AlongCameJones

There has to be a balanced coyote and fox population. Too few yotes and foxes, the rats, rabbits and mice go bananas. Too may yotes and foxes, hen houses get raided, small children get attacked and pets get killed.

Nomercy448

This post paints a fantasy world which simply doesn’t exist.

”Hen houses get raided” because they are accessible, and it has absolutely nothing to do with population density of coyotes or fox. Small pets and children get bitten (idiotic exaggeration of an exceptionally rare and localized symptom) because of proximity and acclimation, again, independent of population density.

Where there is that to be eaten, there will be also those for which to eat. It’s really not so complicated.

mrbb

and your professional experience on this matter is what??

HOW many folks actually have HEN HOUSES anymore? and those that do, , do you really think don;'t have protection for there animals they keep ion them??


Typically in nature
when there is a lack of food for predators, , predators either move to find greener pastures, or they DIE , due to lack of enough food to sustain themselves!


and when there are TOO many rodents, it normally is due to HUMANS and NO lat of predators
humans waste more food and allow rodents to explode into high numbers, mostly a problem in places where natural predators are NOT a viable option to TRY to control them and once the population of rodents get too high, even natural predators cannot keep up with them to control them!
this typically is where science and chemicals tend to be needed to restore things to lower levels!

Nomercy448

A point of education which many folks will find surprising. Hobby and home farming chickens is at a multigenerational high. The organic, locally sourced, free range, hormone free, prepper, off the grid, self sustaining, etc etc trends have really stacked up in the last decade, and hobby/home chicken farming is soaring.

Not so surprising, once given that information, is the fact most of these new chicken stewards were not raised nor trained directly by an elder generation of actual chicken farmers. They’re either learning online or on their own, and yes, a larger plurality of these folks have absolutely no experience or knowledge in any form of animal husbandry, and subsequently do not appropriately protect their flocks from depredation. Folks that build low cost, “found wood” chicken coops from pallets and snow fences do a half-decent job at keeping their animals enclosed, half-decent, however, do a poor job of preventing invasion by predators.

So yeah... many of these folks are like our OP. No idea what they are doing, but are still happy to pretend to be authorities on their craft because they read some OTHER clueless newbie’s blog about their baby hobby chicken farm. And inevitably, they stumble and fall over even the most simple of hurdles which would have been avoided by those which have actual experience or experienced mentors guiding their hands.

AlongCameJones

I believe coyotes and fox eat rabbits, mice and rats out in nature a lot. If not for being too many in number, I don't know why coyote and fox then try to invade man's domain and cause trouble to him. Don't coyote and fox still steal livestock or domestic fowl?

How many coyote and fox should be taken by man each year for the good of conservation? What are actually healthy numbers for coyote and fox? Do wildlife biologists even manage their numbers?

Nomercy448

You don’t know why. That’s honest.

Farm raised fowl are captive and located consistently in the same place. Wild game is not, on either count. Predators learn quickly when a reliable food supply becomes available to them. Would you prefer to search for hours and walk for miles, then risk a high energy sprint with a relatively low probability of success, or simply walk into a grocery store and pick up food stuffs with near zero energy commitment?

That’s why. Now you know why.

Bocajnala

I have lost more birds to hawks than anything else.

-Jake

mrbb

if you have real interest in knowing what a HEALTHY amount of coyotes and foxes are in YOUR area or where ever, WHY not ask the experts IN these area's??
what do you think state game depts are form??
do you really NOT believe they have biologists working for them that make decisions on numbers of species in there state??

WHY do you want to ask folks on a form that have NO clue what or where your talking about
as a healthy number in MY area might NOT be a healthy number in YOUR area';s

again, your asking questions that we cannot answer!


NEXT if you read any REAL study on coyotes 's you almost KNOW for a FACT, that since coyotes live so close to humans anymore, there NUMBER ONE food source is CAT
NOT rabbit or mice ??
its CATS!
\
Yes a coyote will eat a rabbit or a mouse or about anything they can catch and kill or find to eat, there opportunists!
they seldom turn down an easy meal!

have you noticed that as long as you have been on this forum, you have YET to even attempt to reply to any thread but your own??
kind of like you like to hear yourself talk?? over actually learning anything or contributing to the site!

Nomercy448

And owls... I’ve lost more ducks and chickens to owls breaking through the roof wire into our “night enclosures” than anything... [email protected]%#@ owls...

Always a frustrating game - can’t keep birds fully enclosed top and sides all of the time, so they’re bound to be vulnerable... but prey species are vulnerable...

Bocajnala

I enjoy having my birds running around the property. So that means I'll lose some occasionally. Most nights I manage to get them all locked up.

I do what I can, but ultimately I like having them loose. And can't protect them 24/7. I haven't lost a bird to a predator in 3 years since getting my lab/shepherd mix. He does a good job watching them (and my kids too)

-Jake