Mice

Chickens actually eat mice, so mice seldom set up housekeeping right in the chickens’ home. Instead they work on the fringe, getting into stored feed, chewing up building insulation and wires, and running under your feet when you least expect them. Mice don’t eat eggs, but they can eat and soil a lot of feed, cause allergy problems for some people, and spread certain diseases. It’s best to try to get rid of them or at least control their numbers.

Mice have small territories. They build nests close to a food source, and they don’t travel far. You may have a mouse problem if you notice these telltale signs:

• Small oval droppings.
• Little round, ball-shape nests in concealed places.
• Tiny holes in walls, floors, and feed bags. (Mice can squeeze through openings as small as a ½ inch. They may make small entrance holes, but they don’t chew large holes.)
• Shallow surface tunnels in loose soil, litter, or snow.

Mice and rats rarely exist in large numbers together, so the one good thing you can say about a mouse problem in the chicken coop is that you probably don’t have rats.

Mice are curious about their environment and can be trapped rather easily. Numerous styles of mousetraps are on the market, and some work better than others. (Remember the old saying about building a better mousetrap?) The best ones are traps that you can squeeze to open and don’t require you to touch the dead mouse. Other good traps electrocute mice so you can then dump them from the box trap. Trapping is an option when populations are high or you don’t want to use poisons. Emptying traps and disposing of dead mice can be disgusting, though.

If you’re kindhearted and choose a trap that catches mice alive, you then have to do something with them. Don’t just take them outside the door and turn them loose; they’ll be back inside before you know it. You can kill them, but why set a live trap to do that? You can feed them to the cats or chickens, but that’s not such a wise or humane choice, either. The best bet is to take them to the woods or a field far from other homes where they can feed some animal you’re trying to keep away from your chickens. Mice are designed by nature to feed something else.

Mice are controlled fairly easily with poison bait. However, place the bait where children, pets, and curious chickens can’t get to it. Hardware stores and feed stores sell bait stations that hold bait safely. Replace bait as soon as it’s eaten.

Don’t let chickens or pets eat mice killed by poison. Some poisons can remain potent in the dead mice and may harm the chicken or pet.

Rats

Rats are larger, meaner, and more secretive than mice. They can eat eggs, and they’ve been known to eat baby chicks and even feed on larger birds as they sit on roosts or nests in the dark. Chickens and even most cats leave rats alone. Rats eat a lot of feed and destroy more by soiling it. They also do considerable damage by chewing on the structure and its parts, like wiring and plastic pipes.

The chance of rats actually eating live chickens is low, but it can happen when other food is scarce, the shelter is unlit at night, and the chickens don’t roost off the floor. Chickens go into a kind of stupor in the dark and don’t defend themselves very well. Rats come up under them where they sit on a nest or the floor and begin eating them alive. Just having a small nightlight on after dark allows the chickens to move around and defend themselves.

Rats travel farther than mice to get food, and their nest may be outside the chicken coop. You may have rats if you notice the following:

• Tunnels through the soil, often with large mounds of soil around an opening: These tunnels and holes are often large enough to make people think they have a woodchuck or some other animal. Woodchucks aren’t active in the winter or at night. If new tunnels appear overnight or in cold months, you probably have rats.
• Large holes chewed through heavy wood, plastic, cinderblock, or even cement: Rat holes are larger than mouse holes and often have greasy, dirty smears around them.
• Droppings that are much larger than mouse droppings but are shaped similarly.

Rats need liquid water, unlike mice, and are sometimes found drowned in water buckets with steep sides. They can swim pretty well, however, and are adept at climbing, too. Rats are suspicious of new things, so it may take days to get them to eat poison bait or fall victim to a trap. Traps must be placed close to pathways that rats habitually use.

Traps aren’t as effective at controlling rat populations as poison, however. Buy a poison specifically for rats, and change the type of poison you use from time to time so resistant populations don’t build up. Read the label to find out if the bait works with one feeding or multiple feedings. Remember to use bait stations to protect pets, children, and chickens, or place the bait where they can’t find it. You can place chunks of bait in tunnels if the chickens don’t have access to the area. Otherwise, they might scratch up the bait digging out a dirt bath.

Don’t throw any dead rats killed by poison into open fields or woods. Bury them instead, or wrap them tightly and dispose of them in the trash. Otherwise, birds of prey or other animals may eat them, and the poison left in the rats then may kill those animals.

Weevils, grain moths, meal worms, and other insects

Weevils, grain moths, meal worms, and other insects attack stored feed. They may provide a little extra protein for the chickens, but their feeding strips the nutritional value of the feed, leaving only husks behind. Grain mills and feed stores attempt to control these thieves with pesticides, but some level of infestation is almost always present. You know you’ve got grain pests if you notice the following in your feed:

• Fine webbing
• Tiny worms

These pests are more likely to attack whole grains than processed feed, but they can be found in either. Buy only the amount of feed you can use in about 2 months. Keep your feed in tightly closed containers, not open bags. Even with these precautions, however, know that insect eggs may already be present in the feed when you buy it, so you can still develop a problem. You can buy strips that have pesticides in them to hang in grain bins, or you can try sticky traps that lure grain insects with pheromones. Read and follow all label directions carefully.

If you have a way to freeze feed for a few days, doing so will effectively kill most grain pests. In the winter, just leave the feed in your car for a few days when the temperature is below freezing. If you still have insects in the feed, use that feed promptly if it isn’t too badly infested, or discard it if it is. Then thoroughly clean the feed container with hot, soapy water and allow it to dry in the sun. Metal and plastic containers are better to use than wood because they don’t absorb moisture and insects and other pests can’t chew through them as easily. Be sure to clean up any spilled feed, and empty and clean the feed dishes.

Flies are another insect that may become a problem. Chickens love maggots, which are baby flies, and if they can reach them, few will make it to adulthood. But if the maggots are outside the chickens’ reach, such as in a manure pile outside the pen, you may get large quantities of flies. To keep flies in check, be sure to compost manure in such a manner that you keep it hot and cooking. If you have a passive compost pile that you just let sit, keep it far away from your house and the neighbors.

You can use sticky paper to catch flies in a chicken coop, but hang it where the chickens can’t grab it and where your hair won’t get stuck to it. Don’t use pesticide sprays unless they say they’re safe for use in poultry housing, and follow the label directions exactly if you do.

Never treat feed with pesticide sprays or powders intended for garden or home use. Some of these products are highly toxic to birds. Animal supply catalogs and farm stores sell pesticides to use in feed areas that are safe and effective.

Nuisance birds

You’ve got good reason to keep wild birds away from your chickens. Wild birds are carriers of many diseases, including some that are harmful to human health, such as avian flu and West Nile virus.

Wild birds also can make your feed bill jump in a hurry. Feed your chickens inside a building, if possible. Cover windows to inside shelters with screens. Close doors and plug holes in eaves and under rafters. Most wild birds won’t enter buildings from openings close to the ground (like most chicken shelters have for the chickens), so that’s seldom a concern.

In pasture situations, keeping wild birds away is difficult to do. They’re less attracted to concentrated feeds than whole grains, but occasionally they become a problem even with this kind of feed.

It’s difficult — and illegal in many places — to poison pest birds like sparrows without killing unintended birds or your chickens. Live traps are sometimes available, but then you must dispose of the birds you catch in them. The best defense against nuisance birds is a good offense: Exclude birds and chase them away.

Ultrasonic devices said to scare off birds without you hearing them are useless. If they worked, they would seriously offend your chickens. But they don’t work, so don’t waste your money. Fake owls or hawks may work temporarily, but they won’t be popular with your chickens, either. Birds are quick to learn that something isn’t real, and any benefit is then over.

Domestic dogs

Even the tamest dog may enjoy chasing chickens, and even if he doesn’t intend to kill them, he may chase them into harm’s way, cause them to pile on each other in pens, or just run them to death.

When domestic dogs get into a chicken pen or find free-roaming chickens, they generally kill all they can catch. The birds are killed in a variety of ways but not eaten. Dogs usually leave behind a mess, with blood and feathers everywhere. Birds left alive may have deep puncture wounds or large pieces of skin pulled off and generally need to be destroyed. Dogs that kill frequently may get more efficient and cause less mess. After dogs kill chickens once, they generally kill again and must always be controlled. Even small dogs can be deadly chicken killers.

Dogs are a special problem because dealing with them often causes problems with the dog’s owners, usually your neighbors. We cover this issue in more detail at the end of this chapter.

Opossums

Opossums live in almost every part of the country — in cities and rural areas alike — except for the Western plains and mountains. An opossum is about the size of a cat and has grayish hair; a long, pointed snout; beady eyes; and a long, naked tail.

You may see an opossum in the evening if you make a surprise visit to the chicken coop because opossums are generally active at night. You may also uncover them in their big, messy nests tucked away somewhere in the daytime. They sleep so soundly that you could probably touch them — if you wanted to. Some actually snore, and you often can follow the sound to where they’re sleeping.

Opossums may hang around chickens for years and never bother them or just eat an occasional egg. Many farmers used to let an opossum hang around a barn to eat rats and mice. However, we now know that opossums can pass many diseases to domestic animals, so they shouldn’t be allowed to live with livestock and poultry. Sometimes an opossum discovers that eating chicken is great. If they kill, opossums usually kill one chicken at a time and consume part of it on the spot. They can carry eggs away, but they usually crack and eat them in the nest.

Opossums seem slow and dull-witted to most people, but don’t let the act fool you: They’re actually pretty intelligent. They can move quite fast, climb trees, and fight ferociously when cornered. If their quick movements and fighting don’t work, they emit a foul discharge and play dead. Opossums eat just about anything, but they prefer lazy ways of getting food, resorting to killing only occasionally.

To keep opossums out of the coop, close or screen all openings at night. Possums climb very well, so keep a roof on your runs.

Raccoons

Raccoons are cute, but the cuteness wears thin when you know their habits. They’re formidable predators and can easily kill an adult chicken. In the wild, their favorite foods include baby birds and eggs, and a chicken coop can be like heaven to them. Raccoons are found nearly everywhere in the United States, in cities and in the country, and they don’t need to live by water.

Raccoons are active at night. When seen out in the daytime, they may be sick. They carry a number of diseases and parasites, including rabies, which can be a threat to humans and other animals. They shouldn’t be allowed to nest in barns and chicken coops — they’re so destructive that few people tolerate them for long anyway.

When raccoons kill chickens, they usually kill several or all birds at one time. They bite the heads off the birds and may carry the heads around before dropping them. They usually tear flesh out of the breast area of one or more birds to eat and may carry the meat pieces to the water container, leaving pieces of flesh and blood around it.

Raccoons may take eggs left in nests overnight, even reaching under sitting hens and carrying them away. Or they may eat them on the spot, crushing the egg pretty well and, once again, carrying pieces to the water dish. Raccoons don’t, however, need water to eat. Sometimes they concentrate on eggs and chicken feed and never bother the chickens, but don’t count on it.

Raccoons can make quite a mess of stored feed, ripping apart bags, tipping over bins, and just generally playing in the food, soiling and wasting it. Make sure you clean up any raccoon feces left behind with hot water and soap — wear gloves as you do so, to avoid raccoon roundworm, which can be quite harmful to humans.

Raccoons can rip apart chicken wire. They also can reach through wire to grab chickens and then pull the birds against it to kill them. They may pull the feet of birds through wire floors and chew them off. They open brooders and eat chicks with gusto.

Raccoons climb very well and are adept at opening doors and latches. They don’t tunnel under structures, but they may run along an existing tunnel, like a drain culvert or sewer line.

To limit raccoon entry to your coop, don’t use hook-and-eye-type latches or slide bolts on doors. Use dog-leash-type clip latches or even padlocks. Have good latches on brooders and cages. Cover windows with heavy welded wire, not chicken wire. Close all doors that enter the shelter at night. A strand of electric wire at the top and bottom of the run that you turn on at night is an effective barrier.

Foxes

Foxes generally live in rural areas. They sometimes become predators of chickens, especially of free-ranging birds or ones pastured out some distance from humans. They’re active in the early morning and late evening.

Foxes generally carry away their prey to eat it. They take one bird at a time, but they may return time after time if not stopped. You sometimes find the partially buried carcass of a bird where they hid it. Foxes prefer to go under or through fences but can climb if they need to.

Use wire roofs on runs or install electric wires at the top and bottom of runs to keep out foxes. Close any doors they may enter at night. If foxes are a problem in your area, don’t allow your chickens to roam freely.

Coyotes

Coyotes have become problems even in some large urban areas. Large populations may live quite close to humans, but they’re seldom seen. They’re skillful and opportunistic, and they eat a wide variety of animals, including chickens and small pets. They’re nocturnal, but they may hunt during the day in cold weather if they notice little human activity. They look somewhat like small German Shepherds. Like many other predators, they grab a chicken and go off with it. Because they often travel in pairs or small packs, they may take several birds at once. Coyotes also eat eggs but seldom enter chicken housing to get them.

Strong, high fences keep coyotes out of chicken runs. Bury the fence a foot in the ground, to discourage digging under the fence.

Hawks, eagles, and owls

Chickens seem to have an instinctive fear of large birds overhead. When they spot one, they squawk loudly and distinctly and either run for cover or flatten themselves against the ground. Hawks and eagles are active only in the daytime. Owls, on the other hand, generally hunt at night, but when times are lean, as in the winter, some owls also hunt in daylight.

It takes a pretty large hawk to prey on chickens. Many small hawks don’t bother adult chickens, but they may pick off baby chicks. Hawks are found pretty much throughout the United States, but they’re more likely to prey on chickens in rural areas where they roam freely. They tend to avoid taking birds out of smaller fenced enclosures, but it sometimes happens. Bald Eagles and Golden Eagles are more common than they once were. They can easily grab a chicken and fly off. They hunt during the day.

Some hawks and eagles carry away their prey; others pick it apart where they nail it. A chicken killed by a hawk or eagle won’t be found inside the shelter. These birds pull the meat and feathers off the chicken in clumps, often starting at the breast and pulling out organs. If left alone, they can pick apart a carcass in a short time.

Owls have been known to fly through windows or down from lofts to pluck chickens off roosts while they sleep. They usually take the chicken with them from a building, but outside they may sit on a post or even the ground to consume part of the bird. If chickens roost outside, they’re a prime meal for owls. However, like some hawks, not all owls are large enough to kill chickens.

Owls that get into a pen or a house with lots of chickens may get a little kill-happy and kill several birds, usually by pulling off the heads. They may take a single bite out of each breast, or they may eat just one bird.

Hawks, eagles, and owls are federally protected birds across the United States, so humans can’t kill or harm them. The best way to avoid these predators is to prevent them from getting your birds.

Minks and weasels

Minks and weasels aren’t as common as they once were. They’re generally found in rural areas near some source of water. They’re active day and night but are very secretive, so human activity generally keeps them away during the day.

When minks or weasels enter a chicken coop, they’re not looking for chicken feed; they eat only meat and eggs. The meat may come from rats, which are a favorite food. But if they find chickens while they’re pursuing rats, they’re quite happy. And if your chickens range freely by waterways, they’re fair game.

Weasels typically kill one or two chickens by biting the heads, and then they primarily drink the blood, without eating a lot of flesh. Minks may kill many more chickens than they need, also by biting the heads, and then they pile them up. They may eat small amounts of flesh from one or more birds. Minks seldom eat eggs when chickens are available. Minks often enter chicken coops through the opening a rat has made or by following a rat tunnel. They can squeeze through quite small holes, so to prevent their entry, close all openings in housing that measure more than 1 inch. Keep chickens out of brushy areas near water, and keep a clear area around pens and shelters. Noise, such as that from a radio, and bright lights are more likely to discourage minks and weasels than some other predators.

Other bad characters

Skunks occasionally prey on chickens or eat eggs, and they love chicken feed. Skunks are more likely to be a problem when they take up residence under a chicken shelter. Skunks are nocturnal, and if you pick up eggs before nightfall, you won’t have a problem. When skunks do eat eggs, they open one end neatly and eat the inside. In rare cases, a skunk may kill a chicken. Skunks don’t climb, so fencing keeps them out.

In the far Southeastern states, alligators sometimes eat free-ranging chickens near water. Some large exotic snakes also may kill chickens. In the North, some large snakes swallow eggs whole, but they don’t bother chickens.

Bobcats are rare and generally take only free-ranging birds. Cougars are becoming more common in many areas and are a big danger for chickens, pets, and humans. If you suspect that a cougar is in your area, seek professional help from your Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

Making a claim

What can you do if the neighbor’s dogs kill your chickens? Well, you can take them to Judge Judy’s courtroom (or another courtroom) to recover damages. You’ll need pretty good proof of whose dogs did the damage, such as pictures of the dogs in action (not just pictures of dead birds) or eye witnesses to recover damages.

If you’re sure, or pretty confident, that a dog killed your chickens, report the incident to your local animal control agency or to local law enforcement. If you know whose dogs did it, pass along the information. You can also talk to the owner of the dog(s), but make an official report. Here’s why. Almost all dogs that kill chickens will do so again if they get the chance. The owner may promise you that it will never happen again, but in so many cases, it does happen again. Most places excuse a first offense by issuing a warning to the owner. If you don’t report the incident the first time, you may have to suffer a third raid on your chickens before the owner is ticketed or required to give up the dog.

If you don’t know the neighbor well or you suspect the neighbor might overreact if you accuse his dog of killing your birds, have an animal control or law enforcement officer go to the neighbor’s house with you to handle the situation.

Most dog owners are sorry for what the dog did and will pay whatever damages you ask. If you have an unapologetic neighbor and you have good proof that his dog did it, the local law enforcement agency may request that he pay you. If that doesn’t work, you can take your neighbor to small claims court.

Collecting damages

How do you determine what the chickens are worth? In this kind of case, a court won’t grant you money for pain and suffering (unless the dog(s) also physically hurt you) or sentimental value. Most courts won’t award damages for future egg production or sale of offspring, either. You can expect to be paid what a chicken of that breed, age, and quality normally sells for. Come prepared with ads from breeders, hatcheries, and so on to show what the birds sell for. If you sought veterinary care for any chickens, you can ask for reimbursement of those bills. If the dog did damage to property as well, such as a fence or coop, you can expect to get reimbursed for that, too.

If after the first dog attack on your chickens you didn’t have good proof of whose dog did the crime, try to make your chickens dog-safe behind a tall, strong fence. Then monitor your chicken coop or yard with a security camera or a trail camera. A picture, as they say, is worth a thousand words.

If you live in a rural area your township or county may have protocol for dog damage to livestock. The county or township often pays you and then attempts to collect from the dog’s owner, if the owner is known. Dog license fees may fund this program. In this case, you usually don’t need as much proof to show whose dog did the deed. A designated person will examine the dead birds and determine whether it’s dog damage. You may be paid a set fee per bird, or you may be allowed to tell the examiner what you feel the birds are worth. To find out if your area has such a program, call your local animal control or the county or township government.