I think I have a coyote problem

[famer_manda]

About a week or so ago I moved my chicken coop. I also took some chain link fencing that I bought at a farm auction ( about 100 feet ) and made an enclosure for a chicken run during the day. The only way to get in is when I unclip the edge from my coop and then I clip it back onto the cage when im done. The chickens are in a 2x4 welded wire cage about 6 1/2 feet tall.. 6 1/2 feet wide and 12 foot long. Its enclosed except for under neath.The ground is pretty difficult for digging. So I wasn't worried about a chicken getting out or most animals digging to get in.

But I noticed on two occasions now of scat around the fenced area. One time it was right in the center of the fenced in run. It was very fresh and i didn't have a chance to look at it as it was smeared under my shoes *yuk* but then two-three days later I was just outside the fencing (about a foot from the edge) and i found a scat pile.

I did take a picture of it and i will post it with my thread. I dont know how well you can see it but I can see some hairs mixed in. The only current neighbor dogs are chow/labs and this just seems smaller than the piles they used to leave me as presents. I am thinking coyote. I noticed tracks over in sand in another part of my yard. But of course they look the same as dog tracks.

Now I lost my mama duck about 2 weeks ago when she was on her nest at night. Just had a pile of feathers next to her. I lost a few roosters who rebelled against being in the coop at night. I lost another mama duck but it was the middle of theday and could have been something else.

But either way.. i have had a predator or two on m yhands.. Based upon this scat, you think coyote is a good guess??
We had a coyote problem earlier in the spring and i spooked it off by shooting at it but unfortunately missed it. Wish I had me a guard dog
Will post next.. having issues with it

[famer_manda]

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...a/SUNP0239.jpg

Ooh i should say though.. chainlink is only 4 foot high and its only up using 6 foot T post so it is flimsy enough something might be able to push themselves under if used enough force. And who knows.. maybe I didn't clasp the door the night before i stepped in scat in the middle of the pen. But either way a coyote cannot get into the coop itself unless the door doesn't latch right.

I am probably more concerned because my 2 week old broilers are in a tote in an open garage/tent type thing with a light. I have plywood on the top but a desperate animal could get in. I might need to string some extension cord all the way to the coop and put the tote in the coop for safety. I would hate to lose any more animals

[myheaven]

id say its from k9. yote not sure tho.

[famer_manda]

im not sure if that pic was too big in size so i resized it
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...manda/scat.jpg

and also here is a pic more of my coop and my pretty chickens!

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...aschickens.jpg

[silvergirl]

Night vision goggles and a good rifle... and there ya go! No problem!
Silvergirl

[Muskrat]

The coyote's tracks will be longer and more narrow, the toes less splayed, than a dog's, and the coyote has smaller feet than most dogs of a comparable size.

The scat will frequently contain the bones of rabbits and other rodents while feral dogs often will lean towards chicken and garbage but often not so much rodents. That of course depends so much on local conditions and individual animals that it is only a kind of general bit of added evidence rather than of any importance in and of itself.

They're usually more discreet about their scat than you indicate. It may be that the animal is feeling pretty safe at your farm.

[famer_manda]

LOL

Im scared of the dark... do i have any men here who wants to sleep in the bushes and hunt this critter for me? even if it ends up a neighbors dog you can SSS :P

[famer_manda]

Guess I need to put up a "No Canines Welcomed" sign.. Now that i think about it. I tossed some aged chicken wings into the area the other night. Chickens had no interest but maybe that lured something else in. I feel a tad better with that idea than having something stalking my birds.
Thanks for taking a look and giving me your opinions!

[uncle Will in In.]

Racoons scat looks like the picture also. If you don't have a live trap, you need one. Around here the coons are as thick as flies. Not many hunters anymore. I use a hot wire to keep them out of the corn. It's about 6 or 7 inches above the ground and works very well. I would trust having 2 more wires above it with about one foot spacing between them to keep out dogs and coyotes also. The cats don't go under it either.

[MaineFarmMom]

I think you're right. Coyote scat is smaller than the typical pet dog because coyotes eat a natural diet. Most people feed their dogs commercial food that contains fillers which produce larger scat.

When we have them here they let scat in prominent places like rocks and the middle of paths. Our cabin is 9 miles out on a dirt road. The coyotes are leaving blackberry filled scat on the larger rocks in the road.

[famer_manda]

Hmm I hadn't thought about that. Would my coop look like its coon proof? What does it take to be coon proof? I did a head count yesterday and realized im 3 brown leghorns short. They dont always go into the coop at night. I can't seem to keep them penned up which is why im working on a new coop but in the mean time i am trying to keep them in at night. To what extent would they go after brooding chicks? TSC has cages for 35.. would they work or are they too cheaply built?

[westbrook]

coons can morph flat and get in when you think you have it fool proof!

get a Livestock Guardian Dog. Problem solved.

[Mountaineer]

I'd love a LGD too but you know, dogs are a whole nother commitment to consider. Training, feeding, everything. And unlike most animals you can't skip a day with a dog.

[goatlady]

Chain link fence is like a lader to a coon. You might want to get a few leg traps to set up inside the fence, gives you a fairly stable target to hit in the daylight of morning.

[Judy in IN]

If you don't have a dog, aren't good with a gun, why not use the recipe about Mountain Dew and Golden Malrin that Bob Clark posted? It works on coyotes, skunks, opposum, and raccoons too!

I would say that if you don't have a LGD, you may have BOTH predators around.