The “Chicken Coop” Defender. Another rifle debate.

entropy said:

I think @jmorris had a pic of his setup for that role. .22 Rifle with a can on a tripod stand pointing right where the vermin would go to.
I have a .22 Charger that might serve, and a can waiting for approval for it. SWMBO obeyed might like if I were to take out the squirrel that's been digging up her herb garden. My son used Colibiris and an old single shot to convince the woodchuck which had moved in under the She she'd to seek shelter elsewhere.

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With subsonic 38-40 gr ammo from a long barreled manual action .22, you can save yourself the money and paperwork. They are already silenced. I used to use my varmint .22 loaded thussly when I lived in the trailer park and there was a feral cat problem. I did so with the blessing of the management. I was the cat sniper.

Of your choices a 22 mag with ballistic tips.
It makes the risk of ricochet almost non-existent. 17HMR is even better.
Inside 75 yards. It's hard to beat a good 22lr.

I had the exact same thing. I have not read all the replies yet, so if covered already sorry.

I had my chickens in a pen area that was made with 8' tall chain link sections.....off the top of my head about 12 of them. This had a big plus of being "sort of" moveable....more on that later. On top of it I had a nylon net to keep hawks and owl out, learned that the hard way. Around the outside I had the fence setting on concrete pave stones so the furry four legged critters could not dine at the all you can eat chicken buffet. It is a never ending battle, I have seen them scale the fence chew through the net, and go down the inside like a little commando....you are always upgrading. Suggestion a rooster will die trying to defend his girls, but he will bring other things that could be good or bad, a fresh supply of new chickens, his attitude to you or your wife and kid is also likely to get him killed.

On to the gun, this is why I bought a 38-357 lever gun, this is enough for the largest mammal (Coyote) that I had issues with, is not so over powered as to be an issue no matter what direction I shot like a center fire rifle would be. I am shy on 22mag on a coyote, I want a sure fire ethical kill, and the angles and stuff in the way I just wanted more error on my side.

I said I would cover the moving the chicken area, all I had to do was hook the tractor to the fence and drag it, I used a couple long tow ropes on edges, after you remove the concrete pavers it will slide pretty easy, my chicken house was on wheels so you could roll it to the new spot to let the grass recover. I really could not let the chickens, and really chicks free roam because all the birds of pray I have around my house....and you can't kill those.

entropy said:

I think @jmorris had a pic of his setup for that role. .22 Rifle with a can on a tripod stand pointing right where the vermin would go to.

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If you have an upstairs point you can shoot from it does help. Coyotes don’t seem to be as alert to threats that originate high. You need to be quieter and more aware of movement if you are at their level.

But yes my suppressed TC .22LR upper works and all I have to to is crack open the door to the balcony.



Not the whole story though, you also want some kind of motion sensor to pick up on movement outside the coop. Or you have to actively watch the thing all night, every night. Because that’s when the chicken eaters come around once they realize during the day is bad for their health.



I use the same motion activated radios I put together for pig hunting. Movement powers up the keyed radio and plays back the message I put in the digital voice recorder (generally just location or radio number).



Allows you to be there when they are even when you are sound asleep. Prior to their arrival. If your only 50 yards or so, one of the driveway alerts would also work and are cheap enough if your not a DIY guy.

That said, I have also used 9mm too it’s just as effective as .22 and more energy needed or not and using subs & suppressed doesn’t make a lot of noise either. I have come downstairs from getting one and my wife didn’t even know I had taken a shot when I got back into bed.

I have a Ruger PCC 9mm and a few .22 Rifles and handguns. The handguns have .22 Mag cylinders, but I've never really considered a .22 Mag rifle, the ammo is just to expensive to shoot it much IMHO and with high velocity .22 LR available and cheap I never, for me, saw any real benefit to .22 Mag in a rifle. If you don't already own a decent .22 rifle, I'd just pick one up, everyone should have one and you'll practice more.

22 mag would be my choice of those two mainly due to being flatter shooting. IMO it's a little lighter than I'd like for coyote but usable, my preference would be 223 above both but that will add a bit more noise in case that is a consideration.

I actually like the idea of a 357 that someone mentioned, I think for 'yotes that would be a better option than 9mm or 22 mag. A 10mm Carbine would be interesting too, overkill for sure but man would it be fun, haha.

KansasTrapper77 said:

Oh I do have a Bolt action 22LR, and an AR, and a 45-70 and some of the other things people have mentioned but this is for funsies a “chicken coop” gun. And I think I’m leaning .22 mag but darn it I think those Ruger Carbines are slick. I just need to get both.

Several people have mentioned suppressors and I totally want one but for the price of the suppressor I want and the tax stamp I could actually buy both rifles.

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I like the PCC for shooting steel targets at closer ranges, 25-50 yards. A .22 LR is fun too, but 9mm brings it up a notch. The steel can't take a rifle round at that distance, but a pistol round is fine. You could hang a gong out next to your coop, and just ring it like a bell to scare off predators ... lol

KansasTrapper77 said:

Oh I do have a Bolt action 22LR,

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Can you make accurate shots with it at the distances you wish to engage targets? If so, it’s all you need.

This was the furthest I have attempted shooting medium sized animals with a .22 LR 40 grain “standard velocity” that happen to be subsonic (it’s dead in the water where the red arrow is on the other side of the pond).


Didn’t even take a step and coyotes are easier to get rid of by good measure.

film495 said:

I like the PCC for shooting steel targets at closer ranges, 25-50 yards. A .22 LR is fun too, but 9mm brings it up a notch. The steel can't take a rifle round at that distance, but a pistol round is fine. You could hang a gong out next to your coop, and just ring it like a bell to scare off predators ... lol

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This is the 9mm in #30 playing with my gong at 100 yards.



That said, you just need to turn on a light or open a door downstairs and coyotes take off.

I am the last person to suggest one needs a reason to buy another gun but why stop at the .22 magnum? The .22 Hornet gives even more oomph and opens the door to using many really good bullets vs whatever .22 Mag you can find near you.

I think one reason I have never warmed up to my .22 magnums, is a lack of choices and none have ever been as accurate as some of the .22LR’s I could also choose from.

No need to gamble on what is more accurate, test both and you will know.

My Savage Mark II FV has taken many varmints using the .38gr. hollow points out to 50 yards. It is incredibly accurate for such an inexpensive gun.


I recently picked up a Ruger American Predator in .223 that has a threaded medium barrel. I might get a suppressor for it and it would replace the Savage Mark II for shots past 50 yards. I recently took a coyote out at 130yds., that came to my buddies dying rabbit call. Was aiming between his eyes as he came straight in and never gave me a side shot. The bullet went through his right eye and out the back left side of his head. I think he was starting to turn to run.

My neighbor has chickens. He installed a light with a motion sensor near the coop. That seemed to help with the raccoons but the coyotes and eagles still kill his free range chickens during the day. He's shot at least one coyote (22 LR?) and bought a cattle dog to chase coyotes. Not a lot anyone can do about eagles as they're protected and we have an overabundance of those here. So he uses a multitude of defense systems. I don't think a rifle by itself is the answer. Either one will work but I'm going with the 9mm because you can load for it.

film495 said:

I like the PCC for shooting steel targets at closer ranges, 25-50 yards. A .22 LR is fun too, but 9mm brings it up a notch. The steel can't take a rifle round at that distance, but a pistol round is fine. You could hang a gong out next to your coop, and just ring it like a bell to scare off predators ... lol

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I get squirrels on my bird feeder, even though I've tried to squirrel proof it. I have a heavy metal garbage can lid wired to a lawn chair about 10' from the feeder. I put the first shot on that gong as a warning. I'm using a .17 RWS model 36 scoped rifle. I can hit a quarter at 25 yards consistently. Don't test me.

CoalTrain49 said:

I get squirrels on my bird feeder, even though I've tried to squirrel proof it. I have a heavy metal garbage can lid wired to a lawn chair about 10' from the feeder. I put the first shot on that gong as a warning. I'm using a .17 RWS model 36 scoped rifle. I can hit a quarter at 25 yards consistently. Don't test me.

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great minds think alike

CoalTrain49 said:

I get squirrels on my bird feeder, even though I've tried to squirrel proof it. I have a heavy metal garbage can lid wired to a lawn chair about 10' from the feeder. I put the first shot on that gong as a warning. I'm using a .17 RWS model 36 scoped rifle. I can hit a quarter at 25 yards consistently. Don't test me.

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Air rifles are great for smaller mammals and birds, but when you get to something the size of a coyote, I think the minimum I would think about is a 30, and while they do make 30 brake barrels, I doubt they are fun to cock and easy to shoot, so that would head you in the direction of PCP, and there is a great deal of expense going that way. Someone might or might not want to go down that road, but it is going to have to be done with PCP.

I use a old pumper for starlings, DRT. and no damage to buildings or equipment.

Just to toss another option out there in 22 mag, a semi auto could be a real hoot and great for quick followups.

Savage A22 Magnum

jmorris said:

I am the last person to suggest one needs a reason to buy another gun but why stop at the .22 magnum? The .22 Hornet gives even more oomph and opens the door to using many really good bullets vs whatever .22 Mag you can find near you.

I think one reason I have never warmed up to my .22 magnums, is a lack of choices and none have ever been as accurate as some of the .22LR’s I could also choose from.

No need to gamble on what is more accurate, test both and you will know.

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My issue with a "real" center fire rifle is I just did not want that much power. I see in this application little difference between 22 hornet, as well as being even more expensive over the 22mag, as not bring all that much more to the table over the 22 mag.

If going in cold, like I think the OP is doing and buying new LR is cheaper over mag, and mag is cheaper over hornet, you don't really get more mass but a bit more zip for more cost.....basically the same argument as LR has over mag, you get more zip but not much more mass.

You would not have to worry about it leaving the animal even with a pretty iffy shot. The reason I liked the 357 was the extra mass of the bullet, it is a thumper. For the smaller you can step down to basic 38's or even hotter + rounds and still stay inside the raccoon.

My issue was about 200 yards away was stuff I really did not want to hit....so I did not want a "real" rifle again. I had originally wanted one of those old ruger 44mag rifles that look like an over grown 1022, just thought it would be fun. Never could find one I was willing to pay for. I found a camp 9 and did use that for a while, but....well I am a gun nut and I have a problem....still wanted that 357 lever, so got it and really liked it.

I did not bring up before but Ruger makes the 77 in 357, but it is just flat stupid expensive. It is a plastic stock and stainless deal, the price has pushed me away from it for years.....this year I am just going to order one, hell with it kind of thing I deserve a new toy.

I think the 357 if looking for something new is really pushing a great many buttons on the yes side, but then so does a 9.....wonder if anyone makes a 9 lever gun.....if they do please don't tell me.

Random 8 said:

They are already silenced.

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Not even close.