# Chicken Predation Solutions



## Steinwand (Sep 23, 2017)

One of the couples at our church has a predatory problem with a fox they started out with idk how many chickens by quite a few anyhoo eventually less and less came home each night (they are elderly) and sometimes he only gets out after dark to close them up, so they believe that getting some geese will help anyone now if that's the solution they know they need a dog but then there's training it not to eat the chickens and where to poop etc etc what would be the easiest solution w/o having to get rid of the chickens?


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

Tough one. I've only had a hawk once (I have territorial crows I leave eggs for), and a raccoon that ripped 4 chickens apart. I haven't had to deal with anything more YET . 

I would say predator proof pens and coops. The right dog may be raised to protect. I have my most vulnerable in pens, and 6 big birds are free range. 

I would say that like foxes, attacks during the day are hard to deal with.


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## Steinwand (Sep 23, 2017)

Hmm they free range there birds and don't like closing them up but I would like them to keep chickens still


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

Some people free range when they can be out and present.


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## Steinwand (Sep 23, 2017)

Hmmm so geese wouldn't help?


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## Maryellen (Jan 21, 2015)

Geese wont help. Dogs are iffy depending on the dog, and if they are elderly thats an added responsibility. 
Only other options are you replace the ones that get killed or they keep them in a run attached to the coop and get an automatic door to shut when the sun goes down and locks the hens up


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

What seems to work may be deer netting. Cheap and you get alot and animals hate getting tangled up in it. If there's no meal, a fox may disappear. Free range is great but you may want some cheap fencing up.


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## chickenqueen (Jan 9, 2016)

I wonder if they could call the state wildlife dept in your county.They may come out and trap it.As for geese,they would be on the menu,too,but may holler loud enough to let someone know trouble is around.Got a rifle/shotgun?You could go wait for it and get a nice skin while you're at it.I can,by state law,protect my livestock from predators,hunting season laws do not apply.Check your local laws.I think a dog would help,though.Sometimes you can get housebroke dogs at the local pound but it would need to be trained to not eat the chickens.


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## Steinwand (Sep 23, 2017)

Hmm I like the idea of a fox tail


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

There's also cougar urine, LOL.


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## Steinwand (Sep 23, 2017)

Hmm idk where I could supply cougar urine  maybe the zoo


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## chickenqueen (Jan 9, 2016)

I've seen all kinds of animal urine for sale.I use deer urine(so far unsuccessfully)when hunting.When I'm out in the yard,I let the dog loose and he pees a little here and a little there,marking his territory,and letting other animals know he's there.


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## Maryellen (Jan 21, 2015)

There is a company up in maine area that does predator urine. I won bobcat urine lol from them


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

Steinwand said:


> Hmm idk where I could supply cougar urine  maybe the zoo


Actually they sell it all over as a deer repellant.


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## Steinwand (Sep 23, 2017)

Deer repellent? I thought we are trying to attract them lol


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

Uh, no. People get fed up with losing their gardens to deer. They're like big termites. In NY I lost thousands of dollars of landscaping to them before I put up electric fencing and used plants that they don't eat. I would wake up to deer crap all over my side walks every day and munching under my bedroom window. My dog would chase them away and they'd be back the next night. What a battle.


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## chickenqueen (Jan 9, 2016)

I repel them until Sept then I fill their feeders and buy a salt block.Come Nov I'm sitting(and usually freezing)up in the tree stand,waiting and waiting...........


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## Maryellen (Jan 21, 2015)

Get the food block CQ, tractor supply sells them, the hunters here swear by them


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## oldhen2345 (May 14, 2017)

How do you train a dog not to eat chickens? I have a little 17 lb rescue dog that loves to "dog" my every step. I learned the hard way, not to let her near the chickens. She got loose and killed a chicken in 5 seconds flat. I had to pick her up by the scruff and shake her to get the chicken out of her mouth. When they are in their run and safe, she fixes on them and is obsessed. She jumps at the hardwire to get at them. I have even used a shock collar(not proud of it) to deter her. I put it on high and hit the double charge and it does nothing. She just tucks in her chin and charges the chickens again. So I took it off and now am at a loss.


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## Maryellen (Jan 21, 2015)

It takes alot of time. Took me 1.5 yrs to train my pitx . I started out him on leash and a bag of treats. Eventually i got. Him to not want to eat them. Just lots of repetitive leash work, treats, praise


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## Steinwand (Sep 23, 2017)

I'm not ashamed of my shock collar use and neither are any of the dog breeders and owners I know quite a few seeing that my sister married into a dog hunting family, (whenever she invites his family they bring all there dogs ugh) I used it on my pit mix and had him trained in any two months he also had already killed three of my neighbors chickens and one of her ducks  I'd let the chickens out and let him go after them whenever he would look at them (longingly) or chase them I'd give him a shock and tell him no (obviously) but every dog is different and yours may be like my sisters Australian shepherd who's been run over three times biten by a copperhead twice and not to mention he head buts with my goat  and they use a garmin shock collar (to no avail) to "correct" his behavior... but he's still cooking with gas and running around disobeying (p.s I forgot to mention he's been kicked twice in the head by her horse)


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## chickenqueen (Jan 9, 2016)

I had a problem with my Weimaraners(sp?).I eventually took a young rooster victim and "beat" them with it.I did it until the rooster until it started to stink.They never killed one of my chickens again but the female kept escaping and started killing and eating the neighbor's ducks.I ended up giving her to some people in the hills of Ky where they had Canadian geese problems.Everybody was happy.


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## oldhen2345 (May 14, 2017)

Guess I just have a stubborn dog. My uncle suggested that I leash the dog whenever I go into the pen and catch a chicken to let her smell it- stick it in her face and when she is really getting excited, slip a hot pepper in her mouth and stick her face back on the chicken. After a few times, she will equate a burning mouth with chicken smell and won't want to be near them. Seems cruel though.


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## Maryellen (Jan 21, 2015)

No. Do not do that. It takes alot of time and patience and some dogs will just never be good with chickens. If that is the case leash the dog when the chickens are out or build a huge pen for the chickens attached to their coop and only let them in their run.


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

Especially a Weimeraner. They're bird dogs.


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## chickenqueen (Jan 9, 2016)

What are you doing up so early,Karen?Yeah,I reckon I was asking for trouble with the Weimaraners but my first one was so good with other animals.I couldn't break the second female and I won't tolerate my dogs killing my animals or the neighbors' animals.


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