How to protect chickens from predators. Peterson & James. Rescued Roosters at CHOE.
Here are the ways I have successfully kept predators away from my free range chickens. Free ranging chickens is a dangerous proposition for chickens where I live out on the Brazos River and a weak security system puts all of them at risk. I have found ways to protect my free ranging birds as well as my coop and run chickens. There are many benefits to free ranging chickens because they have more access to fresh ground, greens, and insects but they are also at the mercy of predators without some type of predator protection. Even if you have a good hen house and sturdy covered run your chickens could be in danger from predators. Some predators are stubborn and smart like a raccoon who can figure out how to open your electric chicken coop door or locks (I use a hasp lock and padlock), or a fox who finds a weak board, a loose shingle, or digs under, the coop to get in, or a skunk who can squeeze through some fencing (like the one pictured with Peterson and James), or dig into the coop. Hawks are known to swoop down and snatch chickens even with their owner standing nearby. You can protect your chickens from predators with my tips below which I have learned from experience in this predator prone area where I live. See a list of possible predators and how to stop them, plus hen saver aprons, best buys on Predator Protection for Chickens, plus watch the featured video: How to Protect Your Chickens From Predators.
Ways to Protect Your Chickens From Predators
Hardware cloth wire prevents predators from reaching through wire and grabbing birds off roosts. Ms. Vanilla 2 (Sexlink hen) and her baby chicks. CHOE 2019.
Safe Chicken Coop & Run
The most important way to keep your chickens safe is to keep them in a secure chicken coop. Keeping your chickens safe from predators involves getting a solar powered electric fencing, buying/or building a predator proof chicken coop, putting a skirt of hardware cloth around the bottom of your coop and run making sure you cover all windows and openings with hardware cloth. Put a secure cover over your hen house and use hardware cloth over the sides and top of any outdoor day runs.
Roosters
I have many hens and many roosters. I keep approx. 6-12 hens per rooster to reduce fighting among the roo's. My roosters do a good job protecting their hens. I have seen them call out to the hens to alert them that a hawk or other wild bird is flying or circling nearby and usually before the wild bird gets overhead of the hens, giving them plenty of time to run for cover. I have seen my roosters attack animals (and people) that they knew or felt did not belong near the hens. Most roosters will fight to the death to protect their ladies.
Security Camera's
How much protection your chickens need depends on what type of predators are in your area. I use outdoor cameras to identify what type of predator is after my chickens. I use Blink XT Home Security Camera System with Motion Detection which have HD video, 2 year battery life, cloud storage, and a cover for the top to protect the camera from bad weather which comes with a 360 degree wall mount.
Traps
Use live traps, strategically placed. Most predators (especially skunks) take the same path each time they visit your coop. Look for tell tale signs like feces that are not chicken poop, a pathway, holes dug under fencing, holes inside the coop or run. Place the trap on the path that the predator takes, bait it, and wait. Make sure you do not have any perfume, cologne, lotions or anything with a foreign scent on your hands. Wear gloves but not new gloves and rub them in the dirt before handling and while baiting the trap so that the predator does not pick up your scent.
Guard dogs
The Great Pyrenee dogs are well known as livestock guardian dogs. My neighbor has one. They are large dogs that will alert you if a person or predator is on your property. Many people have told me that these are the best dogs to protect your chickens. I have 3 small dogs (2 dachshunds and a mini doberman pincer chihuahua mix) who do an excellent job of keeping skunks away and cornering skunks who brave their way past the barking which gives me an opportunity to dispose of the skunk.
Donkey
Donkeys have a natural pack instinct. If you have more than one donkey it is less likely to protect your chickens, intentionally. I have a gelded male donkey who thinks the chickens are his pack. I had a severe raccoon and coyote problem before I got him and since he has been here for the past few years there has been no incidences of raccoons or coyotes on the property. The downside, keep the donkey away from the feed, he or she will eat all of it. A donkey will also chew on plants, trees, and shrubbery. Don't leave a donkey alone with your chickens until you are sure he has bonded with them. A donkey is well known for stomping or kicking anything they deem as a threat. I made a pen for my donkey (named Shrek) which surrounds my chickens 3 bedroom trailer house chicken coop. He is a gelded male and larger than most donkeys.
Farm Cats
I have cats which were raised around my chickens who help to control mice, rats, and gopher populations (my cats have just about eliminated all of mine-I have not seen one in over a year). Most snakes will not come around where cats hang out (no rodents-no snakes). I had to find homes for a few of the cats because they were eating eggs . I never leave my baby chicks or young pullets unattended or outside of their coop and run to reduce the chances of tempting my cats. I feed them well but they are natural born hunters (Find out more about cats and chickens).
Predator Lights
I use solar powered predator lights to deter predators away from my property. I had a possum and fox problem for several years but since installing predator lights all over the property a couple years back, there has not been one incidence of possum or fox attacks. Even when my neighbors (on all sides) who keep chickens and ducks took heavy losses from a fox who brutally slaughtered their foxes, my chickens remained safe. This is the kind I use: https://amzn.to/2SjatK4
Electric fencing
I installed solar powered electric fencing, and keep a close eye on my chickens. I do not use electric fencing near baby chicks and do not recommend using electric fencing as the main way to keep chickens in and predators out. Even on the lowest voltage, baby chicks will die if they touch it. Adult birds can also die if they get tangled in it. I put the electric fence around my property or around the outside of a fenced in area where the chickens are kept so they do not come in contact with it.
I also plant garlic, rosemary, lemon balm, oregano, and thyme all around the outside of the fence line to deter predators and keep a donkey on premises to ward off coyotes as I live in an area on the Brazos River in Texas where there are several packs of them living and hunting nearby. Their howls at night make my hair stand on end when I think of how quickly they could overtake my flock of unsuspecting chickens. I have known may people who use a goose to protect the birds inside the coop at night. I have also noticed that the more I go in and around my chicken coops, the less predators I get. I tend to make "pop in" visits at night by setting my alarm to wake me up at different times and then I go look inside my coops and walk around them. In so doing, I have been able to actually see several types of predators in action (snakes, raccoons, possums, skunks) and was able to trap or kill them before any real damage was done to my chickens.
Bird X Ultrasonic Bird Repeller
I have a serious hawk problem in my area and I am extremely serious about protecting my chickens particularly since people bring their chickens here to Chicken Heaven On Earth Sanctuary so I spare no expense when it comes to keeping them safe. I have been using the Bird X Ultrasonic Bird Repeller for the past year. During this time, I have seen hawks who come near my property but no longer come onto the property and not one of my chickens have been taken by hawks since I started using it. I also think it repels other predators, more than what it says. My dogs and cats no longer follow me into my trailer house chicken coop and none of my eggs are being stolen by them anymore. I had a severe skunk problem, raccoon problem, fox, and coyote problem but since I have had this not one of these predators have approached my chicken house. Too me it is worth the money but this is a very expensive option to protect your chickens. I use it in combination with Bird X Scare Eye balloons, predator nite eyes, cameras, and electric fencing.
The most important way to keep your chickens safe is to keep them in a secure chicken coop. Keeping your chickens safe from predators involves getting a solar powered electric fencing, buying/or building a predator proof chicken coop, putting a skirt of hardware cloth around the bottom of your coop and run making sure you cover all windows and openings with hardware cloth. Put a secure cover over your hen house and use hardware cloth over the sides and top of any outdoor day runs.
Roosters
I have many hens and many roosters. I keep approx. 6-12 hens per rooster to reduce fighting among the roo's. My roosters do a good job protecting their hens. I have seen them call out to the hens to alert them that a hawk or other wild bird is flying or circling nearby and usually before the wild bird gets overhead of the hens, giving them plenty of time to run for cover. I have seen my roosters attack animals (and people) that they knew or felt did not belong near the hens. Most roosters will fight to the death to protect their ladies.
Security Camera's
How much protection your chickens need depends on what type of predators are in your area. I use outdoor cameras to identify what type of predator is after my chickens. I use Blink XT Home Security Camera System with Motion Detection which have HD video, 2 year battery life, cloud storage, and a cover for the top to protect the camera from bad weather which comes with a 360 degree wall mount.
Traps
Use live traps, strategically placed. Most predators (especially skunks) take the same path each time they visit your coop. Look for tell tale signs like feces that are not chicken poop, a pathway, holes dug under fencing, holes inside the coop or run. Place the trap on the path that the predator takes, bait it, and wait. Make sure you do not have any perfume, cologne, lotions or anything with a foreign scent on your hands. Wear gloves but not new gloves and rub them in the dirt before handling and while baiting the trap so that the predator does not pick up your scent.
Guard dogs
The Great Pyrenee dogs are well known as livestock guardian dogs. My neighbor has one. They are large dogs that will alert you if a person or predator is on your property. Many people have told me that these are the best dogs to protect your chickens. I have 3 small dogs (2 dachshunds and a mini doberman pincer chihuahua mix) who do an excellent job of keeping skunks away and cornering skunks who brave their way past the barking which gives me an opportunity to dispose of the skunk.
Donkey
Donkeys have a natural pack instinct. If you have more than one donkey it is less likely to protect your chickens, intentionally. I have a gelded male donkey who thinks the chickens are his pack. I had a severe raccoon and coyote problem before I got him and since he has been here for the past few years there has been no incidences of raccoons or coyotes on the property. The downside, keep the donkey away from the feed, he or she will eat all of it. A donkey will also chew on plants, trees, and shrubbery. Don't leave a donkey alone with your chickens until you are sure he has bonded with them. A donkey is well known for stomping or kicking anything they deem as a threat. I made a pen for my donkey (named Shrek) which surrounds my chickens 3 bedroom trailer house chicken coop. He is a gelded male and larger than most donkeys.
Farm Cats
I have cats which were raised around my chickens who help to control mice, rats, and gopher populations (my cats have just about eliminated all of mine-I have not seen one in over a year). Most snakes will not come around where cats hang out (no rodents-no snakes). I had to find homes for a few of the cats because they were eating eggs . I never leave my baby chicks or young pullets unattended or outside of their coop and run to reduce the chances of tempting my cats. I feed them well but they are natural born hunters (Find out more about cats and chickens).
Predator Lights
I use solar powered predator lights to deter predators away from my property. I had a possum and fox problem for several years but since installing predator lights all over the property a couple years back, there has not been one incidence of possum or fox attacks. Even when my neighbors (on all sides) who keep chickens and ducks took heavy losses from a fox who brutally slaughtered their foxes, my chickens remained safe. This is the kind I use: https://amzn.to/2SjatK4
Electric fencing
I installed solar powered electric fencing, and keep a close eye on my chickens. I do not use electric fencing near baby chicks and do not recommend using electric fencing as the main way to keep chickens in and predators out. Even on the lowest voltage, baby chicks will die if they touch it. Adult birds can also die if they get tangled in it. I put the electric fence around my property or around the outside of a fenced in area where the chickens are kept so they do not come in contact with it.
I also plant garlic, rosemary, lemon balm, oregano, and thyme all around the outside of the fence line to deter predators and keep a donkey on premises to ward off coyotes as I live in an area on the Brazos River in Texas where there are several packs of them living and hunting nearby. Their howls at night make my hair stand on end when I think of how quickly they could overtake my flock of unsuspecting chickens. I have known may people who use a goose to protect the birds inside the coop at night. I have also noticed that the more I go in and around my chicken coops, the less predators I get. I tend to make "pop in" visits at night by setting my alarm to wake me up at different times and then I go look inside my coops and walk around them. In so doing, I have been able to actually see several types of predators in action (snakes, raccoons, possums, skunks) and was able to trap or kill them before any real damage was done to my chickens.
Bird X Ultrasonic Bird Repeller
I have a serious hawk problem in my area and I am extremely serious about protecting my chickens particularly since people bring their chickens here to Chicken Heaven On Earth Sanctuary so I spare no expense when it comes to keeping them safe. I have been using the Bird X Ultrasonic Bird Repeller for the past year. During this time, I have seen hawks who come near my property but no longer come onto the property and not one of my chickens have been taken by hawks since I started using it. I also think it repels other predators, more than what it says. My dogs and cats no longer follow me into my trailer house chicken coop and none of my eggs are being stolen by them anymore. I had a severe skunk problem, raccoon problem, fox, and coyote problem but since I have had this not one of these predators have approached my chicken house. Too me it is worth the money but this is a very expensive option to protect your chickens. I use it in combination with Bird X Scare Eye balloons, predator nite eyes, cameras, and electric fencing.
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