Chickens are wonderful creatures to raise, whether you’re doing it for eggs or simply as pets. However, keeping your chickens safe can be a real challenge, especially when you consider the range of predators and pests that can threaten them. From hawks and eagles to foxes and raccoons, there are many animals that would love nothing more than to prey on your feathered friends.
Fortunately, there are many steps you can take to keep your Chickens safe and secure. Providing your chickens with a sturdy coop, keeping them indoors at night, and general maintenance of your Chicken Coop can greatly increase their safety.
In this article, I will go through 25 effective ways to keep your chickens safe! I will cover everything from predators to environmental threats such as heat stress.
1. Have a Sturdy Chicken Coop
This is by far in my opinion the most effective way to keep your Chickens safe! A sturdy and secure coop will protect your chickens from predators and harsh weather conditions. Make sure it has a solid roof and walls, and that there are no gaps where predators can enter.
2. Use Hardware Cloth to Secure Your Coop
Hardware cloth is a sturdy wire mesh that’s great for keeping out predators. Use it to cover any openings in the coop that are too large for chicken wire.
3. Build an External Fence Around the Coop
Use a sturdy fence to surround the chicken run to prevent predators from digging under the chicken coop. A fence is a great way to keep ground predators like foxes and raccoons from getting into the chicken run. Make sure the fence is sturdy and at least 6 feet high. Some predators, like coyotes, can jump over a shorter fence. Another method I tend to do, but is best when building the coop is to extend your chicken wire down to where you can bury about 2 feet outside the coop, to where if something tries to dig in, it will be met with a fence which will usually prevent them from digging more.
4. Lock the Coop Door
Locking the coop door is an essential step in keeping your chickens safe. Make sure the lock is secure and cannot be easily opened by predators. Raccoons are particularly crafty in getting doors and nesting areas opened, so if your egg laying areas are accessible from the outside, make sure you put a lock on them too!
5. Keep the Chicken Coop Close By
Keeping your chicken coop close to your house will allow you to check on your chickens much more frequently. Not only can you see them, but you can also hear them. Chickens will be VERY noisy when bothered in any way.
6. Install Motion-Activated Lights
Motion-activated lights are a great way to scare away predators that may be lurking in the dark! If you can see your chicken coop from your house, this will provide you with an excellent way to check on your chickens at night. If anything is stirring your chicken house will be lit up so you can assess the situation.
7. Secure the Chicken Feed
It’s best to store chicken feed in a secure, airtight container to prevent pests from getting in. Chicken feed is a magnet for many predators, including rats and raccoons, so don’t leave your chicken feed out or in a bag that’s open to where predators can smell it.
8. Use Guard Dogs
Dogs are natural predators and have been used for centuries to guard livestock, including chickens. A well-trained guard dog can help protect your chickens by barking and intimidating predators that may try to approach the coop or run. Some breeds of dogs, such as the Great Pyrenees, Anatolian Shepherd, and Akbash, are especially well-suited for guarding livestock and have a natural instinct to protect their flock.
9. Use Electric Fences
If you want extra protection for your chicken coop, then an electric fence will do a great job at keeping unwanted predators away. It’s actually quite cheap to buy an electric fence enough to go around your coop, however, if you’re chickens free range, then this could get quite expensive!
10. Have multiple roosters
Roosters will naturally defend all hens from any danger that may come to his flock. If you’re hatching your own chickens, make sure to keep some of your roosters around for this purpose. A rooster will gladly give his life for a hen. It doesn’t matter how big the predator is, a rooster WILL fight to the death.
11. Keep an eye out for Snakes
In the south, we have major problems with snakes. Snakes will eat quite a few eggs and even eat baby chicks. Make sure to visit your chickens often and keep an eye out on the ground for these unwanted pests. I’ve encountered quite a few black snakes (we call them chicken snakes) in our nesting areas. Make sure to keep your nesting areas and surroundings clean so you can spot them!
12. Use a Broody Hen to Hatch your Chicks
As a good buddy once told me, “There’s nothing more fierce on this planet than a Momma something”. Broody Hens will protect their hatched young till their dying breath. By Incubating chickens yourself, they won’t have nearly the protection they would with a dedicated mother hen.
13. Provide a Dust Bath
Provide your chickens with a dust bath to help control pests like mites and lice. Dust baths help to keep your chickens clean and healthy.
14. Increase Visibility
Make sure you can see your chickens at all times around the yard, and make sure to keep your yard clean and your chicken coop surroundings clean in order to spot lurking predators.
15. Keep your Coop Clean
Keep the chicken coop and run clean and free of debris to prevent pests and diseases. Keeping the coop and run clean is essential for preventing the spread of disease and infestations by pests.
16. Maintenance of the Coop
Predators WILL test your coop for weaknesses. I like to walk around my chicken pen at least once a day to make sure there are no holes that have been dug and no areas in the fence that have been tampered with. Many times you will find spots that predators have tried to break in. Make sure you repair any issue you find with the coop. Also check your doors and nesting areas, as these are where most predators will try to get in.
17. Hanging Reflective Objects
This is actually a very effective way to keep out all kinds of predators and even deer from your property. Hanging aluminum pie plates, CDs, or soda cans will cause the sun to reflect off of these and scare the predators off. It will also make noise, even at night when the wind is blowing. This is a great tactic to keep animals away from your chickens.
18. Visit your Chickens Often
Chickens can be easily defended with all these methods, however, there’s no greater protection than your presence. Visit your chickens as often as you can just to check up on them, grab the eggs, or give them fresh water/feed. Your chickens will love you for it.
19. Provide plenty of Shade
Provide your chickens with shade during hot weather to prevent heat stress. Heat stress can be harmful to chickens, so it’s important to provide shade during hot weather to keep them cool. As mentioned above, they are likely to dig to remain cool if not properly shaded and ventilated.
20. Use Natural Pest Control Methods
Use natural pest control methods, such as predator urine or essential oils, to deter pests. Natural pest control methods can be effective in deterring pests without the use of harmful chemicals.
21. Keep your Chicken Coop Perimeter Clean
Predators love to hide and sneak up on prey. By keeping your chicken coop perimeter clean, you can detour many stalking predators from entering the coop and surrounding areas. I see many folks plant small shrubs around their chicken pen, I advise against this. A lot of predators attempt to dig into the pen and these shrubs will give them perfect cover while doing so.
22. Provide Roosting Poles
Chicken roosting poles provide a safe place for them to sleep at night. Chickens are vulnerable to predators at night when they are sleeping, so it’s important to provide them with a secure place to roost. Roosting poles are elevated platforms that chickens can perch on at night, allowing them to stay out of reach of predators like raccoons, foxes, and coyotes. By providing a raised roosting pole, you can help protect your chickens from ground-based predators that may try to attack them while they are sleeping. Additionally, roosting poles can help keep your chickens’ feet clean and dry, which is important for maintaining their overall health. Chickens naturally roost at night, so providing them with a comfortable and secure place to do so is essential for their well-being.
23. Collect Eggs Frequently
Ungathered eggs that are sitting in the nest can also attract predators seeking a free meal. It’s best to gather your eggs quickly so as to not attract unwanted predators. Snakes will absolutely love it if you leave eggs for extended periods of time.
24. Know Thy Enemy
Knowing exactly which predators are most popular in your area can give you a great advantage when building your chicken coop and protecting your flock. For instance, I live out in the country and our main issue is snakes and coyotes. Therefore I tend to keep an eye out on the ground and make sure my chickens are very well secured with high fences and a secure roof.
25. Remove unwanted Scraps
Sometimes Chickens will leave unwanted scraps on the ground where it’s easily accessible to all manner of ground pets including rats. These pests tend to carry diseases and shouldn’t be around your flock. Make sure before nightfall to clear your coop of any unwanted food from the chicken coop.