guard dogs to repel predators. One thing to remember: chicken wire will keep chickens in; hardware mesh will keep predators out. Simply sprinkle or spray on ground. However, they are most likely to attack your flock during daylight hours. 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! Another option is an automatic coop door. Just make sure not to keep a schedule when letting the dog out if it’s an indoor dog. When a hawk tries to dive through the wire or mesh, it becomes entangled, and your chickens have time to run away. This will prevent digging predators. Learn more... Chickens can be very vulnerable to predators such as foxes, coyotes, and other carnivores. The Bobcat ranked number 9 in our Worst Predator Poll! It's important to repair damages and to reinforce the coop with chicken wire. Provide lots of hiding spots. The final layer of predator protection is a gun. Instead, invest in a welded wire hardware cloth. They will chase off everything from the mailman to coyotes. 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. By using our site, you agree to our. Some cats will always target chickens as prey, even when properly introduced. Lauren Arcuri is a freelance writer and an experienced small farmer. A determined, hungry animal can and will break through chicken wire. If you find that the chicken wire holes/opening are too wide, and the wire infirm, upgrade to 1/4" hardware cloth. Hawks can be hard on a flock of chickens. I realized it was a hawk and pointed it out to my dogs so they’d begin to bark and scare it away. Many of these animals steer clear of civilization; others pose a very real threat to pets. If you are not up for getting a dog, guinea fowl are also great guardians of the flock. Smart chickens learn quickly to take cover if danger is circling overhead. Protecting chickens requires a little forethought and some regular maintenance. How do I get it to stop coming in our yard? 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. Mow the grass or field near or around the coop. wikiHow's. It is well-known that Llamas are used to protect flocks of sheep with lambs from predators. It worked thankfully. If you have a serious problem with hawks and owls, consider covering the chicken run with hawk netting. Please help! Step 4: Keep your coop and run clean. Image by frank2037. Generally, any creature can pass on disease to poultry, especially wild rodents. Their sense of smell and eyesight is keen for hunting at night or during the day. New cats and kittens can be introduced to chickens gradually, especially at a young age. It is similar to chicken wire but sturdier. You might want to electrify the perimeter. There are several ways to set it up. Purchase a humane and specifically-built trap from a hardware or ranch store to trap any imposing snakes that enter the coop. Just be sure you have given equally serious consideration to safety and obey all laws. Last Updated: September 8, 2020 Clean up any food scraps that the chickens do not eat before nightfall. 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. You may need to invest in a taller fence, and ensure your chickens' run has a roof over the top. 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. Best of luck to you Other tips include: Electric fencing can be a good option for securing poultry. Urine from other species can be beneficial in repelling bobcats and other animals. Here are some ways you can keep bobcats out of your yard, away from your property and out of your chicken coop: Natural Deterrents. they have a broad range and the birds need secure housing and runs. 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. Also, strengthen your chicken coop to keep the bobcats out. Keep your compost pile far away from the coop. 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. A given area will typically have just a few predators around, and the ones that are present may naturally … 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 … If you use a chicken run, it should have a secure cover to keep hawks from swooping inside. Instead, invest in a welded wire hardware cloth. Please help us continue to provide you with our trusted how-to guides and videos for free by whitelisting wikiHow on your ad blocker. Then, try a face-to-face interaction in which the chicken and cat are both restrained. You do not want to end up electrocuting yourself while building the fence. If the weasel was not dispatched it is highly likely it would have come back night after night to feast on nicely fatted hens. Like most carnivores, bobcats are exceedingly shy, reclusive and rarely seen. I am a podcaster who is starting to put videos out on YouTube. Llamas apparently keep foxes away by driving them off. Clean out the coop every day since uneaten chicken feed can attract predators. You should bury about six inches of fencing wire under the ground to protect your chickens. 9) Bobcats. Build the right structures to keep predators out. 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. 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. Reinforce the coop windows with tough wire, and the run as well. Do not leave small pets outdoors unattended or in a poorly-enclosed yard. All cats are different. Fencing must be at least six feet high with the bottom extending 6-12 inches below ground level. 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. Avoid chicken wire, as this material is designed to keep chickens in rather than keeping predators out. Can you keep them in a barn instead of a pen? Ensure your coop is less attractive to coyotes as much as possible by eliminating garbage and dog food from your coop. If you're not familiar with building fences or working with electronics, have the fence installed professionally. 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. Guns can serve a purpose on the homestead and a farm. It's completely enclosed. Bobcats are a massive threat to your chickens as they hunt with a litter. Consider motion-controlled spraying as well. If you really can’t stand to see another ad again, then please consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. The first order of business is to have a secure coop with a door that shuts securely at night. It is hard to determine if a hawk has preyed upon your chickens. An open field without cover is a deterrent to predators. 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. Like most predators, bobcats can easily muscle through weak points of a fence post or coop. References. Bury it a few inches below the ground's surface. If you have such a pond and want to keep bobcats from fishing out prize turtles or fish, set up a MOTION ACTIVATED WATER SPRAYER. Their sharp claws come out during the hunt to make the kill. Chickens can be out during the day but return to the coop which is locked at night to insure their safety. Start off by inspecting the coop for damaged or weakening wood that could be used as access points by snakes. Learn tips for creating your most beautiful (and bountiful) garden ever. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. Mow the grass or field near or around the coop. If you do not give this issue attention, unfortunately, you may have a gruesome discovery come morning when you feed the flock. Bobcats are notorious for leaping at a high level and climbing fences. Bobcats do not usually threaten people, though they may occasionally snatch a chicken or turkey from a farmer's barnyard. We know ads can be annoying, but they’re what allow us to make all of wikiHow available for free. So, how do you protect your flock so you do not have to worry about losing your poultry stock to raccoons, dogs, weasels, hawks, and more? 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. There is a catch about dogs, however. Something like this is ideal, placed away from your chicken run. Planting bushes and allowing your chickens access under decks and overhangs is essential when they free range. They can often kill the chickens without even realizing or intending it. How I protect my chickens from predators in my context. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/2\/2f\/Protect-Chickens-from-Feral-Animals-Step-1-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Protect-Chickens-from-Feral-Animals-Step-1-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/2\/2f\/Protect-Chickens-from-Feral-Animals-Step-1-Version-2.jpg\/aid100128-v4-728px-Protect-Chickens-from-Feral-Animals-Step-1-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":"728","bigHeight":"546","licensing":"

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