Common Chicken Predators

Can you say Raccoons?  They look so cute right - but they are devious little devils.  We do have them, even in an urban environment.  Last week I was in bed upstairs reading quietly when my cat Ginger jumped to the window sill and started making the strangest cat noises... yeowling. I jumped up and peered out the window RIGHT into the eyes of a young male raccoon.  He obviously wanted in at this late hour.  I shooed him off the roof but he refused to go.  So my husband Reed went outside, grabbed the hose and proceeded to spray him off the roof saying "be gone you little devil!"  If people in the neighborhood didn't think Reed was crazy yet, they do now.

Not too cute evil devious raccoon

We also had one racoon try to make a home in the large pine tree above the chicken coop, once again a hose of water shooting at him moved him along to find another home, hopefully far away.

I have a friend at work who has chickens, he has had multiple attacks by hawks and eagles, one time wrestling his chicken out of the beak of a bird.  Amazing that he got there in time and the chicken lived.  Unfortunately, once they learn where dinner may be an easy catch, they keep coming back. He has had to keep his chickens in their run most of the time now.

Can you imagine seeing this coming for you?

My chickens run under a bush or tree when they see an eagle in the sky - they have a keen sense of sight and self protect well by gathering in a little group and staying quiet.

Skunks, Posseums and Rats are also local predators in my urban neighborhood and fairly common visitors to the yard even while fenced.   A skunk one time sprayed our dearly departed little jack russell terrier Tina who was too curious over by the coop when it was dark.  Poor Tina, she smelled pretty good after 14 washings, but my laundry room stunk for days.

We also saw a coyote run up the street one day, but it would be nearly impossible for him to get into our backyard since its fenced all the way around.  I did have my son Nick run to get the cats in that day though!

Its important to lock the chickens up as soon as they head into the coop at night to avoid any nightime predators snooping around.  

- Rita