Predation and Permaculture
There's more predator pressure as it gets cold and less places for my chickens to hide.
Sky threats in our area come from hawks and eagles mainly.
Ground threats are racoons, possums, fox and coyote. I haven't seen evidence of rats and we rarely see squirrels as they are probably food for the larger animals. Outside dogs would have to jump the fence but visiting dogs have been an issue before.
I do have measures to protect the chickens in the coop and in the run but I can't free-range them right now. We had hawk attack attempts several days in a row.
I put bird feeders out far away from where my chicken coop is in the hopes that predators are also distracted
To encourage the wild birds I let the perennials go to seed and keep the seeds up over the winter so the wild birds have something they can eat. The predators are distracted by the little birds and also by the mice and other critters that come to eat the seeds that have fallen on the ground.
I also like to blow the leaves into my shrubs so little critters use that as hiding places and the predators can find them easier than my chickens.
The Permaculture Is Working
We were excited to hear some owls calling to each other in the early morning hours when it was dark. That means there are some kinds of critters are eating around our place in the evening and that's good news. Owls aren't a sky threat to my chickens since chickens go to bed when owls wake up. If you get the chance, watch the movie “The Biggest Little Farm” to see successful permaculture in action.
Seed Storage
We use metal trash cans with lids to keep little critters from getting into the bags of birdseed We also collect the seeds from the sunflowers regrow in the summer and keep those in metal trash cans as well until we're ready to use them. Some of the sunflower heads we leave up for the birds to enjoy where they are and they may end up reseeding in that area as well as the seeds are flung everywhere.
How do you protect your flock? Drop me a line and let me know!
NOW is a good time to plant spring bulbs, install fencing to protect from critters, build new garden beds and create new flower plans for spring. I can help you do these things or do them for you. Contact me for more information!