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 discovered a red fox with our Rhode Island Red in his mouth. The fox was heading for a small hole in the run’s fence. Fortunately, he made a mistake.
The gap in the fence was just big enough for the slim fox to enter but too small for the hen to fit through. With us approaching, the fox dropped the terrified and wildly flapping and squawking hen, squirted through the hole and raced for the woods. The shaken-up hen had lost a few feathers but was unhurt. We found some wire and closed the fence gap.
The average person eats 103 pounds of tasty chicken every year. Many predators share our love of the delicious meat and raid a coop if they can. Protecting the flock from them is essential.
In our years tending backyard flocks the fox incident was one of only two predator attacks. The other was deadly. One afternoon another ruckus came from the coop. A Cooper’s Hawk had attacked our Brahma hen outside and ridden on her back as she panicked and ran into the coop. Rich found the hawk on top of the dead hen. After chasing the raptor out, he snapped a picture of the headless victim and buried her out back.
Guns and Traps
Lose chickens to a predator and a common reaction is to shoot or trap the killer. It’s a failed strategy. Yup, it’s possible to shoot a raccoon or fox, but others quickly appear. You just can’t shoot them all. Unleashing a bullet can pose a safety hazard and is often illegal. Preventing predators from accessing chickens is the most effective permanent solution.
Thwarting Predators
Furry Animals: Pet or stray dogs likely pose the most serious threat to backyard chickens. They kill chickens, sometimes a whole flock. Several species of wild mammals also pose a threat. Foxes love chicken dinner. Coyotes prefer eating cottontails, rats, and other mammals but will eat an easy to catch bird. Opossums don’t usually kill chickens but will climb into a nest and lunch on eggs. Mink and weasels sometimes are chicken killers. Prevention: Keep predators away from the flock. A solid fence of stout wire mesh that presses tightly against the ground keeps out mammals that can’t climb, like red foxes, coyotes, and dogs.
Most predators work the night shift, so closing the pop hole door at dusk keeps sleeping hens safe. Raccoons are amazingly powerful and agile climbers that sometimes enter through coop windows. To keep them outside, we cover windows with stout wire mesh. Weasels squeeze through small holes and cracks. Filling them with caulking or metal scrub pads keeps them outside.
Birds: Most hawks and owls target mice, rats, cottontails and other small mammals but not all. Cooper and Sharp Shinned hawks are bird eaters, preying mostly on songbirds but sometimes they will attack a hen. Bald eagles prefer eating fish but occasionally will kill a chicken. Some owls will kill chickens but owls are almost exclusively night hunters when chickens are locked up. Prevention: Since owls are night hunters, chickens tucked safely in their coop after sunset eliminates their threat. A surefire way to keep raptors away from chickens is to install a mesh or solid wood “ceiling” over the entire run. Stringing monofilament fishing line criss crossing the top of the run may also discourage them.
Please note that raptors are protected by federal and state laws.
Bugs: Not all chicken predators have claws, teeth or talons. Perhaps the most troublesome animals who enjoy chicken blood are mosquitoes and gnats. They’re mostly active after dark. Prevention: Keeping the chickens inside after dark with windows covered with mosquito netting keeps bugs out. Windows need two coverings during warm months. A stout mesh wire on the outside of windows excludes raccoons and one of mosquito netting placed on the inside of the window keeps out bugs.
Chicken predators are everywhere. Raccoons and opossums even live in big cities. Dogs are everywhere. Keeping them away from a flock is the best way to keep chickens safe.