predation

Hi all, i have a pet white silkie and my girlfriend wants to dye her wingtips and tail for easter fun. My concern is that will make her much more visible to predators as she and my other chicken have free range of the back yard during the day. The only predators we have to worry about in our...

I'm posting this for advice but also just to lament the loss of my Prairie Bluebell and Production Red. I did not know how absolutely devastated I would be. The red especially (named Red aka the Colonel) was the sweetest bird. She would run up and greet my husband when he got home from work. She...

Hey guys, I need help figuring this out. I have a flock of six: 2 chickens, 2 guineas, (unfortunately I didn't know they weren't chickens cause I'm an idiot and didn't do my research...) and 2 ducks. The first four birds share a coop with a run, but they've gotten bigger now and they like to be...

Hello everyone! I had 12 free range hens and have kept them for about 5 months with no problems. Unfortunately I recently lost 2 to an unknown predator. Me and My dad quickly built a run and we have the rest of our chickens locked up. How long will it be until it is safe to let them free range...

I’ve had 2 ducks in the last 3 months die identically, both ducks were fully grown and had beaks torn off, nothing else was hurt or injured, eyes were still intact, bodies were intact, and no ruffles feathers. I have other ducks and I really want to find out what’s doing this to my pets! They...

Hi everyone! So as some background, I've had the same set up for my flock of ten hens for three years now: an above ground coop with about 30'x20' of pen room. The ground in the pen is very hard and has lots of pebbles on top, so I like to let them out into my backyard at least once a week to...

Over the last month, I’ve found 3 dead hens on my backyard. (Not my chickens, but I do have chickens in secure coops.) In each case, the entire bird seems to have been eaten except for some of the wings (and a foot in one case). In all three cases, the gizzard was untouched; other than that...

Hey so I’m positive I have a raccoon, I’ve seen paw prints by my pound, a den by an old house, and I just came across a rabbit in my barn minus a head. I’m planning on using an old stall as a coop and I need to obviously wrap it in wire. I don’t have hardware mesh, will no climb wire work for...

I just started a new job at a local pasture raised chicken farm. Our mission at Alcove Farms is to sow, grow, and restore. We pasture raise cattle and about 3,000 organically fed laying hens on 160 acres. We sell our eggs at the local grocery stores and farmer’s markets. We have been having...

Hi All, I just read an article in the November issue of Out Here that discusses the use of Guard Llamas that could be an effective means in keeping small animals safe from predators. My curiosity was piqued because I had never heard about this method of predation management. The article...

I am raising backyard ducklings and there’s an owl(s) in the neighborhood. One swooped down over my flock twice one morning and I had to scare it off. This morning it picked up and took the head clean off of a young dove in my yard! I can’t help but think that could’ve been one of my...

We had skunks that we think live under our shed because we see them walking around in the front lawn every other night. We also have 2 ducks that are about 4/5 months old a male pekin and a female roen duck. The skunks haven't been a problem so far but this morning I walk out into my front yard...

Recently, all but (2) of my girls (flock of 17) abruptly stopped laying. They’ve already molted and aren’t broody. Then a couple days later I walked outside to discover a large male Cooper’s Hawk standing on top of their run. We live in the city and my birds have a large run (they do not free...

My beautiful Partridge Cochin has been battling the heat. I've done everything I can, I've read articles and done it all. At first I wasn't surprised when I found her collapsed in the chicken coop. Then I got closer. My coop door is left open and so is the window straight back. The window has...

Hi, has anyone tried either of the predator eyes listed above? My babies will be moving to the coop in about 10 days and I am already nervous about nighttime predators. We definitely have foxes and raccoons and are surrounded by woods. I know nothing is 100% foolproof but there are lots of...

Let's make a complete list of predators! Add one at a time to the list. 1 post per person per page! I'll start with the main one: RED FOX!