Mention the word predator to a backyard flock owner and they’ll likely conjure mental images of a hungry raccoon, fox, or owl carrying off a favorite hen  

Mini predators? They’re the tiny wild animals that don’t directly kill chickens but filch expensive feed, make a mess, and possibly introduce diseases and parasites Mice and House Sparrows are the major culprits, helped occasionally by starlings and rats

It’s probably impossible to completely eliminate these hungry animals, but there are ways to keep their numbers down The fewer sparrows and mice the safer the flock