Protecting chickens from stray dogs

I've been raising chickens here since 2010 and we've only had 2 major predator attacks and they were both dogs. Yes, we've had our share of persistent foxes or raccoons over the years, but dogs take the prize for the sheer amount of casualties they cause in one go.

The worst part about dogs, is that they run chickens down for fun! I can at least understand a fox or coyote that has to eat, but dogs just chase chickens for sport and somehow that's twice as devastating! 

The first time it happened was about 7 years ago. It was 3 dogs that someone had brought with them to visit one of our 'neighbors' and they just let them run every morning. Their excuse was that the dogs never get to run off leash in the city and they didn't think they could get into any trouble, it's just woods. *sigh* 

Except farmers live in between those stretches of woods and homesteaders actually live on acreage in the woods! They never even considered that some of us have farm animals and the dogs had never seen them before so they would be curious. Spoiler alert...if your dog chases cats and bunnies in the city, they're chasing livestock in the country when they get the chance! 

When chicken keeping goes wrong

Have you ever had a period of time when everything seems to go wrong with your flock of chickens and you just can't seem to fix it? That was my whole summer! It started with predators but many of the things that went wrong were just weird flukes! Sometimes even when you do everything right, things still go wrong.

Against my friends and families advice I have decided to share with you all the chicken keeping problems I've had this year. Why? Because it's not always all sunshine and roses in the backyard coop and if you found this post through a search, you're probably hoping you're not alone.

I normally I wouldn't talk about this, at least not in this sort of way but I think it's important that new chicken keepers realize that stuff like this can still happen to the old timer chicken keepers! So, here we go. Welcome to my recap of every problem I had with my chickens in 2022!

It started with...Predators!

Keeping chickens safe from foxes

Foxes can be a problem for many chicken keepers. While only those of us in rural settings have to deal with things like bears or bobcats trying to eat our chickens, foxes are getting closer and closer to the suburbs! Because fox moms have several babies each year, a single fox sighting can mean there are 6 or more in the area! A fox will take a chicken every day given the chance...so 1 fox can wipe out a flock of hens pretty quickly.

Of course with all predators it's easiest to prevent them from getting their first meal, than it is to stop them once they get a taste for chicken. 

A fox will not leave much evidence when she takes a chicken. You may see a few feathers but usually the hen will just be gone. This may lead some to think the hen is off brooding somewhere or has just wandered off. Any time a chicken is missing like this though, there's a good chance it was a fox. Most other predators leaves a mess behind, the fox just grabs and runs off to her den to share with her family. 

Predator proofing your coop and run is important, and since foxes are known to jump high and dig well, we need to focus mostly on the run.

A sturdy run and coop with a solid floor is the best place to start. If you don't have a run on your chicken coop, you might want to build one. Foxes hunt by staying right outside the open areas and watching for the moment they can run in, grab a chicken and get out. Our biggest fox problems have been when the chickens were free ranging.

Supervised free range time definitely helps, though some foxes will still manage to make their move if you are far enough across the yard! When you realize that you have a fox problem, it's safest to end free range time until the problem has been sorted out. 

Protecting chickens from hawks

As if everything going on in the world isn't enough, I've had hawks circling overhead the last few days. They are watching my chickens and I'm sure they're looking for a meal. Luckily I have a few hawk deterrents around the yard and coop and they haven't been able to get their claws on one of my chickens!

That is one of the main dangers of allowing the chickens to free range...predators. We've talked about predators before as I've had problems in the past with everything from bears to snakes and raccoons. 

Sometimes it seems like everything eats chickens *sigh* even other birds! Birds of prey fall into this category and unfortunately if you live anywhere outside city limits you're bound to run into them eventually.

The most common bird of prey you'll see when keeping chickens is the Red-tailed hawk, followed by the Cooper's hawk. Bald and golden eagles are behind them with owls bringing up the rear of the list. 

Owls are less of a problem because the majority of them hunt after dark and most people have their chickens locked up in their coop by then.

How to keep Bears out of the chicken coop

As far as chicken predators go, bears are the worst of all! Not only will bears break a chicken coop to pieces looking for the feed, but they will also eat any chickens or eggs that they find inside. They are huge in size, much stronger than us and can effectively destroy almost any coop we have built.

Because of that, this post isn't about keeping bears out of the chicken coop, it's about deterring them from even knowing there's something good inside!

I know people like to say that bears don't eat meat but I promise you that is not true. I saw it myself. Two years ago in April the bear in the picture above ate my silkie rooster. 

I saw the bear in the woods behind the coop and after he left I went to where he had been to see what he had been eating. All that was left was feathers and a head. Poor Rusty Roo.

Though I don't doubt that cocky little guy ran right up to the bear like 'hey, get away from my girls' like he did to everybody and everything else. 

The point is, bears will eat chickens.

Dealing with the death of a chicken

I want to talk about chicken death today. What do you do when a chicken dies? How do you feel when you lose a pet who is also a livestock animal, and how to discuss that strange blurred line to people who don't understand. It's ok to be 'all over the map' emotionally after the death of a pet chicken. It's a lot. So if you've ever lost one of your chickens read on. 

For the lucky ones that haven't experienced death in the chicken flock, you might want to bookmark this for later in case you need it. 

Those of you who get my newsletter know that we've been dealing with at least 2 foxes, maybe more. They have taken several chickens and 1 duck, plus injured another who has since died from his injuries. 

For everyone who has asked "How's it going?" Here's the answer: "not good". I can't catch the fox, I feel guilty on several different levels, I've spent too much money and it feels like it's never gonna end. *sigh* Now let's unpack all of that crap....

How to protect your chickens from raccoons

Raccoons are a problem for almost all chicken keepers. While only those of us in rural settings have to deal with things like bears or bobcats trying to eat our chickens, raccoons are literally everywhere.

Also, they are quite smart. Raccoons can remember the solution to a problem for at least 3 years. That means that if a raccoon figures out how to open your chicken coop, he's not going to forget any time soon!

While predator proofing your coop and run is always important, predator proofing for raccoons is a little more difficult. They're smart, can dig well, can climb almost anything and are very skilled with their front paws. 

Plus raccoons in high density areas tend to socialize in groups, often meeting at feeding grounds. So if one raccoon finds your chickens, more are often close behind. 

The best course of action is to avoid attracting raccoons to your chicken coop to begin with. A predator proof coop and chickens that are securely closed in at night when raccoons are most active are your best lines of defense against these midnight bandits.

Easy ways to keep snakes out of the chicken coop!

When discussing poultry predators, snakes are often labeled as more of a nuisance than a threat. Many people believe that snakes will only eat eggs and since they also eat mice, it's great to have them around the chicken coop. Many see snakes as basically harmless to full grown chickens.

They couldn't be more wrong.

Over the years I have lost 2 grown hens, a few chicks, and some eggs to snakes. Unfortunately since I live in the woods, I have more snake encounters than the average chicken keeper...but that also means I have more opportunity to test out snake repellent methods.



A snake will kill a full grown chicken even when it's glaringly obvious that it could never swallow a chicken that size.

Many chicken keepers have found a deceased chicken with a wet looking head and neck. That happens when a snake kills then tries to eat something that is too big. It gives up and spits it back out.

In  my situations both of the hens that the snake killed had chicks with her. I found both with the snake still wrapped around the hen and it's my theory that she was trying to keep the snake from the chicks. She may have even pecked at it to try to make it leave. 

The snake couldn't get past the mama hen so it decided to kill her first. I don't think the snake would have even attempted to swallow the hen, but we'll never know.

Why you don't want squirrels near your chickens (it's really gross!)

This time of year there are squirrels absolutely everywhere. I'm seeing squirrels in my yard constantly and much to the dogs delight, they are quite persistent in coming back! I let her out to chase them and 20 minutes later, they're back. This goes on all day long! Since my chickens free range daily, this is a problem.

The problems squirrels cause in chicken coops

You see, while squirrels many seem harmless, you really don't want them getting too comfortable around your chickens for several reasons. Not only can squirrels end up costing you money in feed bills and ruined equipment, they'll actually go after chicks if they get hungry enough!

Obviously squirrels will eat the chicken feed. Not only do they eat the feed they can get to, but they'll eat holes in feeders or through your feed storage containers rendering them useless! (see photo below)

Should chickens free range?

It's a debate that sparks heated arguments: should you allow your chickens to free range or not? On one hand you have the chickens who absolutely love to be outdoors playing in the grass and chasing bugs. On the other side, we all want the best for their safety and chickens have a lot of predators out there. So what do you do? Do you free range your chickens and take the risk? Or do you keep your flock cooped up and play it safe?

Over the years I have done both. I've kept my chickens inside their coop and covered run all day and I've let them out with unlimited free range time. Whether I let my chickens free range or not depends on the  current situation. Anytime I feel there is a threat of predator attack I keep them in. I've also done supervised free range which isn't as simple as it sounds.

Free range chickens

The idea behind supervised free range hens is that you would obviously be right there watching them. This works in theory but it also depends on how many chickens you have and how well equipped you are to handle predators.

Chances are a predator would stay away if they saw you out there with your chickens. Probably. Unless it's the neighbors dog or a stray cat, then they would more than likely be unfazed by you. I've also had wild predators attack when I was less than 50 feet away. A bear grabbed a chicken when I was in the yard and a fox snagged a duck in the 30 seconds I walked into the house to grab a flashlight.

How using deer netting can deter hawks

Hawks are a big problem in many places. Even small hawks like the red tailed hawk can be found in urban areas. Especially now that the weather is breaking and everything is hungry! We've had hawks fly down into the chickens run and walk right into the coop. Of course this never ends well for the chickens, especially the bantams. 

Unfortunately not every coop has a run that I can put a roof on. We've started adding deer netting to the tops of these runs and it's really helped to deter the hawks.

I prefer to put a solid roof on the run to keep out both predators and bad weather. That's not always possible, so sometimes you need to trick the predators. Oh sure, a hawk could rip through that netting but chances are they won't even try.

Chicken keepers beware: the Predators are HUNGRY!

I have a sad, cautionary tale to tell you. It begins in the dawn of a bright new year when everyone is looking forward to new beginnings. 

It has a chicken owner carefully plotting her breeding groups for the new year. Matching up pairs and trios of Silkies. Feeling satisfied with last years results in the Marans. Confident about the color changes in the Guinea flock and watching the little d'Uccle cockerel grow into a great looking little roo. 

Then the weather in this winter got colder and colder. The snow built up deeper and deeper. The farm entered a deep freeze and chicken care took on a whole new level of difficulty. 

It was ok, farmers adapt and every chicken made it through the bitter cold snap. Unfortunately though, the wildlife didn't do as well. They went hungry when it was too cold to come out and hunt, or when nothing else was out for them to hunt. Then they found the chickens.

The first warm day dawned bright and beautiful and our flock owner let the Silkies into their run for the first time in weeks. They needed the fresh air and though the run wasn't covered, it had never been breached before.

Raccoons, possums and snakes oh my!

We've had our share of chicken predators here. The worst of them lately has been the foxes. Through trail cam pictures we've narrowed it down to 4 different foxes. Well, there's only 3 now....but let's not change the subject here. In addition to fox there's been raccoons, opossums and snakes. Oh, and the occasional bear which sadly, will eat chickens.

Chicken predators

We take a proactive approach to controlling the predator population around here. There are always baited traps up in the woods and far behind the coop. We use safe traps in case the chickens or the neighbors cat get in them! 

Trail cams are left up year round and checked every few weeks. This helps us to be aware of what predators are in the area. 

One problem we have here is that Guineas are a ground nesting bird that likes to hide their nests in the woods. Opossums like to eat eggs. See where the problem would start? 

Oh sure, Opossums are nocturnal and when they find a Guinea nest at night (or the egg a chicken hen hid behind a tree) the eggs are there all alone for the taking.

What happens when Mr Opossum gets hungry during the day though? Suddenly he's confronted with a full sized hen and they start a fight over the eggs. Do you want to see who wins? I don't. Also, I have caught an opossum eating chicks, so that's another reason to get rid of any I catch near my coops.

The fox is back

We've had the worst problem with a fox lately! He's been hanging around off and on for almost 2 years, but has started visiting daily now. We lost a few hens to him in the fall. At that point a trapper came up and set out traps for a few weeks. I posted about that on the other blog.....you can read about it here: Waiting for the trap to snap. 

Unfortunately, the trapper didn't catch the fox then and it stayed away for several months. It got my male duck early this year, and another hen the same week. I tried sitting out with my rifle and waiting for it, but it never showed when I was there. It showed up a week or so later and was chasing the ducks around when the LGD came out and tore off after it into the woods. Once again it laid low for a month or so, then we saw this one morning.

Looks like something was desperately trying to dig into the coop! Since this finding he's taken 2 guineas out of the woods during the day and 2 more out of our yard in broad daylight! We're talking 9am! I spoke to the trapper and unfortunately there are restrictions about trapping this time of year, so it looks like I'll be doing it myself. 

I'm buying a large fox trap and setting it up this weekend. What else do I do? I've seen the large safe traps at Tractor Supply and they are not terribly expensive, so I guess I'll go that route. I just don't see any other option. I added 5 guineas to my flock this year and he's snagged them all along with several hens. ugh!

Dealing with multiple chicken predators

Well...it finally happened. I must have jinxed myself by saying "We don't really have a problem with predators" too many times. Somebody slap me! *sigh* A few weeks ago a grumpy guinea went missing. (she was grumpy with me for stealing her keets) 

It happened the day after I took away the babies she had helped to brood. They are NOT very good mamas at all, and the situation was quickly going south....but I digress. 

When she went missing I assumed she had taken over the only nest I couldn't find. I watched every day and count the guineas so when she came back to eat I could follow her back to her nest. I never saw her, but they do look an awful lot alike and I thought that I was just missing her. So I faithfully followed those guineas around day after day but they never went to visit her. I was sure she'd come back with babies in tow a few weeks later.

2 days ago I went outside to see what the guineas were screaming about (again) and found a puff of feathers in the yard. Blue Marans feathers. Ut-oh. I looked and looked, but nothing. Finally I took the dogs into the woods and wouldn't you know, they found feathers!