For those of you who enjoy looking out your window and seeing chickens peck the ground for spring worms and bugs, it's really hard to let go of the birds and not get a fresh batch each spring. There are a few questions I've had to ask myself in recent years about this very thing. When predators come a knocking on the chicken house door, the blood shed can make us weary of keeping those precious birds. We come to love tending, feeding, and collecting the eggs from our feather friends. We do everything we can to secure their coop and hope for the best.... I recently felt as though I couldn't stand to lose one more bird. So, I posted the hens on a local site and sold them a few days after Christmas. I got a great price for each hen and when the heavy snow hit our South Eastern Pa belt, I felt relieved that my duties as chicken mother were over. (For the time being) Now I know one thing is for sure. If we don't get our chicken coop door closed by dark during spring and summer seasons we can count on an invasion of many predators. We've had skunks, racoons, possum, fox and even a great horned owl in the chicken house. These predators will play, eat, drag off and leave remains of any and all birds eventually. I havn't invested in a "nature cam" or an automated coop door, but these options could help with protection. I recently found bottled "Wolf Urine" for sale on My Pet Chicken. This brings a whole new concept into question....will it attract wolves? mypetchicken.com
I think it is hard to stop the chicken habit once it starts. I suggest taking a 3-6 month break from the birds if you are having a predator problem and then revisit your coop for possible entrances making sure to secure any problem areas. Also, make sure to properly clean up any dead birds. Once your area has been free of any food for the animals they will likely travel somewhere else for dinner. Also, make that trip home during the warm months to ensure your flock is locked in tight at to keep them safe.
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