| Owning your own chickens can be a very enjoyable | | | | neck area, they are known to mutilate animals by |
| experience, imagine just being able to wake up each | | | | pulling legs or even heads off. They sometimes go |
| and every morning to fresh eggs for your breakfast. | | | | after other birds and fowl. |
| But like most things keeping chickens can have its | | | | Rats |
| problems, don't worry though if you take a look at my | | | | Rats and other rodents can pose a large threat to |
| list of predators it will ensure you can get your | | | | your chicken flock especially at night, as they like to |
| chickens fully protected. | | | | hunt then, they normally wait for darkness then come |
| There are many predators that get attracted by | | | | to kill chicks or even some of the smaller chicken |
| chickens so here is a quick rundown of what to | | | | breeds and take their prey back to their lair. |
| expect, and give you advice how to prevent them | | | | It is possible for chickens to survive a rat attack but |
| from destroying your flock. | | | | often they will be mutilated in the process losing toes |
| The Fisher Cat | | | | or other appendages, if this is the case it is advisable |
| The Fisher Cat is a member of the weasel family and | | | | for you to get the injured animal checked immediately |
| is sometimes known by other names including black | | | | for any sign of disease or infection. |
| cat or the pekan cat. They live mainly in the forest in | | | | Rats will often go for eggs as they are an easy |
| the continent of North America. | | | | target, you will see the evidence in the form of broken |
| The Fisher Cat have small ears, little legs and a long | | | | shell, and you could believe it was one of the chickens |
| furry tail, they can be somewhere between dark | | | | that had done it. The rats may also take eggs from |
| brown and black. They are really good at climbing | | | | the nesting boxes along with bedding or feathers. The |
| trees because of their sharp claws; this comes in | | | | latter often being plucked straight from the chicken. |
| handy when they are looking at their prey. | | | | If you see evidence of rats it is a good idea to put |
| They prefer to hunt small to medium sized animals. | | | | poison down but ensure that your chickens don't get to |
| The best thing to do to prevent an attack from a | | | | it. |
| Fisher Cat is to ensure that your flock of chickens is | | | | Foxes |
| securely in their coop at night. | | | | Foxes are highly skilled and devious predators, normally |
| The Hawk | | | | nocturnal but have been known to hunt in daylight. |
| Hawks have very strong beaks which are very sharp | | | | They are particularly dangerous during the spring |
| and hooked in shape. They have three claws on their | | | | months as they get ready to feed their litters. |
| feet pointing forwards and one backwards which are | | | | Foxes will mostly hunt approximately a couple of hours |
| also very sharp. Their eyesight is amazing and it is | | | | before sun down and a couple of hours before sun |
| possible for them to see a mouse from a mile above. | | | | rise they will come and take what they want and |
| Once they have their prey hawks usually rip it into bite | | | | carry it a fair distance away. |
| size chunks with that incredibly sharp beak. | | | | A good solid fence should be enough to deter a fox |
| Keeping the chicken run covered should prevent | | | | and ensure that your flock is safely in their chicken |
| hawks from getting to your chickens. | | | | coop at night. |
| Skunks | | | | Coyotes |
| Skunks do not normally pose any real threat to fully | | | | If you live North America then the chances are you will |
| grown chickens; however they do go for the eggs or | | | | get a visit from a coyote, they have now adapted to |
| chicks. Certain breeds of skunks can climb so be | | | | urbanized areas and are a more frequent sight. |
| aware of this when building your chicken coop. Skunks | | | | They will prey on most domestic fowl like ducks |
| are nocturnal creatures and avoid farms that have | | | | geese and chickens. It is advisable to try and trap |
| cats, dogs or geese. | | | | them or make your coop coyote proof. |
| Raccoons | | | | Making sure that your coop is solid and in good repair, |
| A really common predator is a raccoon. They are | | | | with a good fence and gate, also securing your flock |
| really clever and normally live near humans. When | | | | at night should help with any potential coyote problem. |
| they attack they frequently bite around the head and | | | | |