Trapping in yard with free ranging chickens.

[MntHunter]

He sets coon cuffs around the perimter and this has eliminated 90% of his losses

This will make a big difference. If you live in the suburbs, this is a pretty discrete way to remove predators.

 

[EdP]

I set the pan tension on my coyote traps to 2 to 2 1/2 lbs. IMO you will educate a lot of coyotes with 4 lb pan tension and have no chance at catching a fox. The bucket suggestion is the way to go.

 

[go_deep]

Pan tension up, and os traps that won't hurt the chickens feet if they do trip a trap and get caught.

 

[DAD]

I set traps all around my yard during the winter to keep the predator numbers down. Cover my traps each morning before I let my birds out. I use 5 gallon buckets, sheet metal, etc. Never had any issues.

Hope this helps!

 

[tuffcity]

You could set snares with a stop built in so you can release the neighbours dog, etc. Long open ended boxes with a 330 coni in them are easy to put a safety on them in the morning and take off again at night.

Fortunately we don't have skunks, raccoons, possum just foxes and coyotes (and the odd wolf but they generally pass through before I get a chance at them) . We don't free range- except for a couple of old roosters at are live yard ornaments and the dogs keep them alive (GSP's oddly enough)

'yotes that show up during the day generally end up like this.

 

[Mojave]

Coyotes won't go in a box trap, so that is not an option.

 

[SaltySailor]

Chickens are naturally curious, ours loved loose dirt and would scratch and dig some pretty impressive holes if left to their own devices. I'd think a bird scratching down to make themselves a nice little dirt bath pit would still set off a trap even if set to a higher pressure.