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chickens

Would scarecrows protect chickens?

Timothy Norton

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posted 6 months ago

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As I sit on my bench watching over my flock, I was musing about things that might protect the chickens in my stead.

What am I honestly going to do if a coyote or hawk came after my girls? I'm not particularly nimble nor do I have sharp... anything! It is my presence that is the deterrent from these threats. The predators view me as THEIR predator, or at least something that is not worth their time testing at the slight chance they might get a hen for their trouble. How would I replicate that deterrent?

Maybe a scarecrow? It has worked to varying degrees for gardens of folks in the past enough to become a commonly known thing.

Has anyone done something like this? Is it just a silly decoration?

I have to see if I got some old blue jeans laying around somewhere and get to work mocking up a prototype.

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Jay Angler

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Been there, done that: https://permies.com/t/139611/permaculture-upcycling/Scarecrow-case-Scareeagle

I made mine on a tube, so I could hammer a stake into the ground and drop the Scarecrow over it. But it's really too tall and too awkward and without moving them often, they predators are smart enough to learn that they can ignore them.

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So I would keep whatever you make super light, super movable, and super changeable, in an effort to keep the predators guessing. But mostly, I'd look for another option. Our geese help... a dog would help more!

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Matt McSpadden

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For their garden, our neighbors used to use one of the Christmas reindeer. The lights changed and the head moved. They would turn it on at night, and it seemed to help keep things away. Might be an easy thing to try?

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Anne Miller

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Funny, I have read a way to discourage eagles is to feed crows and raven so they might discourage eagles from hanging around.

I feel those shiny computer disc hug around the yard might be more effective.

Or try this:

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Jay Angler

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I've had Ravens tag team and kill chickens and ducks. They do harass and chase off larger aerial predators.

The Christmas Reindeer would be light and easy to move around, but the lights themselves may not show up all that well during the day. It might work better if you keep putting different dangling things/shiny things on the head that moves.

Aerial Predators are fairly smart - Ravens are *very* smart - and highly motivated. It's important that things keep changing so that they don't learn things like "it's the middle of the afternoon, so safe to hunt chicken dinner."

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Matt McSpadden

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I agree with Jay. Mix it up is important with any sort of animal prevention.

I wasn't thinking about the fact that the christmas lights would be useless during the day... and at night the chickens are probably in the coop and safe. So at that point it's just the motion of the reindeer head going up and down. And there are probably better options if all you want is something to move. I have heard of people stringing fishing line across the top of the pen to protect from areal predators anyway. Is your pen small enough to try something like that?

Jay Angler

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Matt McSpadden wrote: I wasn't thinking about the fact that the Christmas lights would be useless during the day...

Maybe not useless if you can get them to reflect off things like mirror chunks or old DVD discs. But that again relates to the moving head, unless you can dangle the whole deer such that the wind will move it.

The biggest issue for me always comes down to: it only works if there's frequent change and frequent change usually translates into time and effort on my part which I don't have. This is why I've stressed "keep it light and easy". I've met more 'portable' chicken tractors that only work if you're a 6ft weight lifter with a helper. They end up too small or too heavy, or both and end up grounded.

Check out Ms Pearl Sutton's thread about Koi Nobori - Carp Kites. Essentially a wind sock. Make them really long.... or put streamers on the ends and they should help. They might be one more tool in the tool-box.

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Carla Burke

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posted 6 months ago

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A riff on the deer... Halloween is looming, fast, which means the after- Halloween sales, are also looming fast. Something motion-activated, like this guy might help - noise, lights and movement, all in one - and not consistent - only when they get within range: https://www.amazon.com/Activated-Animatronics-Halloween-Decorations-Outdoor/dp/B0D489Z81Q/ref=sxin_25_sbv_search_btf

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