chicken predators | Backyard Chicken Zone

The info-graphic below provides a great summary of the passive measures you can take to protect your flock from various predators but it is 2016 and you probably have more computing power in your smart phone now than NASA had on the moon lander when they put a man on the moon.

So lets look at some technology solution to enhance your physical chicken predator measures such as fencing.

1. Predator Guard Solar Power Deterrent Light

This deterrent light works by simulating the reflection of the eyes of a larger predator to create fear and uncertainty in nocturnal animals.

Wild animals that hunt or feed at night are acutely aware of their surroundings. They will only feed in a safe area
where they will not be noticed. Predator Guard introduces a pair of flashing lights that an animal assumes is a set of eyes.
This disrupts their sense of safety and makes them immediately flee your property.

At under $30 from Amazon this device is a good investment even if it only deters one attack on your flock.

Predator Guard Solar Powered Predator Deterrent Light

2. Garden Owl

An eco friendly alternative to other pest management solutions is this realistic looking horned owl decoy. The head moves in a realistic fashion drive by the solar panel installed in the head of the decoy scaring away garden pests and smaller predators. Available from Amazon.

3. Foxlights Night Predator Deterrent

Unlike the predator guard lights above that simulate the eyes of a larger predator, this system operates by creating a random set of lights to create the impression that an area is occupied. The sequence is random so the idea is to create uncertainty in the mind of the predators by not having a pattern for them to learn from.

Foxlights Night Predator Deterrent – Night Predator Control Light. Protect Flocks and Crops! Use 1 unit that flashes 360 degrees. Scares away and alarms wildlife animals.

It is worth pointing out that the technology above is not meant to replace physical protective measures like fences, but will enhance protection of your flocks and crops.

Some breeds of chickens also have much better instincts when it comes to predator awareness. Check out our guide or subscribe below to get a copy of our guide to selecting the best backyard chicken breed that identifies the breeds with the best predator awareness instincts.

Check out other cool eco friendly gadgets for the home here from our friends at GoGetEco.com. Also check out their high tech eco friendly gadgets for the garden here.

Click here to get your members only "Guide to Selecting the Best Backyard Chicken Breed"

WARNING!! – The following post contains images that might disturb some readers

We need your help!

One of our twitter followers (Jodie @alpineblossom) sent us a message this week after sadly losing a number of her flock to an unidentified predator.

So we decided to see if we could crowd source the investigation into identifying the most likely culprit.

This is where you come in. We need your help to try and unravel this mystery and identify the most likely predator responsible for killing these chickens.

The Facts of the Case

This is what we know about the incident and the unsub – UNknown SUBject (yes I watch too much criminal minds!) so far:

The location of the crime is British Columbia, Canada.
The unsub squeezed in through a gap in the barn door and dug a 7 inch wide hole in the dirt floor.
The birds had no obvious wounds.
They all had ruffled feathers with signs of a struggle.
They all appear to have died from a broken neck.
The unsub killed 10 birds and pulled/dragged all of them out of the coop. (note the birds were found more spread out than shown in the forensic photos below).
Only one bird was partially eaten as shown in the photo below and the others were untouched.
Some scat (animal droppings) was found near the scene of the crime as shown below.

The Forensic Evidence

The following photos have been provided by Jodie @alpineblossom to help you identify the predator.

Jodie - chickens killed by predator — Chickens killed by unknown predator

Jodie - close up of eaten chicken — Remains of chicken eaten by unknown predator

Jodie predator scat — Scat found near scene of the crime

Some Information to Help

Common Chicken Predators found in British Columbia

The following is a list common predators found in the British Columbia area:

Bald Eagle
Canada Lynx
Cougar
Grizzly Bear
Peregrine Falcon
Raccoon
Red Fox
Spotted Owl
Wolf
Wolverine

Common Chicken Predators

The following info-graphic provides an overview of common chicken predators, their attack methods, and potential coop design solutions to protect your flock against these predators.

Over to you. If you have some experience with this type of attack please leave a comment or share this post with your friends to see if we can find a possible solution for Jodie.

Also if you don’t follow us on Twitter already you can find us at @myurbanchicken.

Since writing this post we received lots of feedback from the Backyard Chicken Zone community and we have since written a post summarizing the findings of which chicken predator was responsible for killing these chickens in “CSI (Chicken Scene Investigation) – Who did it?“.

Chicken Predators – Technology Solutions to Protect Your Flock

Chicken Predators – What killed my chickens?