Predators Love Tasty Chickens

A ruckus from the chicken run startled us. As our hens and rooster rushed around in a wild frenzy, they voiced a racket of distress calls. Running out, we found a red fox with our Rhode Island Red in his mouth, heading for a small hole in the run’s fence. Luckily, he made a mistake. The gap was just big enough for a slim fox but too small for a hen. As we came closer, the fox dropped the squawking, flapping bird, squirted through the hole, and raced for the woods. She lost a few feathers but was otherwise fine. We found some wire and closed that gap the same afternoon.

That close call is a good reminder that chicken predators are everywhere, from farm country to the middle of big cities. Americans eat roughly 100 pounds of chicken per person each year, and plenty of wild and domestic animals share our taste for it. If a predator can reach your flock, sooner or later one will try.

Here is how to read your flock’s alarm, identify the likely culprit, and keep predators out for good.

What Your Flock’s Alarm Calls Are Telling You

Chickens are prey animals, and they are wired to shout about danger. A sudden burst of loud, repeated squawking, with birds scattering or piling into the coop, is the single best early warning you will ever get that a predator is close. In both of the attacks we have had over our years of keeping backyard flocks, the noise is what sent us running.

Roosters are especially vocal sentries. Many keepers notice their rooster gives one kind of call for something overhead, like a hawk, and a different, more cackling call for something on the ground, like a fox or dog. Learn what “normal” sounds like in your run (the egg song, contented chatter), and the alarm will stand out instantly.

If you are deciding whether a rooster is worth the crowing, our post on the pros and cons of keeping a rooster walks through it. Some keepers add a few noisy guinea fowl for the same reason. The guineas at Hoover’s Hatchery are known for raising a racket whenever anything unfamiliar enters the yard.

Which Chicken Predators Are Most Likely to Strike?

The list of animals that will eat a chicken or her eggs is long, but a handful cause most of the trouble. Pet and stray dogs likely pose the most serious threat to backyard chickens, because they can kill several birds, or a whole flock, in a single visit. Our guide to dogs and poultry covers how to keep the family dog and the flock on good terms.

Furry predators

• Red foxes love chicken dinner and will hunt in daylight, especially when feeding kits in spring.
• Coyotes prefer cottontails, rats, and other small mammals, but will take an easy bird.
• Raccoons are powerful, clever climbers with nimble hands that can open simple latches and tear loose wire.
• Opossums rarely kill adult chickens, but will climb into a nest box and eat eggs.
• Mink and weasels are small enough to slip through tiny gaps and can kill several birds at once.

Birds of prey

Most hawks and owls hunt mice, rats, and rabbits. Cooper’s hawks and sharp-shinned hawks, however, specialize in birds. They mostly catch songbirds but will occasionally attack a hen. Our second predator attack was a Cooper’s hawk that grabbed our Brahma hen outside, rode her back into the coop, and killed her there. Bald eagles and some owls will also take chickens now and then.

Quick reference: common predators

Predator	Usually active	Best defense
Dogs	Any time	Tall, solid fence tight to the ground
Foxes, coyotes	Dawn, dusk, night, sometimes day	Stout mesh plus a buried or apron dig guard
Raccoons	Night	Hardware cloth on windows, two-step latches
Weasels, mink	Mostly night	Seal every small gap and crack
Opossums	Night	Close the coop at dusk, collect eggs daily
Hawks, eagles	Day	Covered run, cover to hide under when free ranging
Owls	Night	Birds locked inside after sunset

How Do You Tell Which Predator Attacked?

Often you will not see the culprit. Foxes in particular are wary of people, so you may hear squawking and find a missing bird without ever catching a glimpse. The scene left behind gives useful hints. Clues point you toward a likely suspect, but signs overlap between predators, so treat them as a starting point rather than proof.

• A bird simply gone, with a few feathers: often a fox, coyote, or hawk that carried its catch away.
• Several birds killed but mostly uneaten: common with dogs, and also with weasels and mink.
• Bird partly eaten near the coop, or pulled through wire: raccoons often reach through mesh and grab what they can.
• Eggs missing or broken open in the nest: think opossums, skunks, rats, or snakes.
• A kill in daylight in an open run: a hawk is a strong possibility.

Look for tracks in mud or snow and new holes or digging along the fence line. For help with the smallest, sneakiest hunters, see our guide on how to identify weasels as chicken predators.

Why Shooting and Trapping Rarely Solve the Problem

Lose a hen, and the first reaction is often to shoot or trap the killer. It is an understandable feeling, but it is a failed strategy. Removing one fox or raccoon usually just opens the territory to the next one, so prevention is the only lasting fix. You simply cannot shoot them all.

Firing a gun near homes is a safety hazard and often illegal. Hawks, owls, and eagles are protected by federal and state laws. Check with your state wildlife agency before trapping anything, since rules vary widely.

How to Predator-Proof Your Coop and Run

Most chicken predators hunt at night, so closing the pop-hole door at dusk is the simplest and most effective habit a keeper can build. Chickens roosting in the dark will not flee or fight, which makes an open coop an easy target.

Use stout wire, not chicken wire

Chicken wire keeps chickens in, but it does not keep a determined raccoon or dog out. Use welded wire or half-inch hardware cloth for the run walls and any openings. The fence needs to press tightly against the ground, with no gaps a slim fox can squeeze under, as we learned the hard way.

Stop the diggers

Foxes, dogs, and coyotes will dig to get in. Bury wire about 12 inches deep along the run, or lay an apron of wire flat on the ground extending outward from the base of the fence and pin it down. Animals dig at the fence line, hit the wire, and give up.

Put a roof on the run

A mesh or solid “ceiling” over the entire run is the surefire way to keep hawks and eagles out. Strands of monofilament fishing line crisscrossing the top may also discourage them, though it is less reliable than full cover.

Lock doors and secure windows

• Use two-step latches, such as a carabiner clipped through a hasp, since raccoons can flip simple hooks.
• Cover coop windows with sturdy wire mesh on the outside. In warm months, add mosquito netting on the inside to keep out mosquitoes and gnats, which feed on roosting birds after dark.
• Fill small holes and cracks with caulk or metal scrub pads so weasels and mink cannot slip through.

Clean up the attractants

Store feed in closed metal cans, collect eggs daily, and clear brush piles or tall grass near the coop where predators can hide. If you are shopping for a new setup, the coops from Hoover’s Hatchery are raised off the ground and built from pest-resistant recycled materials. Free-ranging birds need extra planning, so read our tips for protecting your free-range flock too.

What to Do Right After a Predator Attack

After our fox scare, our first job was to check the hen and our second was to close the hole. Every predator attack reveals a weak spot, and the predator will return to it unless you find and fix it the same day.

1. Secure the flock. Get every bird into the coop and count heads.
2. Check each bird closely. Part the feathers and look for punctures, especially under the wings and around the vent. Bite wounds can be small and easy to miss.
3. Separate injured birds. Keep them warm, quiet, and dark to reduce shock, and call a vet who treats poultry for anything deep. Our post on treating wounds in chickens explains basic first aid.
4. Find the entry point. Walk the whole fence, coop, and roof. Repair it before nightfall.
5. Expect a return visit. Keep birds confined for a few days if you have seen a hawk or fox nearby.

If you lose a bird, restocking with a hardy, friendly breed like the Rhode Island Red from Hoover’s Hatchery helps the flock rebound, as long as the gaps are fixed first. For more on fox behavior specifically, read Outfoxing the Fox.

Key takeaways

• Learn your flock’s normal sounds so the alarm call stands out.
• Dogs, foxes, raccoons, weasels, and hawks cause most losses.
• Prevention beats trapping, and raptors are legally protected.
• Use stout wire, a dig guard, a covered run, and two-step latches.
• Lock the coop at dusk, every night.

Frequently Asked Questions

What animal kills chickens but does not eat them?

Dogs are the most common culprit that kills chickens without eating them, often chasing and killing several birds for sport. Weasels and mink also may kill multiple birds and eat little. Raccoons sometimes kill more than they eat, too. Look for tracks and entry holes to narrow down which animal is responsible.

Will a rooster protect hens from predators?

A rooster helps mostly as a lookout. He watches the sky and ground, sounds alarm calls, and herds hens toward cover. Some roosters will fight small threats, but a rooster cannot stop a fox, dog, or raccoon. Think of him as an early warning system, not a replacement for a secure coop and run.

Is chicken wire strong enough to keep predators out?

No. Chicken wire is designed to keep chickens in, and raccoons, dogs, and foxes can tear through it or reach through the openings. Use welded wire or half-inch hardware cloth for run walls, windows, and vents. Make sure the fence meets the ground tightly and add a buried or apron dig guard.

Can I kill a hawk that is attacking my chickens?

No. Hawks, owls, and eagles are protected by federal law in the United States, and state laws add further protection. Harming them can bring serious penalties. Instead, cover the run with mesh, give free-ranging birds shrubs or shelters to hide under, and keep chickens confined for a few days when a hawk is hunting nearby.

Do guinea fowl protect chickens from predators?

Guinea fowl protect chickens mainly by raising a loud racket when anything unfamiliar enters the yard, which alerts both you and your flock. They are not fighters and cannot stop larger predators. Guineas are also noisy all the time, so they suit rural properties better than close neighborhoods.

You cannot remove every predator, but you can make your flock a meal that is not worth the effort. Listen for the alarm, fix weak spots fast, and close the coop every night.