Keeping Chickens: Pests & Predators

There are many problems facing the chicken keeper in the form of pests, rodents and predators and while some will only present themselves on a rural farmyard there are many still that can present a problem even in an urban backyard.

Foxes, raccoons, opposums, coyotes, rats, weasels, stoats, ferrets and mink can all cause problems for the chicken keeper.

 

Signs to look out for:

Signs of predators trying to gain access to your chicken coop include claw marks, signs of digging around the perimeter, scratches or teeth marks around door jambs or hatches and stretches or deformaties in wire mesh. You may also find tufts of hair or fur on wire or other sharp edges in or around the chicken coop.

You can take some simple steps to protect your chickens from unwanted pests:

• Provide a well constructed, strong and sturdy Chicken coop. Taking some time in the early stages of keeping chickens will ensure your chickens are safe and secure from all types predators. See How to build a chicken coop for more on building your own predator proof chicken coops and runs.
  
• Make sure your hens are inside by nightfall and lock the chicken coop for the night, every night without fail. Practically all types of predators hunt chickens at night so keeping them locked safely inside during darkness will help to keep them safe from attack.
  
• Make use of the family dog. If you have a dog, allowing it access to the area around the outside of the chicken coop can be a powerful deterrent to most predators such as foxes and mink. The scent laid down by the dog will often be enough to keep unwanted visitors away. Just make sure your dog is chicken friendly and doesn't become your number one predator!

• Take extra measures with fencing. If you have an outdoor run with wire mesh it is advisable to bury the mesh deep into the ground (at l at the perimeter of the fence. This will prevent animals from digging below the fence to gain access. You can also try laying down sheets of plywood or steel mesh on the ground around the perimeter of the run. Predators will try digging right next to the fence so this step will prevent them from digging below the ground level.
  
• Install a heat sensitive flood light or electronic pest repeller. A simple light connected to a PIR sensor will scare off most types of night time predators but some smaller ones may not be big enough to trigger the light. There is also a risk that foxes and similar pests will get used to the light having made several attempts to gain access and will no longer be put off by it but its always useful to have one installed. Dedicated pest deterrents are available which use infra red strobes to frighten off pests. See essential equipment for more on these.
  
• Store Feed away from the chicken coop. Rodents such as mice and rats are often attracted to feed and while they might not pose a direct danger to the chickens their presence can attract larger predators to the chicken coop. Storing the feed completely seperate from the coop will help to prevent this.
  
• Provide roosts raised off the floor. Chickens which arent provided with elevated roosts will roost on the floor where they are far more vulnerable to attack from predators.