Varmints getting into our pens and my protecting system

[southrngardngal]

Some animal had been trying to dig into the turkeys pens. William set a live trap and caught a skunk. That night another animal got into the guineas pen and killed all four of our young guineas we'd raised this summer.

I'd bought a baby monitor system and set the base up in one of the chicken pens and put the monitor on a night stand by our bed. I used the baby monitor system last fall in the pens and twice the chickens started making a lot of noise. We were able to save them from the raccoons that were in the pens.


One night last week the ducks woke me with their loud quacking. We jumped out of bed and went to the pens. There was another skunk in the pen with the ducks.

We have put double wiring around the pens but wild animals are still able to get in the pens. I really like my system of listening for any kind of noises that are unusal. I feel like the monitoring system has paid for itself several times over.

I keep the monitor on night and day. If dogs get into the pasture I will hear the noise in time to save my birds.

Just thought I would share my idea for protecting our flock. BTW....I didn't have the system turned on when the guineas were killed.

[Oxankle]

I had the same troubles until I put electric wires around the pens. The rabbit pen has two electrified strands about six inches out from the fence, one strand at around five inches, the second close to ten.

The chicken pens have only one electrified strand around each, but it seems to work.
Ox

[sawman65]

a HOT fence and a guard are my protection for the flock the monitors work but if the varmints are getting to the fence it is not good.
my fence has the first wire about 4" from the ground then i have a dog in that fence i sleep a lot better now i even get the rats at times

[solidwoods]

If your pen has a wood side, cut a hole in the wall where the wall meets the ground. Make the hole the size of the live trap entrance. Set the live trap inside the coop against the hole. To a varmint the hole looks like a free way to get inside,, smells like it,, sounds like it,, boom.
I'd fasten the cage so it can't be rocked away from the hole in case he has a buddy behind him trying to get in also. Nothing wrong with 2 traps also.
jim

[solidwoods]

Sawman65,, what the H E double L did you hook your wire too,, the top wire on the electric pole?

jim

[OKIE2]

Originally Posted by solidwoods

If your pen has a wood side, cut a hole in the wall where the wall meets the ground. Make the hole the size of the live trap entrance. Set the live trap inside the coop against the hole. To a varmint the hole looks like a free way to get inside,, smells like it,, sounds like it,, boom.
I'd fasten the cage so it can't be rocked away from the hole in case he has a buddy behind him trying to get in also. Nothing wrong with 2 traps also.
jim

Here is what I do put chicken wire on the ground and nail it to the pen then cover it with dirt nothing can dig under your pen.

[sawman65]

Originally Posted by solidwoods

Sawman65,, what the H E double L did you hook your wire too,, the top wire on the electric pole?

jim

around here black bears are abundant they make a box to repell them from trash cans and such this is what i use it is and not a pulse model when it hits ya it holds on

[southrngardngal]

Hubby and I have talked about the electric fence but the way we have the pens set up we may have to have several boxes. It sure would make it easier to sleep at night. The baby monitor has noise on it all night. The ducks and geese don't sleep like the turkeys and chickens do. They quack and honk all night long. LOL However, I'd rather listen to them than lose birds nightly.

We do need to put some wire lower on the pens then bend some of it out about a foot or more, then cover it with dirt. I've suggested this but Hubby doesn't think it will help.

So far we haven't had any problems with the rabbit pens. They're about three feet off the ground so it's hard for the smaller animals to get to it. We could close the pen in underneath it to be on the safer side.

Thanks for the suggestions. We lose a lot of our birds every year or we did until I bought the monitoring system.