Suggestions for calibre and platform

[WYO300RUM]

We have guinea hens, they definitely sound an alarm to predators but mostly its when the hawks come in. We've had a badger come around but only at night. It was a one time thing and took me awhile to figure out what dug through the fence.
I've never had issues with bears. I've seen tracks from cougars but only saw one once. Saw wolves once but they never have been an issue. Deer are an issue to our garden for sure.
Wasps. When we got here it was like we were cursed from God. Thousands of them. Everywhere. I took 20 nests off the house and every time I took down a nest, more showed up.
I studied all winter about wasps, my goal was to extinct the whole species. I found out I needed to put the wasp traps out, far away from the house. I found this stuff called Drionne dust from 'Bugspray.com'. You puff it all over your roof vents and eves. Its a repellent. They don't like it. Then there is Skillet, you put that in ponds, pools or water features. It breaks up the surface tension of the water so they can't land on it. For days I had millions of dead wasps in the pool. But after about 3 days, its creepy but they seemed to learn that the water was no good and ignored it. The wasps are not an issue anymore. With chickens you have chicken feed, with chicken feed you get mice. I shot 19 mice in one hour with a 22 before I gave up. I found air tight food bins to store the feed in. I use those mouse traps that can get 20 mice. I take them to an open field, with my suppressed 22 pistol and let them go. Its really improved my pistol shooting. I put bull snakes all over in summer and that seems to keep the mice down.
But with coyotes.......I tried security lights, fence and motion detectors. No effect. Diplomacy has failed.

I think you would be bored if all this wasn't going on. You're gaining a lot of knowledge on your own and that has to give you a sense of satisfaction.
DSheetz is the coyote King. Take heed to his words. If the bull snakes know they can have a steady diet of mice they will hang around. I would dig out a small area and down a few inches and lay a piece of plywood or something over it. About 10 to 20 feet from chicken coop. The snakes may hang under it and mice also. We used to take baling wire and make a short whip out of it with about ten strands. Move a hay bale and start wacking mice. I'd take them and scoop up the pinkies and take home and feed all my lizards and snakes. I had a 50 pd. 6.6 ft. Salvatore (Water) monitor lizard for 20 years that I fed rats, deer meat, cooked chicken, etc.. He'd eat about 10 of those mice in 10 seconds. He was like a dog. He'd lay out in my front yard. Neighbors would drive up get out and pet him. He had no fear of dogs. He was raised with one. The dog would back off if monitor went for his food bowl. Lol.

 

[WYO300RUM]

We have guinea hens, they definitely sound an alarm to predators but mostly its when the hawks come in. We've had a badger come around but only at night. It was a one time thing and took me awhile to figure out what dug through the fence.
I've never had issues with bears. I've seen tracks from cougars but only saw one once. Saw wolves once but they never have been an issue. Deer are an issue to our garden for sure.
Wasps. When we got here it was like we were cursed from God. Thousands of them. Everywhere. I took 20 nests off the house and every time I took down a nest, more showed up.
I studied all winter about wasps, my goal was to extinct the whole species. I found out I needed to put the wasp traps out, far away from the house. I found this stuff called Drionne dust from 'Bugspray.com'. You puff it all over your roof vents and eves. Its a repellent. They don't like it. Then there is Skillet, you put that in ponds, pools or water features. It breaks up the surface tension of the water so they can't land on it. For days I had millions of dead wasps in the pool. But after about 3 days, its creepy but they seemed to learn that the water was no good and ignored it. The wasps are not an issue anymore. With chickens you have chicken feed, with chicken feed you get mice. I shot 19 mice in one hour with a 22 before I gave up. I found air tight food bins to store the feed in. I use those mouse traps that can get 20 mice. I take them to an open field, with my suppressed 22 pistol and let them go. Its really improved my pistol shooting. I put bull snakes all over in summer and that seems to keep the mice down.
But with coyotes.......I tried security lights, fence and motion detectors. No effect. Diplomacy has failed.

I found a few photos. None are current to when I gave them away. The big Burmese python I gave away in early 2019. So he was little bigger than in photos. The San Diego Zoo wouldn't take him because he wasn't a rescue ... An extremely docile big Burmese. They had an 8 ft. semi tame rescue . My buddy's mom worked there. The Water monitor lizard I put to sleep in 2016. That's not a Colt python, it's a Ball python Some photos are going wrong way. Sorry.

 

[DSheetz]

WYO, You are too kind thankyou sir.

 

[WYO300RUM]

WYO, You are too kind thankyou sir.

I enjoy your posts very much. I was going to tell him the name of the thread but all I could remember was coyote hunting and ramblings maybe you can post it for him ? Thanks Dave !

 

[338 dude]

We have guinea hens, they definitely sound an alarm to predators but mostly its when the hawks come in. We've had a badger come around but only at night. It was a one time thing and took me awhile to figure out what dug through the fence.
I've never had issues with bears. I've seen tracks from cougars but only saw one once. Saw wolves once but they never have been an issue. Deer are an issue to our garden for sure.
Wasps. When we got here it was like we were cursed from God. Thousands of them. Everywhere. I took 20 nests off the house and every time I took down a nest, more showed up.
I studied all winter about wasps, my goal was to extinct the whole species. I found out I needed to put the wasp traps out, far away from the house. I found this stuff called Drionne dust from 'Bugspray.com'. You puff it all over your roof vents and eves. Its a repellent. They don't like it. Then there is Skillet, you put that in ponds, pools or water features. It breaks up the surface tension of the water so they can't land on it. For days I had millions of dead wasps in the pool. But after about 3 days, its creepy but they seemed to learn that the water was no good and ignored it. The wasps are not an issue anymore. With chickens you have chicken feed, with chicken feed you get mice. I shot 19 mice in one hour with a 22 before I gave up. I found air tight food bins to store the feed in. I use those mouse traps that can get 20 mice. I take them to an open field, with my suppressed 22 pistol and let them go. Its really improved my pistol shooting. I put bull snakes all over in summer and that seems to keep the mice down.
But with coyotes.......I tried security lights, fence and motion detectors. No effect. Diplomacy has failed.

For the chicken feed I use metal, trash cans and then a bungee cord from the handles through the lid so the raccoons can't pry the lid off, and as for the rats none get away, I have a trap that will catch multiple rats. I don't know at least 20 or more and it comes with a plastic bin Fill it with water drop the trap in. Come back in a few minutes they're all drowned dump them out.

 

[WYO300RUM]

For the chicken feed I use metal, trash cans and then a bungee cord from the handles through the lid so the raccoons can't pry the lid off, and as for the rats none get away, I have a trap that will catch multiple rats. I don't know at least 20 or more and it comes with a plastic bin Fill it with water drop the trap in. Come back in a few minutes they're all drowned dump them out.

 

[DSheetz]

There are a lot of people out there that are better at killing coyotes than I am I just talk about doing it because I don't have to feed my family or make my living at it now, they do and can't afford to lose their jobs, I enjoy trying to help others as do so many of the people here. The site Wyo300RUM is referring to is ramblings and such from hunting coyote it's things that I have experienced during my time doing coyote control and just hunting the coyotes. I bet a good metal trash can with a bungee cord would be good at keeping everything out of your chicken feed. I have made a vee out of two boards that would probably work to feed your chickens in as well, that's what I built to feed my pigs in out of rough-cut lumber when I was a kid. that way I could put a wider board on the ends and keep it off of the ground and if I made the ends long enough, they couldn't turn it over It would soak up water and swell to become watertight for the pigs watering also.

 

[WYO300RUM]

What do you think he should do about coyotes grabbing his chickens when they are out ? I can see where trapping close to there could cause problems but locating their dens like you do would help I'd think and set snares and traps near their paths to and from chicken coop ? I don't know but I'm sure you could give MKP777 some great advice. I think your using geese is a great idea. Maybe even turkeys ? Peacocks are great watch"birds" but I don't know if they are aggressive towards dogs and yotes .

 

[M1A1ABRAMS]

What do you think he should do about coyotes grabbing his chickens when they are out ? I can see where trapping close to there could cause problems but locating their dens like you do would help I'd think and set snares and traps near their paths to and from chicken coop ? I don't know but I'm sure you could give MKP777 some great advice. I think your using geese is a great idea. Maybe even turkeys ? Peacocks are great watch"birds" but I don't know if they are aggressive towards dogs and yotes .

That little raterier n Chihuahua mix helped me out as a kid. And never bothered the chickens.

 

[WYO300RUM]

That little raterier n Chihuahua mix helped me out as a kid. And never bothered the chickens.

My buddy had a Raterrier Just put to sleep couple months ago. Bad a** little dog !

 

[DSheetz]

There are several things that people do to keep coyotes and such away from the free ranging birds They sell several noise making devices that you can run with batteries some of them are made that use ultrasonic sounds they make reflective plastic ribbons that you hang, and the wind blows it called flagging now several people have enclosers that they move around to let their chickens eat greens and insects, that as you open your coop door you let them enter close the door on them and slide it to where you want them to eat for a while. For sheep, people run guard dogs such as great pyrenes or lamas some still run donkeys, there are those that run a propane cannon, but they are kind obnoxious. The guard animals are raised with the animals they will be protecting so they then feel they are part of that pack. People put out bait stations that are at a known distance, where it's legal, to shoot over them, meat scraps from a processing plant or bones from a butcher shop animal carcass of livestock that have died, most states say it's not legal to use any game animals or parts thereof for baiting to discourage illegal taking of game animals for it, while some allow road kills to be used. The use of traps and snares is not an overnight thing to learn and trail sets tend to catch too many deer and other things that aren't wanted catches till you learn how to avoid them. You can use a motion sensor solar powered light system or a noise making motion sensor system, at your chicken house. Coyotes being coyotes they tend to adapt to whatever you use if you use it for any length of time before changing your tactics, you then can go back to what you were using after giving it a good rest period and have some success with it again. I haven't had any luck using any scent as a deterrent they are cautious of human odor, but it sounds like these coyotes have become accustomed to it. I have seen coyotes get used to guard animals and decoy them away from the flock while one coyote occupies the guard animal another kills livestock.

 

[WYO300RUM]

There are several things that people do to keep coyotes and such away from the free ranging birds They sell several noise making devices that you can run with batteries some of them are made that use ultrasonic sounds they make reflective plastic ribbons that you hang, and the wind blows it called flagging now several people have enclosers that they move around to let their chickens eat greens and insects, that as you open your coop door you let them enter close the door on them and slide it to where you want them to eat for a while. For sheep, people run guard dogs such as great pyrenes or lamas some still run donkeys, there are those that run a propane cannon, but they are kind obnoxious. The guard animals are raised with the animals they will be protecting so they then feel they are part of that pack. People put out bait stations that are at a known distance, where it's legal, to shoot over them, meat scraps from a processing plant or bones from a butcher shop animal carcass of livestock that have died, most states say it's not legal to use any game animals or parts thereof for baiting to discourage illegal taking of game animals for it, while some allow road kills to be used. The use of traps and snares is not an overnight thing to learn and trail sets tend to catch too many deer and other things that aren't wanted catches till you learn how to avoid them. You can use a motion sensor solar powered light system or a noise making motion sensor system, at your chicken house. Coyotes being coyotes they tend to adapt to whatever you use if you use it for any length of time before changing your tactics, you then can go back to what you were using after giving it a good rest period and have some success with it again. I haven't had any luck using any scent as a deterrent they are cautious of human odor, but it sounds like these coyotes have become accustomed to it. I have seen coyotes get used to guard animals and decoy them away from the flock while one coyote occupies the guard animal another kills livestock.

Great info Dave . Thanks

 

[DSheetz]

Any of the terriers are good help once you teach them not to bother chickens, they just seem to want to please their person. I now have a little rough coat Jack Russell he's a lot of fun and keeps me occupied. He was a rescue at 6 months old when I got him, he will be 2 in May.

 

[MKP777]

I can't have geese or ducks because of the pool. There is no keeping them out of it.
We have rats here that are big. They get into cars and just destroy. One guy almost had his Subaru totaled.
If you park indoors with the hood up they seem to move on.
Thanks Christ I don't have skunks here or raccoons. Probly because I'm too far from water. Its dry up here, we're at 2900 feet.