
This stunning photograph was taken by Stephanie Riggan as this defiant bird of prey prepared to devour their favorite backyard chicken, a medium-sized silkie hen. The attack came in broad daylight and quite unexpectedly, as many predator attacks do. Even a direct dousing with a high pressure water hose could not drive him away from a warm meal. Eventually, resignation to NATURES WAY allowed this young hawk to complete his meal in peace, with the family sadly contemplating additional precautions for the rest of the flock.
EVERYBODY LOVES CHICKEN!!! So when you acquire your first few chicks or hens, consider that not only friends but FOES will be surveying your area as a new food source!! A few simple precautions are in order to protect your new fancy flock of family members.
ADHERE to SOME SIMPLE CHICKEN HOUSE RULES
There are many ways to deter predators, and establishing a routine with your backyard flock is one of the easiest ways to do it.
~ BE SURE to securely close and LOCK THE COOP doors, hatches or pop holes EACH NIGHT. This is especially important when you have younger birds or if you are integrating new birds into an existing flock. Chickens like to have a safe roosting area at night and the lock-in establishes where YOU prefer that they be. Most chickens retire to the hen house at night, but any birds who resist and try to roam may be easily trained if you are consistent about putting them away.
~Do a head count twice a day - everyday. Doing a simple count each day assures that you are aware of the quality and condition of your birds. A missing bird or chick quickly alerts you that a predator could be at work.
~ Keep nesting boxes well above the ground in a secure area inside the coop enclosure. Eggs and small chicks are perfect prey for snakes and even rats if the nesting area is too close to the ground.
~ WISELY MANAGE YOUR FEED OUTLAY. Wasted food scraps, vegetable rinds and ends, broken eggs or wet food on the ground is very attractive to any number of pests. A particular problem here at The Farmhouse and all over Florida, feed on the ground attracts and encourages huge nests of FIRE ANTS which are then difficult to get rid of without dangerous pesticides in, near and around the birds.
~ OVERALL CLEANLINESS discourages PROBLEMS! From time to time, you may inexplicably lose one of your chickens. PROMPTLY remove any carcass, broken eggs or excessive feathers (during molt) from the coop. The scent of an expired animal is very attractive to predators such as foxes, skunks, dogs and even bears. Many of these animals are scavengers and carrion makes for an easy meal. This type of predator quickly returns to transform ALL of your flock into carrion!!
~ Most predators have sharpened olfactory receptors to locate prey. Products like DOG-B-GONE and SerpentGuard are formulated to offend the senses and drive away animal intruders. Hunters often use urine to attract or conceal their presence with quarry because it is such a strong, message filled scent marker. Human urine lightly sprinkled around the chicken coop has been used to drive away cats, coyotes and foxes and is used in much the same way that hunters do - a natural repellent. CAREFUL not to use too much or your coop will be HUMAN REPELLENT as well!!!
KNOW YOUR PREDATOR!
Predators range in all shapes and sizes from the lowly yard snake to the Florida Black Bear. In a residential setting, however, the more common marauder is the neighbor's free roaming cat or digging dog. Make sure that a perimeter fence has no loose boards or link connections. Look for low areas where stray pets or wildlife can pass through or are encouraged to dig under. Feral or free roaming cats can be easily deterred by a strand of hot wire placed at the top of the fence.
Hawks are also very active chicken predators. Most birds of prey, including hawks and owls, are state and/or federally protected species. Harsh penalties are imposed if you try to take permanent, lethal action in discouraging their forays. Hawks and owls hunt animals as small as mice and bugs from the air so they are equipped with remarkable, binocular vision - able to focus in and out rapidly to efficiently track their next meal. A photograph such as the one above is VERY RARE. Usually when a hawk attacks, the only clue that you have is a scattered pile of residual feathers and very little else.
One of the most effective ways to discourage air raids from this shrewd avian menace is to place items that they find to be visually disturbing near your coop or close to where your birds free range. Mirrors attached to doors or coop roofs flash in the sunlight and interrupt their visual focus. Ordinary computer CDs dangling from a string that allows them to turn in the wind with quick, brilliant flashes has a similar effect. Limiting the "swooping" area also deters many birds of prey. The addition of a section of open wire fencing atop an existing fence or heavy duty fishing line strung across your yard will not give the larger birds enough area to manipulate in to to snatch one of your chickens. Here at The Farmhouse we also make an effort not to let our birds free range too early in the morning or at dusk when we have observed more hawks scouting around for a meal.
Other things that confound predators are the addition of simple elements in your yard that allow the chickens to hide out. Areas that can offer some shade, cover or camouflage can really make a difference in saving your birds. Lawn chairs and tables, shrubs or even an old toy box or play house make an excellent place for chickens to hide under or fly up into in case they need to get away.
BUILD A SECURE COOP or CHICKEN TRACTOR
The solid foundation for a safe flock is a secure coop. A secure coop is structurally sound, self-contained and has a few design extras that promote security. The typical woven hex wire that is commonly found on chicken coops EVERYWHERE works very well for keeping birds IN. However, hex wire DOES NOT work well in every instance for keeping predators OUT!!! Some snakes can wriggle through the 1" mesh and raccoons and opossums are NOTORIOUS for pulling stray chicken body parts through the wire for a destructive snack. Pulling through the wire may only get a chicken leg or a head, but the bird will most likely die after this type of attack. These photos show some GOOD BASIC COOP PRECAUTIONS:


~ Chicken wire aviary section of the coop has and additional layer of exterior hardware cloth overlay about 2 feet above ground level. Hardware cloth wraps UNDER the inside of the coop for about 6" to discourage digging in or out. Mesh screening over the top cuts down on the hot sunlight, prevents pine needles and leaves from hanging in the wire and acts as a screening device for flying predators.
~ VERY STURDY coop door made out of pressure treated lumber (2X4) that would be difficult to pry open and should resist warping. The door also has a secure latch that must be manually closed each time.
~Soffit ventilation points at the roof line are screened over with hardware cloth (this was a later addition due to food seeking squirrel raiders) and the turquoise ventilation "window" on the coop is a recycled commercial a/c vent cover with fine 3mm holes
~ GREEN GLASS BEER BOTTLES planted spout down is a decorative element, but also discourages digging in or out. VERY INEXPENSIVE and COMPLETELY recyclable too ! Open mesh wire pieces or chain link sections laid at the base of fences or outside the coop allows grass to grown through but almost completely prevents determined animals trying to dig in. Be sure to overlap the wire sections on the ends and corners and secure with landscaping pins until the grass holds it naturally in place.
~ The second picture shows the two other access points for the coop. TOP AND BOTTOM clean out doors with secure turn latch closure. PT lumber is used as much as possible.
ANIMAL FLOCK PROTECTORS
Animals such as donkeys, llamas, sheep, certain breeds of dogs, turkeys, roosters and guineas all act as additional predator alerts or as protective animals. All of these animals have strong guardian instincts and are easily trained to regard a certain area as "theirs" to patrol. Any intrusive animal is quickly chased away or the "warning" call is sounded for the rest of the animals to be aware and on alert. Some people think that the true reason that the rooster crows first thing in the morning is to let all of his possible challengers know "HEY! I made it safely through the night!" and roosters have certainly been known to protect their harem of hens if they feel challenged. In Brevard County, as well as in most densely populated residential communities, roosters are not allowed so the choice of animal protector will have to be more carefully evaluated.
ELECTRONIC DETERRENTS
Motion activated security lights, sound systems, strategic strands of electric fence wire and other flashing night-guard controls are all additional precautions for chicken coops. Most often, these are employed in areas where there is heavy predator activity or if there have been a number of successful attacks. Electronic deterrent measures all require planning beforehand, additional materials costs and probably involve a fairly talented electrician or do-it-yourselfer. If you are willing to spend a little more, many of the electronics now have a solar powered option which helps on costs in the long run and these units are fairly self-contained. The coop can have plenty of protection without the commitment of hard-wiring or unruly extension cords. The addition of a timer will make the hours of operation on all of these electronic gadgets a NO-BRAINER.
If your coop is fairly close to your house or an outbuilding, the installation of a motion activated security light may be the easiest alert. Stealth attacks at night don't happen as frequently once the thief is identified in the SPOTLIGHT. A low volume radio that is on during the night can also deter night rangers. The constant sound of acid rock music or obnoxious talk radio DOES NOT invite unwanted visitors for dinner. The hot wire strands and the flashing red eye "NITEGUARD" units should always be placed around the perimeter of the chicken yard AT PREDATOR LEVEL. For small interlopers, 10-15" off the ground is the appropriate height for this option. For larger animals, 20-30" off the ground will be sufficient placement. If digging or climbing predators are unusually persistent, a double stranded periphery hot wire may also be necessary - one wire about 6 inches off the ground (grass allowing) and the next strand about 2 feet up from ground level.
We all hope that we never have to deal with the early demise of any one of our favorite fowl. With some planning beforehand and a healthy helping of precaution, the goal of poultry preservation and protection can be accomplished.
INTERNET CENTER FOR WILDLIFE DAMAGE MANAGEMENT has an EXCELLENT check list of characteristics to look for in assessing WHO the predator may be: http://icwdm.org/inspection/Livestock.aspx
Florida Laws regarding birds of prey: http://myfwc.com/license/wildlife/protected-wildlife/raptors/
Raptors and the Law:
ELECTRONIC DETERRENTS: electronic flashing eye deterrent system NITEGUARD: http://niteguard.com/
Margaret Goudelock was a journalism major at the University of Mississippi before she transferred to the University of North Texas to pursue a more lucrative degree in Art History, Painting and French. There is a magnetic sign for Avid Homestead
on the back of her truck and a small soap-box in the back that she will happily step up on with very little provocation.
She is joined in the flag waving effort to get your attention by her husband, Toby Napier – long-wearing sound board and brilliant webmaster for AVID HOMESTEAD.com. Ms. Goudelock is the mother of two beautiful girls who are both enthusiastic,
creative and love animals. It is for their continued growth and the preservation of a more natural way of life that we strive.