Backyard Chicken Predators

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If you worry about the safety of your hens, then this article on avoiding backyard chicken predators may have the tips you need to help. Tips we have used in our home backyard coop to help keep the local animals away from our flock.

When raising chickens you want to do whatever you can to keep them safe and that all begins with their coop. Start there and you will have a kitchen full of farm fresh eggs all year long.

It was just another day here on the homestead. I was heading out to feed and water the chickens and I immediately noticed something was wrong.

My hens were acting off, staying on the roost and not crowding the door as usual, waiting to be fed. As I looked around I saw one of my prized hens laying under the roost dead.

There really is nothing quite as heartbreaking as finding an animal that you work so hard to take care of killed right there inside the henhouse.

A place where our chickens expect to be safe and protected.

My heart sank. After 8 years of raising chickens, this was my first predator attack.

Clues of a Predator Attack

How did I know my hen was killed by a predator? I could tell by the condition of her body.

When a predator such as a weasel, raccoon, or hawk kills a chicken, they kill just to kill. They do not eat it…… they just kill it. Usually, by biting the head off. (sorry, pretty graphic, I know)

If you find a decapitated hen, then you know right then and there you probably have a predator, and you need to take action fast.

Predators Will Return to Kill Again

Once an animal learns how to get into your henhouse, I promise you they will be back. They will be back to take the eggs and to kill the chickens.  

The best advice that I can give is to take steps to protect your backyard chickens from predators more effectively.

Remember, your animals depend on you to keep them safe and if you have a predator in your coop, don’t beat yourself up over it. Instead, take the necessary precautions so it does not happen again. 

With winter in full swing, animals are hungry. They are understandably drawn to food such as eggs, chicken feed, and kitchen scraps.

Watch for Clues

As you are out doing chores, always watch for suspicious tracks in the snow leading from the coop. If you see any, you may want to take action as soon as possible. 

Follow the tracks to understand better how they are accessing the coop. When you find the opening, you can close it up by nailing a board over the outside and inside.

HOw to Prevent Backyard Chicken Predators

Be proactive and do what you can now to prevent issues in the future. This routine starts with cleaning and takes you to protection options you can implement in your coop.

Step #1  Clean Out the Chicken Coop

In order to find a hole, it is best to remove any bedding inside the coop. Fall is a great time to do this because it is a typical cleaning time for chicken owners.

1. Remove all the bedding so you can get a good look at the coop.
2. Scrape any built up debris that is stuck to the floor area.
3. Be sure to remove all you can, including the nesting boxes.
4. Move everything away from the walls to reveal the corners.

You would be amazed at the small size of the holes that a predator can get through if they are determined. 

Get tips on how to keep a cleaner coop and make seasonal cleaning easier.

Step #2  Inspect everything

Once you have the inside of the chicken coop emptied and cleaned out take the time to do a thorough inspection.

You will want to look everything over, including the walls, the floor, the corners, and the door.

If you can, get down on your knees and get a different viewpoint because you may not be able to see an opening from a standing position.

SLCG Pro Tip: Don’t make the mistake I did and assume a small opening is too small for an animal to get through. 

Once year, I noticed a small crack in the wall by the ceiling of our coop. I thought nothing of it because I believed it was too small for anything to get through.

A week later, I discovered about a dozen birds going through that crack daily to eat our chicken’s feed.

Let me just say that trying to feed your chickens with a dozen little hungry birds flying around your head really gets this old heart pumping. 

Step #3  Seal up any holes or cracks

As soon as you find an opening, do what you can to seal it up. If your coop is made of wood, you can nail or screw a scrap piece of wood.

We have a small bin of wood scraps that are useful for many situations, this one included.

You will also want to check any fencing you have and look for holes you can close up. If you are short on extra fencing for patching a hole, you can also secure wood pieces there as well until you can get more.

Remember, sealing up access areas it doesn’t have to look pretty, it just be effective.

Step #4  securely seal feed containers

If you want to stop some of your unwanted visitors, then you need to remove the food source. This is especially true if the containers you keep your animal’s feed in is not sealed up tight.

Keep all of your animal’s feed, scratch, and treats inside of totes or metal cans with good tight-fitting lids.

SLCG Pro Tip: If you have a lid that is not secure, you can lay a brick on top to hold it into place.

You can check out the Best Feed Storage Containers in this post for more storage options.

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Another tip is to do most of your feeding during daylight hours. This will give your animals time to eat and clean up any food they drop during feeding time. 

Backyard chicken predators such as skunks, weasels, and raccoons come out mainly at night so make sure any heavy feeding is done early enough so your chickens are able to clean it all up before dusk.  

Step #5  Install Sturdy Roosts

Make sure you have your chicken roosts up off the ground for your hens. This will not stop an attack but it will keep your hens safer if a predator is there to steal eggs.

Chickens have a natural instinct to be up off the ground at night. By giving them enough room to do this, you will help them to protect themselves more easily.

Find out Everything You Need To Know About Chicken Roosts and help your flock stay happy and healthy.

Step #6  Train Your Hens to Come When Called

Get into the habit of locking your chickens up safely before dusk or earlier if you already have a predator problem.

Since most backyard chicken predators prowl at night, it helps to get a head start and put your hens inside their coop well before nighttime.

To help you can train your chicken flock to come to you when you call. Training your chickens is easier than you think.

How to Train Your Chickens to Come When Called:

1. Each time you put your hens away give a quick call.
2. Use something familiar to you such as “chick-chick” or “here chickens”.
3. Use the call as you sprinkle their favorite snack around. Things like chicken scratch or meal worms are great options to try.
4. Do this daily until your entire flock understand what that call means.

Each time you do this routine your hens will associate that call and your voice with the treat and come running.

This is a great tool to have on evenings that you might be running late and need to get your hens to safety fast. 

Step #7  Purchase a Little Extra Help

To help deter predators outside, you can install a predator light. Yes, this IS a thing. 

I just recently read about these small sensor lights and purchased two of them for our coop. So far, they are working great at deterring unwanted visitors from our coop.

Once it becomes dark outside, the sensor turns the light on, and a red flashing light continues until daylight. This seems to be working well as a deterrent for any small rodents, keeping them away from the coop.

I was a bit skeptical at first, but since installing one at the front of our chicken coop and the other at the back, we have removed almost all of the footprints that I normally see each morning. 

Step #8 Eliminate the Problem

If you have already done the tips listed so far and you find yourself still with a problem, you may need to take things one step further.

Once a predator knows where the flock is and they have gotten the “taste” of your chickens and/or their eggs, it may be difficult to stop them. This means you will have to remove the problem instead.

We prefer to use live traps. The reason is when using poison you run the risk of hurting your animals.

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Most animals are very curious, and there is no way to ensure they will leave any poison you have out alone. For this reason, we prefer to use live traps to catch and remove uninvited animals. 

We set out live traps out only from dusk to dawn. This just ensures our pets are all safely inside keeping them away from the traps.

Remember, raising animals comes with a great deal of responsibility. Our animals rely on us for food, water, shelter, and yes protection. If you lose a chicken to an attack from backyard chicken predators, don’t beat yourself up.

Follow these tips and do what you can to protect your animals and hopefully your girls will be happy and safe.

More Chicken Care Resources:

• Is Your Chicken Sick? Use this Checklist!
• How to use ACV for Healthier Chickens
• Should you Free Range Your Chickens?