Hello everyone, My chickens were attacked in the night of April 30, 01. I lost 13 altogether, the turn latch was torn off the house and the cinder block moved two feet from the door. All hens/roosters were missing except two, which were found dead. 5 birds, including my ducks survived. I reported this to the agriculture dept. and they sent an investigator...found coyote hair all through the feathers. Has anyone had this problem? How far will a coyote go to get at the birds? Every night I locked them up with turn latches and this cinder block by the door. Now Ive installed a padlock, a bolt lock two turn latches and several safety hook and eyes. Ive put every window under locks too. I thought next I'd electric fence the yard, and put out a motion sensor/light. I'm afraid of an attack in the day as I'm at work...do they do this? Ive been hanging dirty laundry allover the outside fencing to deter them with my scent....until I put up the electric fencing. Please, someone tell me of a like experience and what the solution is!! I was heartbroken when I lost my hens my rooster ( a pet) and all my new babies. I saw a coyote 2 weeks before this standing 300 feet away at noon!!Thanks.

-- Michele Rae Padgett (michelesmelodyfarm@Yahoo.com), May 06, 2001

Answers

Coyotes will try to get poultry day or night and have been known to do most anything to get in a coop if they are hungry. We have a coyote problem and have given up on ducks and chickens for the moment - they don't bother the geese at all though except for one winter when the pond froze before we could get them up to the yard and we lost a couple then.

We have a family of fox that have a den in our big barn and they finished off the few ducks we had. I haven't had the heart to shoot them as up until this year the fox have left everything alone. The horses, cows and sheep all seem to think the fox belong here.

-- beckie (sunshine_horses@yahoo.com), May 06, 2001.

Here in western Oklahoma we have coyote problems constantly. We keep our chickens and ducks locked up at night but they free range during the day. We have coyotes come up in the yard during the day, stealing whatever they can catch. This seems to run in spurts, we might lose 3 in a week and then have no problems for months. I do know that the young coyotes are learning how to hunt around November, and they are braver or dumber than the old ones. They really cause trouble. Through our wildlife department, we have a county trapper that we can call to remove problem coyotes. It might take him a few days, but it really helps. He uses live traps and relocates them-to where I do not know. You might see if your Wildlife department has such a program. Good luck!!!!

-- cowgirlone (cowgirlone47@hotmail.com), May 06, 2001.

Hello Michele, We have coyotes here in southern Missouri also. The best thing we have that keeps them from coming into the homestead area is two dogs! They will sound off a chorus of howls and yelps as soon as the coyotes pass near the area in the woods. That has been enough to keep them from attacking the chickens. Sincerely, Ernest

-- http://communities.msn.com/livingoffthelandintheozarks (espresso42@hotmail.com), May 06, 2001.

Fairly recently someone on the forum said they incorporated a live trap into their coop. Just cut a hole in a corner and secured the trap at the opening. Predators think they have found free access to the coop. Probably might not work with older, more experienced, coyotes, but might get the young ones, plus other predators.

Have also been told you can get a couple of blocks of the foam used in the bottom of floral displays. Cut it up into strips about 1"x1"x6". Boil bacon fat in water and then soak the strips in it. Like dogs, coyotes gulp down their food. Once in their stomachs they cannot digest the strips, resulting in intestional blockage and eventual death. While this isn't humane, sometimes the situation calls for drastic measures.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), May 07, 2001.

We have two great pyrennese dogs to protect our stock. We get woken up at night a lot, but have never lost chickens from the coop or lambs from the pasture. Several neighbors have had their chickens wiped out.

Warning about Ken's idea - don't do it if you already have a dog!

-- David C (fleece@eritter.net), May 07, 2001.

Speaking of coyotes, my friend just lost two Border Collies. Apparently a neighbor decided to leave poison on a calf carcass to rid the area of any coyotes. Her dogs were the unlucky ones!! By the way, the neighbor lives five miles from her and the carcass was less than one mile away from her home.

-- cowgirlone (cowgirlone47@hotmail.com), May 07, 2001.

When we built our coop we buried pieces of hog panels about 1 foot deep, and our coop is relatively close to the house, so I think all the activity may keep them at bay. We do however, see footprints around our sheep barn, but no attacks by coyotes. We have more sheep kills due to neighbor dogs than anything else.

You can't always make your place fort knox.

Good luck.

-- jennifer (schwabauer@aol.com), May 07, 2001.

Coyotes will go to any lengths to get anything. They take rabbits, chickens, cats, dogs, whatever. Wire and wood don't stop them. Bullets do....

You know me... hate shooting ANYTHING I'm not going to eat. However, there are times when that is your only choice. Don't poison - you will kill off millions of other things. Do load your gun.

In some places coyotes are actually a 'protected' species, but not when they decimate livestock of any kind. I believe (but CHECK) that if attacking your stock, you can shoot them without recourse.

-- Sue Diederich (willow666@rocketmail.com), May 07, 2001.

Michele, live about half way between Houston and Austin, Tx. We really hear the coyotes howl every night but never lost a chicken to them except when we allow them to sleep in the trees and the coyotes get them when they jump down from the trees early in the morning. I lock mine up at night. When I think I might be somewhere until after dark, and don't lock the door, I leave a light on just outside the door to the roosting area and leave a radio or tape player on inside the roosting area. Hope this might give you and idea that helps. Eagle

-- eagle (eagle@alpha1.net), May 08, 2001.

Thankyou allwho responded... I am busy putting up electric fencing; and also bending 3/8" rebar and driving it into the ground to hold the fence down. A motion sensor/light will also help, hopefully. The dirty drawers on the fence look pretty bad.... what is hog panels?

-- Michele Rae Padgett (michelesmelodyfarm@Yahoo.com), May 10, 2001.

Michele, Hog panels are metal fence panels about 3 feet tall and 16 feet long. They have smaller holes along the bottom to keep piglets from escaping. You can use them for a quick pen for almost any animal. I wire them to metal T posts for my hogs and sheep. Good luck!!

-- cowgirlone (cowgirlone47@hotmail.net), May 10, 2001.

i'm going to try a motion-sensored "singing fish on a plaque" to disturb the great-horned owl who keeps killing my chickens. he's gotten the ones that like to roost in the trees at night. other than shooting him, (he is protected), i don't know what else to do. any suggestions appreciated. the other chickens are locked up at night and my dog is only a puppy. My other dog was great, but ran off.

-- gg (gloria@riverbendlodge.com), November 19, 2001.