Missing Girls!

[Junior112]

I'm still coop training them (putting them in their coop at night or they'll sleep on the ground). I went out this morning to find all four of my hens missing a huge hole in the door and my dog laying in the coop. When i walked up to the coop my dog growled extremely viciously at me, which he has never done before. After i yelled at him he stopped and i panicked thinking he did it. I started searching and found one hen my RIR in my neighbors yard ( which they have a dog as well) then, i found my other hen EE hiding in my water heater storage. I'm stilling missing my golden laced and my baby buff goldie My wife and I are devastated and would like any advice on predator proofing! I thought they were good. All my neighbors have chickens, however one of my neighbors have a tree which i just found out is infested with mice/rats. So far all that's left are yellow and brown feathers... Also my dog has no blood in or around his mouth and doesn't look like he harmed them i.e. no feathers or bones....

How big of chicks do rats eat?

Was my dog trying to save them or harm them?

what are some rat poisons that don't harm chickens/dogs/kids?

My chicks are 9 weeks old..

 

[N F C]

Here's a link to some good information about chicken predators that may be helpful in identifying the ones in your area and how to safeguard against them:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/chicken-predators-pests-how-to-protect-treat-your-flock

Mostly it seems to come down to making your coop/run as impenetrable as Fort Knox. There are a number of things that will make a quick dinner out of chickens and it's an ongoing challenge to keep them as safe as possible.

I'm glad you found at least 2 of your birds. As for rat poison that wouldn't harm anything else, I'm not sure what that would be but maybe a trap is better than poison?

 

[Junior112]

Yeah, I'm thinking i'm going to do the bucket trap.

BUT here's the craziest thing. My baby Goldie's body was found this morning in my backyard. My wife woke me up. I investigated it and didn't see any missing sections, i.e. breast, legs.... My backyard isnt huge.... There is no way I would've missed her body yesterday.

Did she leave and return alive, then my dog killed her?

Did something (owl,hawk...) take her then drop her off?

I'm still missing my golden laced with no idea.

 

[tcstoehr]

The hard truth is you simply cannot know at this time if it was your dog, the neighbor's dog, or some other predator/s. That makes it even more difficult to deal with. I always tell people they should have a game cam installed but I have failed to follow my own advice.
A hole in the door? Through what material? How big? Big enough for your dog or your neighbor's dog to fit through? Or smaller?
If it was big enough for your neighbors's dog, I suspect him, possibly in cooperation with your dog.
Agree with previous poster... you have to make your coop and run impenetrable, which isn't cheap or easy, but generally very worthwhile.
You can answer my questions or not, but it would be helpful information for some of us trying to avoid disasters like this, and it might provide a clue for some expert on this forum to narrow down the possibilities. A picture of the hole might also be useful.

 

[tcstoehr]

Quote:
Sorry, I was careless in reading the original post and can now see that the hole was dog-sized.

 

[Junior112]

Sorry, I was careless in reading the original post and can now see that the hole was dog-sized.

No worries. Yes my dog was in the coop, however, there is no possible way my neighbors dog could have gotten in my yard let alone my coop. Plus he's good with his chickens too.

I am redoing my door with plywood on the bottom half. I just need some "L" brackets then it will be complete.