Doing This Now So I Don't Lose Chickens!

I needed to get this done today otherwise I risked losing chickens due to predators! This is how I’m dealing with the hawk issue in my area and it’s an easy way to help protect your own flock.

Getting chickens is one of the best additions here to the Gubba Homestead and I’m going to show you in this vlog how to keep your chickens safe from predators. I currently have 15 total chickens that just seems to keep growing!

Since getting them things have been running smoothly… well besides that chicken coop fire with the chickens inside!

I want my chickens to be able to free roam the area and not have to worry about losing them. In the area I live in there are a plethora of eagles and hawks. These huge birds are constantly around my property and pose a very real threat to my flock of chickens!

What I show in this video is just one of the many ways I’ve come up with to offer them protection.

The first is motion sensing lights around the coop. If an animal comes anywhere near the coop at night the light flashes on brightly to try and scare them off.

The next is checking the fencing around them daily to make sure there are no holes or ways for other animals to get in while they are out in the run.

I also set up a camera in the area so if anything does come around I know what it is or how they got in and make plans to mitigate that.

The most important thing is bringing the girls in at night. This offers the best protection for them but the shelter they are in needs to be sturdy with no ground access for something to get in and make a mess of your flock.

I also have a rooster which is a last resort defense. I’ve hung around him since he was a baby and visit daily to show I’m not a threat so far he’s been pretty chill with me. The nice thing about having a rooster is it will fight to the death to protect the hens which gives me some peace of mind if anything I’ve done myself fails.

There are many ways to protect your new chicken flock and options may differ for you. Start by learning the predators in your area and how to prepare your coop and run accordingly!