Preventing Poultry Predators
Erin Synder: [00:00:00] Yes, opossums do eat chickens. Many times it’s easier to think of them as an egg predator because that’s what they primarily hunt, but they will kill both young and adult chickens.
Signs that an opossum has attacked your flock is there’ll be eggshells near or around the nest that are empty, young birds that are killed and left on the spot and also birds with missing heads and abdomens where the opossums suck the blood out. The best ways to deter opossums from visiting your flock is by making sure you keep a clean area around your coop and run. You don’t want garbage littered. Keep garbage cans closed up tightly. Don’t leave food in your run overnight, or your coop. I like to put it all away in my metal trash can every night. Make sure you don’t feed dogs and cats near or around your coop and run, and if you’re going to, pick it up at night.
Opossums are lazy hunters, so they’re not likely to attack your [00:01:00] flock, but if they’re in the mood, they will.
Kenny Coogan: Just recently, we forgot to bring in the cat food on the back porch, and there was a raccoon literally sitting like a human on the back porch couch with the bag of cat food in its lap using its little hands.
Josh Wilder: Welcome to the Mother Earth News and Friends podcast. At Mother Earth News, for 50 years and counting, we’ve been dedicated to conserving the planet’s natural resources while helping you conserve your financial resources in this podcast we host conversations with experts in the fields of sustainability, homesteading, natural health, and more to share all about how you can live well wherever you are in a way that values both people and our Mother Earth.
Jessica Mitchell: We’d like to thank our sponsor for this episode, Brinsea. That’s B R I N S E A, chick incubation specialists. They’ve been focusing on egg incubator [00:02:00] design continuously since 1976, resulting in egg incubators, chick brooders, and incubation accessories. They offer unparalleled practicality, reliability, superior hatch rates, and healthy chicks. Innovation you can trust.
Kenny Coogan: Good day, everyone. I am Kenny Coogan, and joining me on this episode of Mother Earth News and Friends is Erin Snyder. Erin and her family have raised chickens and ducks for nearly two decades. She is passionate about all things poultry, and is especially interested in poultry nutrition, predator protection, egg laying disorders, and helping chickens live their best lives well into their golden years.
You can follow her chicken adventures on her newly hatched Instagram page. The Hen House Hygge. Welcome to the podcast, Erin.
Erin Synder: Thank you Kenny.. I’m happy to be [00:03:00] here.
Kenny Coogan: Keeping poultry is so much fun. However, poultry predators can be a huge problem. And today on our poultry predator and prevention podcast, we’re going to be talking about carnivores that predate from the land, water, and air. And we’re going to be talking about diurnal and nocturnal predators, but most importantly, how to prevent them all to keep your poultry happy and healthy.
How to tell what killed my chickens
Kenny Coogan: Erin, “how to tell what killed my chickens” is one of the most popular searched Google phrases. Let’s talk about daytime predators first. And sadly, I’ve experienced this myself a few times. And just recently, my friend lost some chickens to her friend’s dogs who were visiting her property. How can you tell if dogs attack your flock, and how do you prevent dog attacks?
How to tell if dogs attack your flock
Erin Synder: Well, [00:04:00] Kenny, you’re right. Dogs and chickens are not always the best combination. However, they can usually be fairly easy to prevent and see if a dog has attacked your flock. Some of the things I would look for are it’s a messy kill. Dogs generally don’t consume the chickens they kill. So there’s blood and feathers everywhere. You want to look for surviving birds with broken legs and wings. And also, how did the dog enter the coop or run because a lot of times they will dig underneath or climb or jump. And the best ways to prevent dogs from becoming chicken predators is to know your dog. If your dog is not good with chickens make sure they’re separate at all times. Don’t free range because even if your dog is locked up there could be stray dogs or your neighbor’s dogs come into your yard and end up killing some of your birds. Don’t forget to cover your run [00:05:00] with a sturdy half inch wire Because dogs like to jump and climb and so not only do you want to protect your flock but if your dog should climb and get onto like flimsy chicken wire, they may end up falling through and breaking their legs so you want to look to protect both dogs and chickens. Make sure you keep your coop and run doors locked securely because unlike wild predators, dogs, have no problems entering human enclosures.
If you have a lot of problems with dogs entering your yard, you might want to attach predator skirts and bury them two feet down and then three feet out from around your poultry coop and run. Another thing I want to point out with dogs is you can actually even if your dog is not good with chickens, they still help prevent against other predators, so letting your male dog mark around your coop and run is a good way to deter other chicken predators.
Kenny Coogan: My friend had [00:06:00] guinea pigs outside in an outside coop for 10 years, and the coop was actually open.
Erin Synder: Oh wow!
Kenny Coogan: And she had a Golden Retriever for 10 or 12 years, who was friendly to the guinea pigs, and when they had to put the Golden Retriever down, literally later that week, a predator got all of the guinea pigs.
Erin Synder: Oh wow!
Kenny Coogan: Even though the Golden Retriever would be in at night.
Erin Synder: Yeah!
Kenny Coogan: That scent marking or the presence of the Golden Retriever was enough to deter the fox or any other predator that was nearby. Another daytime predator that are very sneaky are the mustelids. And these include weasels, badgers, otters, polecats, and martens. They can also be nocturnal, but in the summertime they will predate during the day. So how can you tell that these mustelids are a problem and how do you prevent the weasel [00:07:00] family?
How to prevent Mustelids from attacking your flock
Erin Synder: One thing I want to point out before we get into how to prevent and how do you know if a mustelid is a threat to your flock or has killed your flock is that you also want to think about pet ferrets because, especially if you brood chicks or ducklings indoors, they do tend to kill just like other mustelids.
Weasels and other mustelids are one of the hardest to prevent from attacking your flock because they are so small and they can squeeze through openings literally the size of a quarter. Some of the ways to tell if a weasel or another mustelid has attacked your flock is birds have missing heads, the entire flock will be killed in one setting, bite marks at the back of the neck or the head to where the mustelid suck up the blood, because mustelids are very bloodthirsty, even though it’s gross to think about.
It’s definitely a problem with these chicken predators. You also want to see if birds have bites near the vent where the mustelids have eaten out the [00:08:00] intestines. When it comes to mustelids, you cannot predator proof enough. You want to make sure there’s no gap bigger than half an inch anywhere in your coop or your run.
Make sure that you cover the top of your coop and run so that way they can’t go climb and go through it enter through the roof, and you also want to avoid free ranging. If you have ducks or other waterfowl, make sure you keep them off the pond.
Kenny Coogan: Historically, people thought that skunks were part of the mustelid family because of how they acted and looked like, but now because of DNA research they’re not included in that group, but do you find skunks to be a problem?
Do skunks eat chickens?
Erin Synder: Yes, they definitely can be. They like to both, they don’t usually kill adult waterfowl or chickens, but they definitely prey on young and especially eggs. So make sure you take care of the eggs and collect them at least once daily. And also, lock up any food or cat food, dog food, etc. because [00:09:00] skunks are really attracted to that sort of stuff too.
Protecting poultry from birds of prey
Kenny Coogan: Diurnal predators can also come from the sky. And do you have any tips on how to keep hawks away, or how you can protect your flock from other birds of prey that are flying around during the daytime, like eagles?
Erin Synder: Honestly, I don’t usually try to keep hawks away. I don’t free range, and I make sure that my coop and run are covered at all times so they can’t access them because hawks do so much good. They eat rats and snakes and weasels and other musselids that are a lot harder to protect your flock against. So if you don’t free range and, or if you only supervise free ranging, the chances of a hawk attacking your flock isn’t very high. Especially if you have a strong sturdy wire covering your run. That would include not chicken wire, try to use sturdy hardware cloth that’s half an inch so that way the hawks can’t bend the wire to meet your flock. Another way to [00:10:00] keep hawks from attacking your flock is, if possible, don’t house your chickens run under a tree because even if it’s wired the hawks like to skyrocket out the tree onto your run and it really scares your flock.
Another daytime aerial predator you want to look out for is the barred owl, especially since they’re becoming invasive species all throughout the U. S. And they do hunt during the day and at night, and they will take on chickens. I’m not sure if they take waterfowl if that’s too big for them, but they definitely are a concern for chicken predators.
Kenny Coogan: Another nickname for the barred owl is a swamp owl because they like to go fishing. So maybe they’ll eat a, they’ll probably eat a young waterfowl at least.
Erin Synder: Yeah, I would think so.
How to protect waterfowl on ponds
Kenny Coogan: And speaking of waterfowl, ducks, geese, and swans are beautiful, and I’d love to see them at a pond, but the predators can also be in the water. What are some common predators for waterfowl, [00:11:00] and how can we prevent them and how can we protect them?
Erin Synder: Ducks and geese and swans face many of the same predators that chickens do, including foxes and weasels, raccoons, opossums, skunks, aerial predators. One of the things you really have to look out for, ducks and other waterfowl, is the peregrine falcon, because one of their top meals are ducks, and they really enjoy that more than chickens.
And then you want to look for predators that often are near the water, such as mustelids and weasels are almost always near the water. And alligators, I know that’s not common for most places, but down south, yes, if you have your ducks on a pond, they could be eaten by alligators. Snapping turtles, even large fish, and bullfrogs they do prey on ducklings and goslings and it’s hard to think of a frog being a waterfowl predator, but yes they can be. The best ways to [00:12:00] prevent waterfowl from being attacked is to lock them up at night of course, keep them off the pond. I know they like to swim, but kiddie pools and stock tanks and all that actually are safer for them and a lot of ducks don’t like really deep water So they’re actually happier in that than a pond and to make sure you cover your run with hardware cloth to keep out aerial predators digging predators and just follow all the same safety tips you would with chickens.
Kenny Coogan: Couple of podcasts ago we talked about raising swans and the guest that we had on says that he estimates that he loses about half of his cygnets, or his baby swans from predators, because that’s how prolific these animals are.
Erin Synder: Oh yes.
What kills ducks and leaves them?
Kenny Coogan: Another really common search phrase on our website and Google is what kills ducks and leaves them. So in [00:13:00] addition to that swan owner, people who are raising ducks are also unfortunately experiencing that. So Erin, you got any ideas?
Erin Synder: What kills ducks and leaves them? Let me think. Foxes, raccoons, opossums, weasels, and other mustelids not aerial predators usually, but yeah, there’s a lot of predators who’ll kill them and leave them.
Kenny Coogan: We’re gonna take a break to hear a word from our sponsor, and when we return, we’ll be focusing on nighttime predators.
Sponsored by Brinsea
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Check out Brinsea incubators and more at www.Brinsea.com. That’s [00:14:00] www.Brinsea.com.
Kenny Coogan: We are back with Erin Snyder. You can follow her chicken adventures on her newly hatched Instagram page, The Hen House Hygge, and Hygge is spelled H, Y G, G E. Erin is a longtime contributor for our sister publication, Backyard Poultry Magazine. Erin, we’re going to be talking about nighttime predators now. And, unfortunately, a lot of people have experienced predators during the day and the night. People are asking you, what kills chickens at night and leaves them?
What kills chickens at night and leaves them?
Erin Synder: Foxes. If you have a dog that’s allowed to roam, or if your neighbors have a dog that likes to roam, then it would be domestic dogs too. Bobcats, weasels, other mustelids, [00:15:00] opossums, I think skunks may too, if you have a really big skunk problem. And owls will also kill them and leave them.
Kenny Coogan: Currently, I’m in Florida, and we have very large Burmese pythons, which are invasive. But for most of the country, we have tinier snakes. Are snakes a problem for adult poultry?
Do snakes eat poultry?
Erin Synder: Yes, they can be a problem with common chicken predators. Generally, like where I live, I usually just have garter snakes, so my adult chickens don’t have to worry about them. You still have to be concerned about eggs and young poultry.
But if you live in an area that has bigger snakes, yes, they will definitely kill adult chickens, ducks, etc.
Kenny Coogan: Do you think the snake problem is more severe for the eggs rather than the adult birds?
Erin Synder: It really is going to depend on where you live and the snakes in your geographical [00:16:00] location.
Kenny Coogan: Yeah, if you have a 20-foot snake, it’s probably not going to care about those tiny eggs.
Erin Synder: Yeah, probably not.
Kenny Coogan: Now, another ferocious looking animal, but they might not be that ferocious, are opossums. Do opossums eat chickens?
Do opossums eat chickens?
Erin Synder: Yes, opossums do eat chickens. Many times it’s easier to think of them as an egg predator because that’s what they primarily hunt, but they will kill both young and adult chickens.
Signs that an opossum has attacked your flock is there’ll be eggshells near or around the nest that are empty, young birds that are killed and left on the spot and also birds with missing heads and abdomens where the opossums suck the blood out. The best ways to deter opossums from visiting your flock is by making sure you keep a clean area around your coop and run. You don’t want garbage littered. Keep garbage cans closed up [00:17:00] tightly. Don’t leave food in your run overnight, or your coop. I like to put it all away in my metal trash can every night. Make sure you don’t feed dogs and cats near or around your coop and run, and if you’re going to, pick it up at night.
Opossums are lazy hunters, so they’re not likely to attack your flock, but if they’re in the mood, they will.
Kenny Coogan: Just recently, we forgot to bring in the cat food on the back porch, and there was a raccoon literally sitting like a human on the back porch couch with the bag of cat food in its lap using its little hands.
It was cute, but I am not a fan of raccoons because raccoons can wreak havoc. And Erin, you have a couple of questions. Do raccoons eat chicken heads? And do raccoons eat chickens? And I can tell you the answer is yes and yes. Yes. But Erin more importantly, what are some [00:18:00] other signs and how can we keep them away?
Do raccoons eat chicken heads? Do raccoons eat chickens?
Erin Synder: Usually fairly easy to tell if a raccoon has attacked a flock because they usually kill the entire flock in one setting.
Unfortunately. Yes, they do eat chicken heads and usually leave the rest of the body, which I know that it’s easy to think that’s wasteful, but with the way a raccoon is built, it’s hard for them to carry off an entire bird, so they just eat what they think is the best part and then leave the rest. You want to look to see how the raccoon entered the coop or building.
Obviously, you want to lock your birds up at night to prevent a raccoon attack. So if the window screen is It’s ripped, it’s probably a raccoon on your hands if you have a sliding bolt lock or hook and eye lock and it’s opened and your flock has been attacked, it’s obviously a raccoon. So since raccoons are so intelligent and so smart and have their human like little [00:19:00] hands, you want to use extra precautions that you wouldn’t necessarily need for others poultry predators. Make sure you lock your birds up at night. Fasten all doors, if you have outdoor access to your nesting box and potholes and coop and run doors. Lock those securely with padlocks to make sure the raccoons can’t open them. Predator proof like you would any other predator. Make sure there’s no half inch holes anywhere in your coop and run. Don’t house your flock in a building with a dirt floor. Make sure you have a wooden or, even better, a concrete floor to protect them from being able to other predators will chew, and then raccoons will dig through and get underneath and make sure that because raccoons like to climb and light to climb trees, that you put the coop is not right at a tree, or if there is, there’s no way for them to be able to enter via the roof.
Like something, there’s a gap between the roof and the rafters. You wanna make [00:20:00] sure that’s all closed up so the raccoon can access your coop that way.
How do you keep owls away from poultry
Kenny Coogan: Maybe the most iconic predator of the night are owls. How do you keep owls away from poultry? Or how do you protect poultry from owl attacks?
Erin Synder: The best way to prevent owl attacks on your flock is by making sure you lock your flock up at night.
And once again, they can attack during the day too, so if you have your flock out free ranging, make sure you keep an eye on the sky. Don’t, make sure you cover the windows screens with half inch hardware cloth, because like raccoons, owls can also rip through the screen. And then you also want to make sure that, especially if you have a barn, I don’t think it’s so big of an issue if you have a coop, but if your flock is housed in a barn, make sure you have the rafters closed so an owl can’t sneak through and be able to gain access to your flock that way. Another thing you want to make sure, because even if the [00:21:00] owl wouldn’t attack the flock, is they can actually make your chickens and other poultry sick. So make sure your barn is closed so owls can’t come into it.
Kenny Coogan: Many years ago, I wrote an article for Countryside Magazine about maybe five different owl species, and I love owls, and of course raccoons do serve a purpose in the ecosystem, and so do alligators, and bobcats, and all these animals . It’s important to mention that we do not want listeners to be poisoning these animals or the rodent population to kill the owls or the other predators, because, that’s bad for the ecosystem. We’re trying to live in harmony with nature. I know that you repeatedly said do not free range the waterfowl, the chickens, you keep saying you’re not free range, do not free range. But I think a lot of people have this idyllic view of poultry ranging in a grassy meadow or pasture. [00:22:00] And people will quickly learn that it’s very hard to keep them alive in that type of setup.
Erin Synder: It is. Yes, and a lot of people think that chickens are happier free ranging, which, yes, they enjoy themselves, but if they’re starting to get attacked, it can really scare them, and some poultry never recover from that.
My friend owns a waterfowl rescue, and she has ducks that come in that are terrorized by being attacked by predators and they’ll live five, ten years and they actually never recover from it. They’ll go through their lives terrified and that’s just so sad in my opinion.
So you can have a sturdy coop but you could also have different structures that you move around a pasture so they can have access to grass so they don’t have to be in one spot.
I like having chicken tractors or something movable because I worry about them [00:23:00] not being really healthy if they’re always in the same spot because poop builds up and bacteria and all sorts of other diseases. So I’m really a big fan of chicken tractors, but it’s whatever works in your area and your setup.
Kenny Coogan: You could always let, depending on the flock size, you could let the ducks or the chickens out, supervised.
Erin Synder: Yes.
Kenny Coogan: All right. Thank you, Erin, so much for the great conversation on poultry predators and how to prevent them.
Erin Synder: Thank you, Kenny.
Jessica Anderson: Thanks again to Brinsea, our sponsor for this Mother Earth News and Friends podcast episode. You too can experience the Brinsea difference and maximize your hatch rates with Brinsea incubators that monitor temperature and humidity and are made of antimicrobial materials.
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Josh Wilder: Thanks for joining us for this episode of Mother Earth News and Friends. To listen to more podcasts and get connected on our social media, visit www.MotherEarthNews.com/Podcast. You can also email us at Podcast@OgdenPubs.com with any questions or suggestions. Our podcast production team includes Kenny Coogan, Alyssa Warner, and myself, Josh Wilder.
Music for this episode is the song Hustle by Kevin MacLeod. The Mother Earth News and Friends podcast is a production of Ogden Publications.
Jessica Anderson: Until next time, don’t forget to love your Mother.
