Common Chicken Coop Predators By Bill Keene

Being a chicken is a dangerous occupation. Here are some of the animals that pose the greatest threat to your chickens.

Coyote

They are most active at night but in places where their natural habitat is still undisturbed by human settlements and activities, they are also active during the day especially during cool weather. There are coyotes however that have already adapted to the presence of humans and they tend to be active even during day time.

Coyotes prey on domestic fowl like chickens, ducks, geese and turkeys. Simply shooting these predators won't stop them, you either have to trap them or better yet, make sure that the area surrounding your chicken coop is coyote-proof.

Fisher Cat

A member of the weasel family, the fisher cat is also known as the pekan cat or black cat. Fishers live in a band in the forest are only in the North American continent.

They have short legs, small ears, and a long well-furred tail. The color of their coat ranges from dark brown to nearly black. They have large feet with five sharp toes which they use for climbing trees and killing their prey.

Fox

Foxes are quick and highly skilled hunters, preying on mice, cottontail rabbits and poultry birds. Although primarily nocturnal, they are active and sometimes come out to hunt also during daylight hours.

Foxes are the nemesis of chicken owners. They normally hunt 2 hours after sundown and 2 hours before sunup and carry off their prey a good distance away.

Hawk

Hawks are carnivores with strong, hooked beaks; their feet have three toes pointed forward and one turned back; and their claws are long, curved and very sharp with an eyesight that is several times better than humans. They can see a mouse from a height of as high as one mile.

Hawks usually kill their preys with their claws and tear them to bite-size pieces with their strong and sharp beak.

Raccoon

One of the most common predators of poultry farms is the raccoon. They are can live close to humans and are very adaptable and intelligent.

A grown raccoon is about 32 inches long (including the tail) and weighs between 11 to 18 pounds although some weigh as much as 30 pounds; generally male raccoons are larger than the females of the species. The most distinctive features of the raccoon are the black-ringed tail and coloration of the face which bears a resemblance to a bandit's mask.

Skunk

Skunks pose little or no threat to adult chickens, but they usually prey on the chicks and eggs. There are four types of skunks you should be on the look out for - the hooded skunk, the striped skunk, the spotted skunk, and the hog-nosed skunk with the spotted skunk acknowledged as more dangerous since they know how to climb. Skunks are nocturnal in nature but they stay away from farms that have geese, dogs or cats.

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Bill Keene is a former poultry farm and author of of the guide "Building A Chicken Coop" and website http://www.buildingachickencoop.com

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