Farm Predators
Farm predators are a part of any farm life. Animals like hawks, owls, raccoon, opossums, snakes, coyotes, and a fox are especially a huge threat to a flock of chickens. Just about a week ago, I heard a commotion outside and when we looked around, we found 6 or 7 of our free-range chickens had been killed by something. We suspected a coyote, but instead discovered a fox near the chicken coop.
This morning as I went to the barn to feed, I found a dead chicken in the barn with no head and part of it's body eaten. As I showed my husband, he said he was sure that a raccoon or opossum had gotten into the barn and somehow into the chicken coop there. I only found one dead, but I will be setting trap for whatever got into it. We do live traps and replace the animal into a spot that is better for it to live than in our backyard with our chickens being his nightly meal.
Hawks have been a real issue this year as well. We had one fly into our chicken run and kill several of our chickens before my husband could get him out of the run. It is sad, but a part of the food chain, nevertheless. With so many homes being built and so many farms and wooded areas being destroyed, the wild animals are finding it harder to find food without attacking flocks like ours. I understand that they are hungry, but our chickens are part of our livelihood, so back off!!!
Weasels can also be a problem, but thankfully we don't see many of them near us. Dogs can be a problem, but we rarely have problems with them. One neighbor had a dog that liked to kill our rabbits, but after speaking to the neighbor multiple times, I believe he finally figured a way to keep them away. Many times, these animals' prey during the dark and nighttime hours, so it is hard to catch them in the act.
Some of these animal predators cannot be killed and I don't like to kill an animal just doing what it is bred to do, but we have had to put some raccoons down as they were attacking. It is not what our first choice is, but sometimes we just have to do what is necessary to protect our flock. These animals can be dangerous due to rabies and other diseases that they carry.
So sorry to read about all the predators having buffets at your expense. I hope you can continue to do what you can to protect your livelyhood.
ReplyDeleteSue
It is just a part of farm living, but it is aggravating.
DeleteYes, we have most of our chickens in coops, but these were some that we decided to let free range a bit. They were good about going back into the coop at dark. It is a cruel cycle, but that is the way nature works.
ReplyDelete