Chicken Keepers’ Encounters With Wildlife

I’m a chicken keeper and a naturalist. Not all poultry folks are both. The responses to encounters with wildlife run the gamut: from acceptance that those species have the right to exist, to working harder to predator proof coops and runs and restricting birds’ free-ranging access, and all the way to wanting to eradicate every form of wildlife on a property whether those animals have shown any predatory behaviour ‘just in case’.

I live in an island with few native predators: mink, marten, raccoons, hawks, owls, ravens and, of course, dogs. I am fortunate, in that, I’ve had relatively few negative interactions with potential predators. I live on a small acreage surrounded by forest and some of my neighbours have had to contend with both mink and raccoons.

I’ve only once had a mink in my pen. I chased it off. It came back later that day and despite the naysayers advice that it would be back until it killed my whole flock I never saw it, or any other mink, again.

My birds have been penned for the last decade. Not in a tiny jail but a 30’x40’ fenced area with fruit trees and sheltered areas. The whole top is netted as well. The wire fencing on the other hand – some with 2”x4”, but most with 4”x8” openings – would allow a mink or determined raccoon in. I know that because I once, in fact, witnessed a fat raccoon squeezing out of my pen. 

I’ve had three issues with raccoons. The first was a daylight attack in which I was able to wrestle my hen from a raccoon who was attempting to pull her through the fence. She made a full recovery. The other two were not so lucky. They both missed bedtime lock up (one was broody and hiding on a stash of eggs) and hunkered down in my three-sided shed. Lucky raccoons came upon them in the middle of the night and found an unguarded, tasty meal. I can’t blame them for my oversight.

I see their tracks on occasion, in the snow or mud, yet they never seem to bother my birds. Perhaps I’m just lucky or that we have come to some kind of unspoken agreement that they can help themselves to my compost as long as they keep their paws off my flock.

As we encroach on or destroy the natural habitat of many species we’ll have more encounters with those seeking an easy meal. A knee-jerk reaction would be to kill anything that might pose a threat to our flock – a strategy that can backfire as more animals may move in to fill the void. Many folks’ means of controlling those predators can be cruel: leg hold traps, poison, or tempting snakes to eat indigestible fake eggs. A more meaningful response would be to figure out how we can keep our birds safe without eradicating other species. Or if we can’t live with those predators are we able to relocate them?

I recognize that I don’t have to deal with the risk of big predators: coyotes, fox, bobcats and bear, or the exotics like large snakes and alligators. I feel for the folks that do. And, of course, not all encounters with wildlife are negative. Many chicken keepers have stories of feeding wildlife as a means of deterring them from predating on their flock, or co-existing animals that live on their property without harming livestock.

Here’s a range of responses from chicken keepers and their feelings on wildlife.

Alligators

Not living in alligator country I can’t speak to how common an occurrence like happens. I think a ‘gator might be quick to grab a distracted bird in the open but would have a hard time getting into a coop or run.

Photo credit: Betsey Dominique

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Bears

It appears bears can be both destructive and disinterested in chickens.

Our neighbourhood bear walks past the chickens to get to the apple tree. – Dianne McKelvie

Photo credit: Sarah Crawford; Marsha Barlow Gibbons

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Bees

Although uncommon, these birds were stung by a swarm of bees (FYI: the treatment is Benadryl).

Photo credit: James Taylor

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Bobcats

This bobcat killed a chicken. Instead of killing it the owners live trapped and relocated it deliberately leaving the chicken for the cat to feed on.

Photo credit: James Tanner

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Coyotes

This was a first for me. I woke up early to climb in the tree stand to get me a deer. I guess a coyote with a chicken in his mouth is what was planned for me. The amazing part is the chicken is still alive now, a little sore but I’m sure this little rooster will make it. – Corey Blackmon

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Crows

I had four crows save one of my chickens from a hawk. The hawk had a hold of my hen but had to fight off the crows so it couldn’t kill it and my goose alerted us to what was going on. I’m glad I’ve been feeding these crows for years. Today they have earned it. – Vernon Voutour

Photo credit: InKi Stock

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Deer

I had a deer in my coop and would have never known who had been emptying the feeders but he left evidence! – Chris Owsley

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Fox

“We found a cute puppy in our coop. He’s not very nice but free to a good home. My kid had to pull a chicken out of her mouth. The hen is fine just missing a few feathers.” – Clay Groves

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Hawks

We put out raw peanuts in the shell for the bluejays. We feed them and they let us know when there’s a hawk around. The chickens listen and run into the bushes or into the run. – Melanie Nichole Baldwin

Over 15 years I’ve had about ten birds lost to hawks. The first two happened when my flock free-ranged, while the others occurred when they were penned. Over time, I have been more vigilant and now the whole top of their two pens (30’x40′ and 15’x30′) are covered with deer netting. Even so, one hawk has been especially persistent lately. I’ve spotted it once, sometimes twice, a day perched in a tree on the perimeter of the pen trying to find a way in. I’m pretty confident that my enclosure is safe, but I do regular inspections to ensure the netting is tightly secured. – Bitchin’ Chickens

Photo credits: Allen MacKay; Miran Scally; Anisha Anisha, Ryan Griffiths; Wendye Lusk

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Mink

Almost every murdered chicken post includes a couple of weasel myths and I thought it’d be fun to clear ‘em up.

Weasel Myth #1: They can suck blood out of their prey and then they leave the meat for scavengers.Nope. Weasels cannot suck blood as they lack the jaw muscles needed to be able to complete that action. They do sever arteries in the way they kill and they do enjoy licking up the blood before they eat. They often leave the bodies to eat later, but they are not mini chupacabras.

Weasel Myth #2: They overkill because they are excited or it is fun for them. Nope. It’s easy for people to want to anthropomorphize animals when they are uneducated on their actual behaviours. I’ve read so many people angrily say they just kill for no reason. We dont usually leave our dead livestock around for the weasels to come back but come back they do and will eat everything over time. Weasels are cache killers. They kill as much as they can and will return to their cache as needed. They are not serial killers and they do not just enjoy murder and leave those kills and never come back. They especially cache when food is scarce and when they have babies.

I might as well throw a fun fact in. The Least Weasel has the strongest bite per size in North America! Their bite psi is around 150. A human’s is around 85. On the BFQ scale (Bite Force Quotient) they beat lions and are second only to Tasmanian Devils. While we definitely don’t want these guys in our chicken coops, vilifying them as vampires and serial killers is fantasy at best. I hope everyone has an amazing day out there and may these wee weasel warriors leave your chickens be. – Valerie Smith

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Opossums

I’ve kept chickens for 10+ years. Most of our encounters have been with opossums. These poor little souls get a bad rap. I have found them curled up in the coops and never lost a bird yet. I find if they have access to feed or the occasional egg or two they really don’t bother the ladies – I think they basically are looking for a hassle-free B&B. – Sue Norris

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Meeting an opossum in the coop: adrenalin booster for sure. Don’t wish to have another anytime soon or perhaps never again! – Cheryl Lee

Photo credits: top to bottom: Cheryl Lee; unknown; Rachel Crockett; Robyn Evans; Aly LaMar

“This morning while I was innocently going to feed the pigs, one of my fantasies came true. Now that I’m all mature and married, I don’t just go all willy nilly, plunging my fingers into dark holes, but sometimes, well, you just gotta resort back to your pre-nuptial ways. While feeding Tammy Swinette and Merle Hoggard, I reached my hand into their feed without glancing with my eyes first.

Imagine my surprise when I non-consensually found myself stroking a nice, fuzzy, warm possum. I didn’t consent. She didn’t consent. But while we didn’t plan on this happening, I think we both liked it. A lot. Image description: a marsupial lounging in pig food after the best petting of her life.” Hairy Farmpit Girls

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Thanks to everyone who shared their stories and photos. Featured photo credit: Unknown

If you enjoyed this post check out Part One here

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