246 SECOND THOUSAND QUESTIONS IN AGRICULTURE 



When all means of trapping and poisoning have failed to get a 

 coyote which is raiding poultry, take a chicken a white one is best, 

 and a sick one, too, for that matter pull a few feathers out of its 

 back, sprinkle pulverized strychnine in the place, and stake it out by 

 the leg. The chicken will usually live long enough to capture him. 

 If this is too cruel, place a small chicken coop inside of a large one, 

 equal distance from all parts, and fasten securely. Then put several 

 chickens in the small coop one or two crowers are the best. Take 

 the coops and chickens to a place frequented by coyotes, place traps 

 all around the coop, cover and leave them until you catch your thief. 

 It may be several days, but feed the chickens and leave them there 

 and you will get the varmint. 



Strychnine is the most effective poison for coyotes and should 

 be used sparingly as it does not require much to kill. 



If they start to eat a bait and it is too bitter with poison, 

 they will drop it from their mouths. Enough pulverized strychnine 

 to cover half an inch of the point of the small blade of a pocket- 

 knife is enough to put in each bait. 



The best time to poison is when coyotes prowl a'bout in packs, 

 as they eat nearly everything they can find. The reason of this is 

 that several discover the bait at the same time, making a rush for it, 

 and the first one getting it eats it in haste, without suspicion, to keep 

 the others from it. 



The carcass of a young calf makes excellent fresh-meat bait. 

 Drag it about the field on horseback before poisoning, then put the 

 poison in the ears, mouth and chest. Unless there are quite a number, 

 they will eat only part of it the first day, usually commencing with 

 the flank and devouring the hind quarters. This will not kill them, 

 so encourages them to come again, and perhaps bring others with 

 them. You will likely get several, as they eat nearly everything of a 

 young calf, even the head. 



