What are the natural predators of chickens? Look no further than your own backyard and the surrounding farmland, woods, or even urban area to find chickens’ worst enemies: hawks, raccoons, opossums, foxes, dogs, house cats, bobcats. and wolves.
The fact is that backyard chickens are threatened by many creatures and if not protected, some will become another creature’s dinner.
The hawks, which are birds of prey, chase the chickens, especially the small breeds and the young. The larger hawks will even feed on full-size hens, although they seem to have a bit more trouble with roosters. We once had a red-tailed hawk land in our coop to chase a chicken, and another time one flew low over our coop several times. looking for the perfect opportunity, before we chased her away.
Raccoons are as guilty as they come: we once caught one in the tree next to our chicken coop, climbing up the trunk to jump to the other side of our fence. Fortunately, our hens and roosters were well secured in his coop, but we took no chances and sent him packing.
We have lost several of our sweet chickens to an opossum or several of these ugly creatures, before we had a good safe coop. These natural predators of chickens are ruthless and their mouths are hideous, filled with vicious rows of sharp teeth. Several of these ugly creatures met their deaths in our backyard on their way to harm our chickens (don’t worry, it was totally legal, and necessary!)
Foxes are cunning creatures and never resist the temptation to make a fat chicken their hot dinner. The key to avoiding foxes is to have chickens housed in a safe coop and in a coop, preferably not next to grassy fields where foxes are likely to be found.
Domesticated cats, as well as wild cats and naturally feral cats like cougars, are potential threats to the safety and well-being of your feathered flock. In fact, cats are very good at hunting, stalking, and pounced on their potential victims, even in broad daylight. A good large rooster or trained cattle dog will scare off most small cats, but the larger ones may need a bigger threat to deal with. Being armed and ready for their invasion is your best bet.
Dogs, wild or tame, can also be the death of your chickens. Of course, many pet dogs won’t bother your chickens, but there’s no way to know unless you’re familiar with the animal and it has been around the chickens for an extended period of time without showing aggression towards them. Some dogs are specifically trained to care for and protect chickens and other farm animals; Having one of these will keep your flock safe from virtually all natural predators of chickens.
