I need ideas concerning Farming and Pest/Predator Control?
Question:I have chickens and recently some animal has taken two of my hens and something is also eating the eggs they lay. I live in rural mountain Pennsylvania, a small stream runs across my property about 100 yards from the henhouse. The henhouse is raised up off the ground about 18", access is via a ramp, there is a sliding door I can lower to keep the hens/rooster inside & predators out, but something is still getting my eggs. I'm open to ALL means of predator control. Birds are enclosed by 1" chicken wire mesh, I'm still trying to keep the birds in, pinning the mesh to the ground as needed, but 1 hen and the rooster are true escape artists.
I also have a small vegetable garden, enclosed with 50' plastic 1/2" mesh x 3' high. We are over-run with rabbits this year. Typical to see 8-12 rabbits, mostly 1-2 mo old just walking across the back yard. So far the mesh is keeping most of them out but as the garden veggies mature, I'm sure they'll invade in large numbers.
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Answers:
Heres a few suggestions I have:
MICE AND VOLES: Although these rodents look similar and cause similar damage, they are only distantly related. Both live in grassy areas and leaf mulch and travel in tunnels. They feed on any vegetation, including bulbs and tubers, as well as bark on young trees and shrubs.
Exclude them with barriers or trap at main runways with peanut butter bait or vitamin D (death results from calcium imbalance). Other repellents, such as castor oil, may help as will poison baits. Or get a cat or small dog.
MOLES: Moles live in tunnels that while helping to aerate soil, also provide passageways for other animals and may cause excessive soil disturbance and plant upheaval. Although moles help by eating insects like grubs, they also hurt by eating earthworms. Control them by eliminating the insects they feed on or trap as you would voles.
CHIPMUNKS: This rodent lives in tunnels or burrows and is adept at running up trees and shrubs as well as along the ground. Chipmunks feed on seeds, nuts, fruits, roots, and bulbs, and, despite their tiny size, can uproot new plantings. Trap them using peanut butter, oats, nut meats, or sunflower seeds. Or spray repellents on bulbs, or place jagged shells or stones in the holes when you plant bulbs. Plant cages will keep them out. Or get a cat or two.
TREE SQUIRRELS: Squirrels are an occasional problem as they like to nest in trees and will feed on fruit, nuts, insects, bark, and seeds. Protect new plantings with cages. Squirrels can be trapped and released using sunflower seeds, peanut butter, and raisins as bait.
RABBITS: Rabbits are a serious problem not just in the Northeast, but throughout the entire country. They live in grassy areas and thickets, feeding on vegetables, flowers, and tree bark. They are active during the day year round in most areas. Your best bet is to fence them out with chicken wire or hardware cloth cages placed higher than snow level. Inflatable snakes or repellents, such as those used for deer, also may help.
GROUNDHOGS (WOODCHUCKS): These rodents cause only occasional problems in the northern states. They live in burrows with two or more openings with mounds at entrance. You can find them feeding in early morning and late afternoon on tender vegetables and flowers, especially pencil-thick stems like phlox, and occasionally on bark.
Your best bet is to trap them live or fence them out with a three-foot high fence. Bury several inches in the ground to prevent them from tunneling under. You also can repel them with taste sprays applied to desirable flowers or by placing oily substances at hole entrances. If all else fails, you could insert poison gas cartridges in their holes and cover to kill.
Oh it is very very difficult to keep predators away from chickens. I have had foxes, raccoons, possums and hawks get my hens. Rats are a big problem with the eggs and so are snakes. A snake or rat can find its way in where you would not think they could. Very hard to control the predators. The best thing you can do is go out at night with a flash light and inspect your hen house. Do you own a dog?? A dog is good to have around to chase off some of the predators and also keep the rabbits out of your garden.
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