Raccoon killing chickens install#
Raccoon killing chickens windows#

A picnic table placed in the run also gives birds a safe haven from the bright sun and overhead predators. They are safer when the run provides some overhead cover.Ī few shrubs planted in the run give chickens places to safely loiter beneath their intertwined branches. Small outdoor runs can feature a roof that also keeps rain and snow off the ground.Ĭhickens, like rabbits and other prey species, recognize that danger can come from the sky. A sure-fire way to keep raptors from snatching an occasional chicken is to cover the run with wire mesh. Light breed chickens are adept flyers and a six or eight-foot-tall fence may be needed to confine them. Usually, a stout four-foot-tall fence will prevent heavy chicken breeds from flying over it while excluding dogs and foxes. Preparing the run in two ways will reduce predation.įirst, confine the flock with a sturdy fence that keeps chickens in and dogs out. Mink, foxes, and weasels are occasionally active during daylight hours but raccoons, opossums, and skunks rarely are.

Preventing daytime predators from snatching chickens is more challenging as the birds are often outside.ĭogs are probably the major daytime chicken killers, but several species of hawks may also prey on hens.

Raccoon killing chickens install#

Install a sensor-activated light that turns on as a hungry raccoon approaches.

The fewer places they have to hide the less likely they are to invade. Piles of firewood, debris, old vacant sheds, and brush piles offer predators a safe haven as they approach.

Eliminate predator hiding places near the coop.

A concrete coop floor prevents this type of entry, but wire mesh placed on a dirt floor beneath litter and tacked to the coop’s sidewalls also works.

Watch for signs of animals digging tunnels under the coop walls.

Fill in any holes or cracks in walls or around doors with concrete, caulking, wire, or expanding foam.

One half-inch square hardware cloth thwarts raccoons and even keeps mink out. Raccoons can tear through hexagonal chicken wire, so the stronger wire is essential.

Raccoon killing chickens windows#

Cover all windows with sturdy wire mesh.At dusk and when you plan to be away until after dark, close and securely latch all doors, especially the pop hole door.SOME WAYS TO KEEP PREDATORS OUT OF THE COOP INCLUDE: That can be easier said than done since a mink can ooze through a one-inch diameter hole while weasels can fit through even smaller cracks. The solution is making entry nearly impossible. Once they get inside predators can easily pluck a plump hen off the roost. Chickens come inside at dusk and are almost comatose when sleeping.

The best defense against night shift chicken snatchers is a sturdy tight coop. Most chicken losses occur at night when raccoons, skunks, opossums, owls, mink, and weasels are most likely to prowl. Preventing predation is far more effective than shooting or trapping an animal or two. Shotguns and traps are sometimes used but killing a chicken-eating fox or raccoon can be both illegal and dangerous. Often the first reaction that a flock owner has when birds are killed is to seek revenge. Raccoons are surprisingly abundant even in New York City! Raccoons and domestic dogs probably kill more chickens than any other animals and live in both rural and urban areas. No flock is completely safe from some carnivorous species that would like to eat them. Humans aren’t the only animal that enjoys a delicious chicken dinner chicken predators like foxes, coyotes, raccoons, dogs, mink, owls, and some hawks also find chickens a meaty, easy-to-catch meal.ĭiscovering chickens killed by a mink or carried off by a fox is frustrating.