Information about pests and predators that affect poultry and how you can protect poultry.
Please be aware some articles in this section may contain video and images about trapping or shooting pests and predators that may be unpleasant to some.
In the U.K. we have the well-known Eurasian magpie. This is a very distinctive black and white bird that comes from the Corvidae family. Unfortunately, they are trouble for poultry keepers! Magpies can kill chicks and young birds but magpies can steal or eat eggs from nest boxes inside chicken houses …
In this article, Jeremy Hobson looks at some ways of giving your chickens space, yet still keeping them free from danger by using a well designed poultry fence or pen. Some of the heavier breeds of chickens have, over the years, developed in such a way that their wings are …
Predators can be a constant worry for many small holders and poultry keepers. A single fox can ruin years of careful husbandry and breeding in a few minutes, and stoats think little of killing a broody hen as she sits on eggs. We all know the dangers posed by these …
Poultry fencing isn’t usually covered in books about keeping chickens, and yet it is a fundamental requirement if you are fencing off an area for your poultry, rather than buying a pre-fabricated run to attach to your chicken coop. It’s a sad moment, even scary when you discover you have …
One of the joys of keeping chickens is to see them wandering around the garden going about their chicken business (or destroying your annual bedding depending on your point of view!), and there is nothing more satisfying than watching a group of stately Orpingtons sailing across your lawn like a …
Stoats and Weasels will not usually attack large chickens but can be a problem with smaller birds such as bantams, guinea fowl, call ducks, quail and many species of wild fowl as well as chicks and growers. Both have the same diet and similar habitats although they do tend to …
Crows and Rooks can be very damaging to your birds. Chickens or ducks that are sitting on a nest, or have young and are not enclosed are particularly attractive to them, however they will also take fully grown birds on occasions. I have even heard of full-sized Indian Runner Drakes …
Michelle Garner keeps two llamas in her field with her chickens and has seen them chasing off foxes and dogs that have entered the field. She tells us a little more about her llamas and how they can protect chickens from predators. So you want some hens, but you have a …
There are currently two different licences here in the UK and two methods that are used to get close enough to the fox. Firstly though, you will need to fit a Police approved safe into your house in order to hold your guns when they are not in use.
Mr. Fox has to be every poultry keeper’s number one enemy. Sadly, many people have lost their chickens or other poultry to a fox. When it happens, it can be devastating. When I was 7 years old, I went down to the chicken house to open the outer run door …
To keep foxes away, some people have used animal repellents successfully. Just like dogs, foxes have a highly developed sense of smell and use scenting from urine and faeces to mark their territory. A range of approved products are available from garden centres and DIY stores that will work with …
Rats can be a real problem for the poultry keeper. They are a fact of life that cannot be easily avoided and it is important to have a good strategy in place for controlling rats around chickens and other poultry. It is not unusual for a pair of rats to …
