The most common one to use to protect chickens is the goose. Geese are very territorial and can be quite aggressive. You don't need to train them to protect poultry like a dog, either. Even if the predator is too big for your goose to fight off, they can make enough racket to get your attention!
Three of the best LGD breeds for the job include the Anatolian Shepherd dog, the Great Pyrenees, and the Akbash, all large, strong dogs who are diligent at their jobs. However, when you get an LGD, you're not only getting a protector for your chickens but a family companion as well.
Larger Animals That You Can Keep With Chickens
Chickens, sheep, and goats can roam together in the pasture with little problem. They keep each other company and the goats and sheep act as protection against some predators.
They Will Protect Your Hens
This is especially helpful if you have free-range chickens. Roosters will alert the hens when there is a predator nearby, try to herd all the hens into one area, and they will even fight off threats like foxes or dogs.
If you are looking for a breed that is quick enough to escape predator attacks in a free range situation, you will probably be looking for a smaller "flighty" chicken breed like a Hamburg, Leghorn, Campine, Ancona or various game bantams.
Unfortunately, possums do eat chickens and other small animals. Despite misconceptions that paint them as herbivores, both possums and opossums are omnivorous, consuming both plant and animal matter. Though they generally prefer food sources that don't fight back, they do occasionally go after animals of various kinds.
If birds are dead and not eaten but are missing their heads, the predator may be a raccoon, a hawk, or an owl. Raccoons sometimes pull a bird's head through the wires of an enclosure and then can eat only the head, leaving the majority of the body behind.
Pets Can Help Protect your Hens
Foxes have an excellent sense of smell. They will smell your dog, and it can be enough to ward off a fox, but they may risk it if they are truly hungry. If you have the space, an interesting alternative is to try a Llama or 2! They are apparently great at driving foxes off.
So while the answer to the question of "Do you need a Rooster to lay eggs?" is no, you can certainly have a happier flock with a rooster. Although uncrowded hens generally get along with each other, a flock with a rooster is usually more peaceful. There is less fighting for the top spot by the hens.
In short the alpaca is a real solution to profit loss due to foxes and there are many livestock owners who will testify to that fact. Organic egg producer Gerald Osbourne says alpacas have proven to be a highly effective way of protecting his hens against foxes.
Preventing Predation
Electric poultry fencing is an even better option to protect against ground predators. When avian predators are a problem, covering the chicken run with wire or mesh can be effective. Burying mesh at least one foot deep around the sides of the enclosure will keep predators from digging.
Cats may be a deterrent to wild birds. Wild birds can bring disease, sickness, mites and lice to your flock. So to have a cat as a deterrent is a great benefit for all. The cat enjoys scaring away the birds; the chickens are less likely to develop sickness.
As it turns out – YES! Raising Geese to protect chickens is a great idea. A single goose that is raised with chickens can often be quite the protector! Not only are they instinctually watching the sky for flying predators, but they'll try and break up squabbles between chickens and even run off-ground predators.
Introducing your dog to chickens from an early age through puppy socialization is the best way to avoid chicken aggression. This requires bringing your puppy out to the coop and walking him around the chickens soon after he comes home.
The Kangal Dog, Great Pyrenees, and Anatolian Shepherd are three of the best LGDs that you might want to consider adding to your home if you need a dog to guard your chickens. Each one of these breeds is incredibly unique and the one you choose depends on factors like its family friendliness and personality.
The natural herding instinct of Border Collies make them perfect chicken companions. “With some extra training, Border Collies will automatically follow commands to become flawless herders,” says Ben. Border Collies have a natural herding instinct which makes them great for keeping chickens safe.
Yes, they can! There are no problems associated with hatching mixed breed chickens. If you have a rooster in your flock, he will try to breed ALL your hens, nevermind if he is a different breed or even if the hens are different sizes, bantam and large fowl.
A rooster often has his favorite girl, with whom he spends most of his time. She is not necessarily at the top of the pecking order, but he will treat her like a queen. It's possible that other hens might be envious of her role, because when the rooster is removed, his favorite hen is sometimes picked on by the others.
Chickens have their own battle of the sexes, and scientists have discovered a secret strategy used by hens to control who fertilizes their eggs: After mating, hens can eject the sperm of less desirable, low-status roosters.
Fox Predators: Wolves and Coyotes
Coyotes are naturally the greatest enemy to foxes even though they belong to the same group. These two Canidae family members fight whenever they come in close range with each other. Amusingly, coyotes kill foxes to depopulate them with a primary target to preserve food for themselves.
Most chicken losses occur at night when raccoons, skunks, opossums, owls, mink, and weasels are most likely to prowl. The best defense against night shift chicken snatchers is a sturdy tight coop.
Use smells to deter foxes
You can use certain smells to deter foxes, they are reported to dislike the smell of chilli peppers and garlic so try infusing in boiling water and spraying around your garden as a fox repellent.
Owl. Great horned owl will sometimes go after poulty. This large owl will usually only go after one of two birds, using its talons to pierce the bird's brain. They'll will only devour the chicken's head and neck.
Dogs, feral cats, eagles, and hawks are all predators of chickens but none are as efficient or effective in killing as the fox. It is a very rare thing for me to ever hear of any predator other than a fox that has killed our customer's chickens and often the entire flock!
Cannibalistic chickens, injured birds, victims of cannibalism, and dead birds should be quickly removed from the flock. Fowl will peck at injured, impaired, or dead birds in their pens as a result of the social order and their natural curiosity. When pecking starts, it can quickly develop into a vicious habit.