🐺
Coyote
Goes after: Poultry, lambs, goat kids
Tell-tale sign: Birds vanish without a trace; tracks along the fence line; losses at dawn and dusk.
Best defense: Net or electric fencing, a guardian animal, and locking stock up at night.
Keep predators off your stock
The fastest way to lose a flock is a predator working the fence line at night. The good news: a few solid layers of defense stop almost all of it. Find the culprit by its sign, build your defenses, and know when it is time to move from defense to control.
Who's the culprit?
🦊
Fox
Goes after: Chickens, ducks, eggs
Tell-tale sign: Surplus killing, birds carried off or buried, bold daytime raids on free-rangers.
Best defense: A secure run, shutting the coop at dusk, and a guardian dog or donkey.
🦝
Raccoon
Goes after: Chickens, eggs, feed
Tell-tale sign: Heads or crops missing, birds pulled through wire, latches opened.
Best defense: Hardware cloth, raccoon-proof two-step latches, and feed locked away at night.
🦅
Hawk & Owl
Goes after: Chickens, quail, rabbits, ducklings
Tell-tale sign: A bird gone with a pile of plucked feathers; hawks by day, owls by night.
Best defense: A covered run, overhead netting, brush to hide under, and noisy guineas as lookouts.
🦫
Weasel & Mink
Goes after: Whole coops of birds, rabbits
Tell-tale sign: Many killed but not eaten, a small bite at the neck, entry through tiny gaps.
Best defense: Half-inch hardware cloth and sealing every gap - they fit through a 1-inch hole.
🐍
Snake
Goes after: Eggs and chicks
Tell-tale sign: Eggs or chicks disappearing, a shed skin near the nest boxes.
Best defense: Collect eggs daily, seal gaps, and line vents and nest areas with hardware cloth.
🐕
Loose & feral dogs
Goes after: Poultry, sheep, goats
Tell-tale sign: Animals mauled but not eaten, chaos and scattered stock in daylight.
Best defense: A strong perimeter fence, a guardian animal, and knowing your neighbours' dogs.
🐈
Bobcat
Goes after: Poultry, rabbits, young stock
Tell-tale sign: A clean kill, often dragged off or partly covered.
Best defense: Solid night housing, tall or electrified fencing, and a guardian on watch.
🐀
Opossum & rats
Goes after: Eggs, chicks, feed
Tell-tale sign: Eggs gone, injured chicks, fouled and raided feed.
Best defense: A tight coop, secured feed bins, and no spilled grain to draw them in.
Build a layered defense
No single fix is enough - stack these and predators move on to easier pickings.
🌙
Lock up at night
Most predators hunt after dark. A solid, closed coop after dusk stops the large majority of losses on its own - automatic coop doors make it foolproof.
🔩
Hardware cloth, not chicken wire
Chicken wire keeps chickens in, not predators out. Half-inch hardware cloth over every window, vent and run panel keeps raccoons, weasels and snakes from reaching through.
⛏️
Stop the diggers
Foxes and coyotes dig under fences. Bury the wire or lay a 30cm apron of mesh flat along the ground so they hit it and give up.
⚡
Electric fencing
A few hot wires, or electric poultry netting, turns back coyotes, bears and raccoons - the single biggest upgrade for pastured stock.
🐕
Guardian animals
A livestock guardian dog, donkey or llama that lives with the herd is the most complete deterrent there is. See the guardian animals on the homestead page.
🧹
Remove the invitation
Clean up spilled feed, secure bins, collect eggs daily, and never leave a carcass out. Most predators are drawn in by an easy meal before they take a bird.
💡
Lights & alarms
Motion lights, a radio, and noisy guineas or a rooster unsettle predators - useful as a layer, but never a substitute for a fence and a locked coop.
🎯
When prevention isn't enough: predator control
Sometimes a determined coyote, fox or raccoon keeps coming back no matter how tight your setup is. That is where the hunting side of Huntervale takes over - calling, trapping and managing the predators that prey on livestock.
Predator hunting guides →⚠️ Trapping and shooting predators is tightly regulated and varies by state, species and season - and some predators are protected (birds of prey are federally protected; never harm a hawk or owl). Always check your local laws first and prioritise non-lethal defense.
Back to the homestead or try what should I raise?