guard animals for chickens

carl reitnauer · Jan 2, 2015

every year we have to share our chickens with coons ,foxes and opposums. They are in a full acre ssurrounded by 6' chain wire. Has anyone ever kept a donkey or horse with the chickens? my dog is too playful with chickens to be effective. Any other ideas?

Fawteen · Jan 2, 2015

I had a llama for a few years. Nothing, and I do mean NOTHING got inside my fence without that critter being all over it like a cheap suit.

Never lost so much as a feather.

He died, and the )#($%ing foxes have damn near put me out of the chicken bidness.

Mike (WA) · Jan 2, 2015

Donkey or mule would work, too- they won't put up with NOTHIN'.

old · Jan 2, 2015

I installed an electric fencer around my chicken pen. Sits up close to the top of the fence that way if something tries to climb over they get it when they reach the top and so far have not lost any more chickens

JayinNY · Jan 2, 2015

Great Pyerenees dogs they say are good at protecting chickens.

Buckeye · Jan 2, 2015

Local fellow keeps a Great Pyrenees dog in with his.

JayinNY · Jan 2, 2015

That's was a good laugh fawteen, all over it like a cheap suit! Lol!

keh · Jan 2, 2015

Suggest an electric fence, Fawteen. I have one to keep coon out of the garden corn.

KEH

Chuck (CA) · Jan 2, 2015

I thought about that, but was told the critter trying to break in had to be standing on the ground when it touched the wire. Was I misinformed?

roy prins · Jan 2, 2015

I have a great pyrenees dog -- he will watch the sky during the day and everything else at night -- when he was a pup I had to teach him that a chicken was good and a redtail hawk was bad-- they have a big territory and it is theirs -- no exception -- Harley is 120 lbs. and a 30lb. coon is no challenge -- Roy

Dave H (MI) · Jan 2, 2015

Many years ago a Coopers hawk took one of our bantam silkies and headed south with it. By the time she got two hundred feet she was just starting to get some air...maybe six feet total. What she did not know was that KC, our Great Pyrenees, was hot behind her. Huge dog, went airborne, scared that hawk half out of it's wits to the point it dropped the chicken. Looked to me like the dog just missed the hawk. Chicken died two days later but it was a good effort.

PJH · Jan 2, 2015

If the chain link fence is grounded, and the hot wire is insulated from it, it will light him up real good. Hawks would still be a problem. A deceased neighbor set a pole in the center of his chicken yard, and set a leg hold trap on top of the pole, anchored with a short piece of dog chain. Hawks like to light on top of poles, and you know the rest of the story. Highly illegal, and non-discriminate.

BushogPapa · Jan 2, 2015

A really GOOD Family/Guard dog is a Kuvasz..Like a Great White, but much more "Athletic".
SMART as a whip, too..!!

I sure loved mine...

Ron.

blue water massey · Jan 2, 2015

get one of these
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7lwOxzZdyg

Kyle in KY · Jan 3, 2015

Great Pyrenees as others have said. I used to loose between 10-15 chickens every year between coons, fox, possum and hawks. He's 1.5 yrs old 160 lbs, now I have to clean up dead varmits once in a while haven't lost a chicken yet. Coyotes and coons seem to be his favor varmit. He lays in the yard watching the free range chickens during the day and camps outside the coop at night.

Bret4207 · Jan 3, 2015

We have 5 Pyrs now. Just be aware that while they work great, they bark pretty much all night, every night. But we don't lose sheep, lambs or goats to coyotes any more.

Dean Olson · Jan 3, 2015

1 more vote for Pyrenees. I've had "Brie" in with lambs and chickens now for about a year with no losses.
Pic shows Brie checking for eggs with me.

JayinNY · Jan 3, 2015

Great pic Dean, no sides on the coup? Must be a warm area were you live? Thanks for the pic.

old · Jan 3, 2015

Think about if. It it climbs the fence and runs into the hot wire doesn't the fence touch the ground?? So the animal is grounded out just because it climb the fence

old · Jan 3, 2015

Real easy to stop bird of prey with just a simple bunch of strings crisis crossing the pen up at a level high enough that you do not run into them. Birds need open area to take off with a load

PJH · Jan 3, 2015

Yeah, that would work good, and wouldn't get you arrested, but the original poster said he had a full acre pen. That's 210 feet, if square - lots of string. I'll remember that idea though - thanks! We seem to have a red tailed hawk in every tree around here.

old · Jan 3, 2015

I am lucky I have to chicken houses and a walnut tree in the pen so using used baler twine from big bales make it cheap and easy to do. Fishing line also works well but that you sure as heck want up high enough o do not run into it because it is real hard for a human to see but as bird sees it with no problem

guard animals for chickens

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