We have all at some stage lost precious poultry to predators.

There will always be ‘something out there’ after our beloved feathered friends. Whether it is ‘something’ looking for an easy meal or just for sport it is heart-breaking when we discover ‘something’ has attacked our chickens and left a scene of death and carnage. We all love our chooks and invest time and money in setting up our laying flocks so it makes good sense to be aware what predators are out there. Especially when we grow fond of our hens, name them and count them as family pets then the loss/es can be very hard to bear for everyone. Replacing laying hens cannot be done overnight so it is worth making sure your hen house and run are 100% predator proof and that pest traps are in place (and set!) to catch the culprits before they do any harm.

The first step to deterring predators is to identify them.

Each ‘killer’ has his method of entry, attack and kill, so if you wish to play detective then be observant and look for clues. Examine where, how, and when birds turn up dead, mutilated or missing and by a process of elimination work out which animal/bird could be your prime suspect.

The hawk once he has had a taste often comes back for more. Well I suppose you can liken it to us returning to the fridge when we are feeling peckish and after a snack! We recommend when setting up your chook area/run pay special attention to making it as predator proof as possible from the beginning. Soft bird netting similar to that used by the vineyards placed over the top of the chook run/s will work well and also help keep out sparrows and other ‘over the top’ visitors. Another option used to deter hawks is fishing line suspended over a chook run with flags, bags or compact discs dangling from it.…but for some of us this does not always look that flash!

 It is usually the young juvenile falcons that are literally starving to death that go for anything they can catch, unfortunately that includes domestic birds like our chickens but in the battle for survival you cant blame this supreme bird for the need to survive. We have been told recently of a predatory bird being very brazen and entering a hen house in pursuit of prey…we would think this would be a falcon as this fits its character. Falcons are known to create havoc in the farmyard amongst ducks, poultry, pigeons and turkeys, they are fearless of man and seek out both open and settled areas.
It is important to be aware that both the endemic NZ falcon and the native Harrier hawk are classified as endangered and are now both protected species here in NZ.

Ferrets, Stoats and Weasils

Mustelid is the name for the family to which stoats, ferrets and weasels belong. They were introduced to New Zealand in the 1880s in an attempt to control the rabbit population which was threatening to get out of control. However their own numbers have increased dramatically and created a separate problem because they also prey on native birds, eggs and chicks. Mustalids also rob the nests of flighted birds and frequently cause havoc and death in our chook runs.

Like dogs; stoats/weasels and ferrets also kill for sport. If you find bloodied bodies surrounded by scattered feathers, you were likely visited by one of them. Fionna’s first experience of a stoat was when she happened to catch him finishing off the deed. He ran past the window with a limp guinea keet in his mouth. She gave chase, barefoot over gravel with a short piece of alkathene pipe. Upon cornering him, he refused to drop the dying keet so she hit him with the pipe again and again until he stopped moving. On returning to the ‘crime scene’ it was devastating: dead and dying bodies everywhere. The stoat had tunnelled under the coop and then killed, maimed and dragged out all the guinea keets. He killed nearly 13 that day only a few managed to escaped and hide in the grass. Fionna felt no remorse for killing the stoat after the senseless devastation she had witnessed. He was fast and lethal. She had only just hung up the washing (close to the coop) about half an hour earlier and the keets had been enjoying a dust bath in the morning sun. Stoats, and their cousins, the ferrets can attack larger chooks out free ranging – look for bite marks on the face of the bird, back of the neck or the rear end where the bird has tried to turn and escape from its predator. Birds bitten around the rear end, and have their intestines pulled out, have been attacked by a stoat or ferret.

The ferret is the largest of the three mustelids, adults measuring around 60cm from nose to tail. It has a creamy-coloured coat, with black tips to the fur. The stoat is smaller 34-40cm nose to tail. It is very thin, and about half the size of a rabbit. It has a chestnut-brown coat, which turns white in winter, a light-coloured belly, and a bushy, black-tipped tail. It is an extremely fierce fighter, killing its prey with a sharp bite behind the ear. To catch birds, it will first mesmerise them by circling around and around them and then it will pounce. Stoats will kill more than they need for food if they have the opportunity. They will also attack prey much larger than themselves. Both the ferret and stoat hunt mainly at night, and are a very good climbers, which means they can steal eggs and chicks and even kill sitting hens on nests.
The weasel is much smaller, no more than 20 cm from nose to tail with a thin, muscular body and small head. Weasels, although small, will attack prey much larger than themselves. They kill most of their prey underground, and are usually found where there are plenty of mice, in gardens and near buildings, rather than in open paddocks. All three have very elongated bodies and long tails allowing them to climb well and to hunt down burrows and warrens. We recently caught a weasel and in the processes of trapping him he managed to run up the inside of 2m metal pipe standing on its end. He was superfast and had sharp teeth! All have very good hearing and a strong sense of smell. And in our opinion all three need to be trapped – not only for the sake of our chooks but all the native wildlife out there. Set live capture traps baited with dead rabbit/rat/mouse or an egg. It is important to position traps along pathways where the animals tend to run…say alongside a hen house or shed. Keep trapping because if you catch one the rest of the family will surely be about too.

Rodents

Rats and mice are a particularly insidious type of predator. They’re everywhere…and …well…breed like mice!! They invade any time of year, but get worse during autumn and winter when they move indoors seeking food and shelter. Rats eat eggs and chicks, and both rats and mice eat copious quantities of feed and spread disease. To add insult to injury, rodents also gnaw holes in housing, and burrow underneath, providing entry for other predators. Rats will carry off chicks and ducklings and leave older ones chewed up. They will bite or gnaw on the hocks of older birds. Ground and flighted birds in aviaries can make easy pickings for rats too. Rats tunnel in from the outside and often their presence goes unnoticed till bird numbers start to decline. Their tunnels are usually well hidden under the ground cover, flax plants or tussock. They kill their prey on the ground and drag it back into their tunnels to be stored or eaten. When building aviaries dig wire mesh about a foot into the ground and curving away from the aviary as this will act as a deterrent for digging predators. Also be smart how you feed out to your birds by using  predator proof feeders.

Whether or not you find evidence, you can safely assume you have a rodent problem. Discourage rodents by eliminating their hide-outs: raise hen houses off the ground on blocks or posts, move movable coops daily, keep hen houses simple structures avoiding roofing papers and walls with cavities where rodents can hide and live. Reduce the amount of scraps you feed out and be sensible about where you position and what you put in your composting bins especially if near the chook area. 

A Weka in Action!

Egg Thieves

Lots of predators love eggs: remember an egg is a highly nutritious, portable meal! Dogs, cats, rats, hedgehogs, wekas, pukekos, possums, stoats, ferrets and weasels are all suspect when it comes to eggs disappearing. Rats and hedgehogs make off with the whole egg carefully rolling it away. Hedgehogs are also known to kill chooks sitting on nests. Hedgehogs carry disease and we recommend humanely dispatching them if found in your chook area. Best time to catch hedgehogs is when they are on the move at night. They are usually the ones sneaking about rolling duck eggs out from under the houses and leaving them half eaten for us to tread on the next morning. The rat will roll the egg to its larder the hedgehog will roll it a distance to eat it. We once discovered a rat’s treasure trove of duck eggs rolled very skilfully through a tiny gap and under a drum for later consumption.

The weka and pukeko are typical egg thieves returning daily to steal eggs from nest boxes usually making a hole in the egg and consuming its contents or making off with it. Pukeko and weka are also lethal when it comes to killing ducklings and young chickens. Recently we experienced this first hand. We first noticed mainly half eaten duck eggs lying around early one morning. They had been pulled out from under the hen houses where our Muscovy ducks sit. Then one day following we found a dead, chewed duckling and three of our 9 week old brown shaver pullets dead outside their house. The shaver girls had been adventurous and jumped out the chook house window (We left it pen!) to have an early scratch around...except Mr Weka got them first. He killed all three - we reckon he was lethal and fast and it must have been quick using his powerful legs and strong big beak. All three had their heads bitten, eyes were gone and one had been de-fleshed on the neck and head. We set the live capture traps baited with the dead shaver pullets...and bingo ...he came back on dusk and we got him...caught in action. What an awesome bird the weka is up close. We love our native birds so relocated him to a forestry block a good distance away!
Keeping grass, weeds, and brush mowed and short around the hen house/s and yard and in the chook area goes a long way to deterring predators. Many four-legged creatures don't like to expose themselves to cross an open field. For free range poultry, moving the housing every couple of days confuses predators, or at least makes them suspicious. A house with a solid plywood floor is superior to portable housing with plastic skirting as predators can sneak in under the flaps.