12 replies to this topic

[CBR400RR]

I was at the ranch today and the land owner said all her chicks were killed and she ahs seen Racoon and coyote tracks around, what is the best time to stack out the chickens to ambush the killers?

[Brant]

Always at night here. I won't reveal my coon and opossum counts but most of the time it is before 1 am or a few hours before dawn. My brother has a farm and has "collected" well over 150 coons over the last 5 years but has lost countless chickens and ducks to them. He has never got a coyote going after them and they live in the area. He did chase the neighbors dogs off a few times and got one fox. He has an outdoor sensor like me with an alert inside.

[Bennie]

Night time here too on the chicken takers.

[mackeralboy]

Are the landowners chicken free range? Coons and Yotes will certainly take out chicks as well as full grown chickens, but like Brant says there might be other culprits. If they are outside during the day I would put some money down that hawks are grabbing some. I live in the city and have had both Racoons and Hawks visiting my yard in the last couple of weeks. I have a Coopers Hawk (aka Chicken Hawk) that seems to be quite interested in my quail and almost visits daily trying to figure out how to get at them.  coopers_hawk_on_pen2.jpg   24.89K   15 downloadsFor the Racoons and yotes I would use a trail cam with a time stamp. It will help you figure out not only who is coming around but when. After that get yourself one of those cheap motion sensors from Harbor Tool and Frieght and set it up in your kill zone and wait.

[CBR400RR]

So I will have to take a nap so I can do a stake out one night, now whcih gun to take?....lol

[Brant]

I use the Condor with the .25 barrel, Extreme Valve and 62 grain Surefire Slugs (the 6 ring in the picture) right at 100 fpe. It' so quiet you can get a shot on a couple of them sometimes. Are you allowed to use a red light? I have a Primos on the scope.

[screwwork]

Once you find the coons, chase them up a tree, easy targets that cannot go to far way.I have treed a whole family in the back yard before, not for shooting purposes You don't have to worry about the noise at that time just good shooting but that is not a problem for your guns.

[ShooterJohn]

Having had chickens for many years I'm with mackeralboy. Small hawks are deadly on chicks and even young chickens. Young chickens need lots of cover and really should not be free ranging until full grown or hawks will quickly thin them out. The number one nighttime predator is the raccoon. The chickens need to be in a coup that can be locked to prevent entry of a raccoon that can decimate a flock in one night. There is a good possibility a coyote could be to blame during the day but you have to look at any dogs in the area as well as cats. In other words she needs to keep her chicks fenced in until they get bigger and then locked up at night. She sounds like this is her first time with chicks. My birds have a coup with an automatic door that opens to let them out in the morning and closes them in safely at night. You'd be better off setting a live trap to try and catch a nighttime marauder. As for the hawks they are in and out before you can blink an eye. I still have sharp shinned hawks harassing my chickens from time to time. Good luck catching the culprit.

[mtn dog]

I just learned that my son's elementary school plans to teach the kids 'animal husbandry' by raising chickens this year. They will build a coop/pen in a wooded area behind the classrooms. I walk my dog there and find coyote, fox, raccoon and other scat all the time. I hate to be cynical but this will probably be a lesson in frustration for those kids unless they put some real effort into that structure. Most likely the school will produce dozens of ten-year-old versions of Shooter John each ready to destroy all predators threatening their beloved hens. Funny thought and not necessarily a bad thing. Maybe they will add a class on air guns and 'skunk swimming lessons' the following year.

[ShooterJohn]

The skunk count has been climbing as of late. Between my neighbor and myself we had eleven skunks just last month alone.

[Brant]

I am glad the skunks seem to stay clear for the most part. The sometimes snarling coons at the garbage are enough.

[CBR400RR]

I'm going to try to get the time to go out one night and pick a spot that I can cover my back and watch the front of the farm waiting to see what comes to visit at night. I think I'm going to take the .25 Air Ranger since it's my most pwereful gun and has a IR scope. I ran into a coyote and pup one morning as I rounded a corner I had my .22 AAs410 and we were about 20 yards apart or so and I wasn't ready to take a shot if I wanted to.

[Brant]

I like this light and you can of course adjust the elv/hor. We have some light restrictions here if you are on public hunting areas.350 Yard Varmint Hunting Light