by Mary Gould
(Ohio)
Question
Groundhogs and chickens: Thank you so much for your informative website! I’m writing a book, and I found all the information
I needed on ONE PAGE–the chicken predators page. But, a thought occurred to me–would groundhogs (Ohio) ever harm chickens?
My grandma used to tell me about a couple of groundhogs that insisted on digging under the chicken coop, and caused a lot of behavior, scaring the chickens half to death, so that the chickens stopped laying until the groundhogs were gone.
But she never said whether or not the groundhogs harmed any chickens. Would they? Thanx so much for your informative site, and your reply.
Answer
Groundhogs are vegetarians so probably wouldn’t do more than mischief. I’m sure chickens would be bothered by such a large animal in their space.
I’ve never had any bad chicken/groundhog experiences.
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My Bantam Sea Brights
by Ronnie
(Charlotte, NC)
Question
My Bantam Sea Brights: Something got in my coop and scared off my hen & rooster. Do you think they will return?
Answer
I hope so. You don’t say if this happened at night or during the day. If predators can gain access to the inside of the coop at night your chickens might decide that it’s not a safe place to roost and relocate.
Chickens are blind at night and many animals can sneak up on them, from rats and cats to coyotes and dogs or bear and mountain lions, depending where you live.
Little bantams can become prey to just about anything, including hawks during the day. Keeping the coop locked up every night, when most predators are hunting, helps chickens feel safe.
I would continue to keep feed and water in the coop and look around for them, especially near dark. They may be flying up into nearby trees to roost.
If they were chased off during the day there is a better chance they will come back. They may come back to the coop looking for food and water.
If they do, just make sure that nothing bigger than a mouse can get in, once they are safely in for the night.
With Bantams especially, it’s important that they can get through a small door into the coop in case of hawks hunting during the day. When they feel safe they will want to stay.
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Something is stealing chicken eggs
Question
Something is stealing chicken eggs, but not bothering the chickens. There is a small hole that has been dug through the floor, about 2 inches. Have any idea what it could be? It is also winter time and lots of snow.
Answer
( I’m not sure if this is a dirt floor or wood.) The best way to find out is to check the snow for tracks and set a trap.
I’d need to know more about the predators in your area to give a better guess. Could be a young weasel; could be a rat.
In such cold weather it’s probably not a snake. I would hurry up and catch it and remove it from the area. You can check with local Fish and Wildlife authorities to find out what to do with the specific animal you find.
If you find no tracks near the chicken house, it’s probably living underneath and snacking on eggs whenever hungry.
I would suggest collecting your eggs often and getting to the bottom of this. If this is a young predator, your chickens might be next.
It will gain confidence and feel more and more comfortable around them. If the chickens are getting used to it being around, they could become easy prey.
You said the eggs are being stolen, which leads me to believe you aren’t finding broken shells. This would have to be a pretty talented animal to remove a whole egg.
Could be a dog or even a person. (With lots of snow there should be some good evidence if it’s bigger than what could fit through a 2” hole.) Setting an egg in a small to medium live trap near this hole in the floor should catch it, if that’s how it gets in, and won’t be a danger to your chickens. I hope you let us know what you find.