[Aunt Sally]

Are Badgers of danger to chickens ?

My D-I-L has some Pekin Bantams in her garden.  Recently badgers have found their enclosure and are breaking in and eating their feed over night and causing a nasty mess. 

She can arrange to remove the feed overnight but my real questions are:

Could the badgers break into the shed over night and injure or kill the bantams ?

Are badgers dangerous to poultry due to infections they may carry ?

Is there any way to discourage badgers (electric fencing) ?

[joyfull]

I always understood they are a danger to chickens - we get them round here but have never seen one in my garden. They can tunnel well so perhaps a good metal wire skirt all around their run could be the answer or even wire mesh going 12" down in the ground.
Take a look at this site (ok I know it's pro badger but could have some usefull information for your DIL 

http://www.badgerland.co.uk/animals/food/deadmeat.html

[8doubles]

I had to chuckle at the Badgerland site, the not usually correct line could be swapped for `every time they get the chance they will'. Badgers only eat carrion' ...........a bit like they thought hyenas did.

Badgers near chickens is bad news and they are known to break into coops, featheredge boarding is no match for badger teeth and claws.
Remove all food so they are not attracted back , buy the man of the house a six pack of beer for watching the football and get him out `scent marking'.

[Aunt Sally]

Son is going to set up a PIR squirter directed at their entry point to the garden until he can strengthen their shed and run sufficiently. 

Will that deter them for a few days ?

[joyfull]

have to admit the not usually bit amused me - everytime a badger does something they would say well they don't usually do that, a bit like when little fido bites somebody the owner usually says oh he's never done that before  

[joyfull]

hopefully, but the sooner son gets the work done the better  at least usually badgers hunt at night.
Not managed to find out about any illness that badgers have being transmitted to chickens just the usual TB and cattle arguments.