Chickens taken

[glwchickens]

Hello,

My neighbor and I have lost chickens and the critter is not leaving any sign that it has
been around, not even any feathers? Our birds are taken around afternoon or evening time,
the birds just disappear, not even a sound is made.

We do have some feral cats hanging around and coons, we may have a fox working around
here, but I have never seen one.

Any ideals what this critter could be?

Darrell

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Coyote, Bobcat, and Fox in that order.

 

[iwiw60]

Coyote, Bobcat, and Fox in that order.

X2...totally agree that it has to be one of those. Have you seen where it got in? Do you see tracks? If you do TAKE PICS and that way we can help you identify.

The only good predator is a dead one. My way of dealing with them?

S - S - S

Shoot - Shovel - Shut Up

I'm so very sorry for all your losses...keep a vigilant eye out because...they WILL be back.

 

[Folly's place]

I'd also wonder about a hawk. Confine your birds in a predator proof run and coop until the problem is resolved. Good luck! Mary

 

[MargaretYakoda]

Any possibility the predator is a human?

 

[glwchickens]

We have a large area that is fenced around our coop, how ever we prefer to let our chickens
get out and really free range, which is really a very large area.

The predator has to be a coyote, fox or even a stray dog, so I am planning to build
a large animal trap big enough to catch a coyote. once caught I will decide what to do next.
A 22 rifle might just fit the ticket, I may have to learn to tan hides.

Darrell

 

[Cluckies]

I'd pen them up and put up a game cam until I see what it is, or, wait out there quietly for it to come around to see what it is. This is terrible!

 

[glwchickens]

The problem is that my neighbor that lives behind me,(we share the same drive)
he is closer to the woods, any way we are dealing with the same problem, it is
not happening every day or night but about every 2 to 3 weeks one of our chickens
disappears.

We will just have to stick with it until we catch the critter, if I catch it, it will bother us no more.

 

[appps]

The problem is that my neighbor that lives behind me,(we share the same drive)
he is closer to the woods, any way we are dealing with the same problem, it is
not happening every day or night but about every 2 to 3 weeks one of our chickens
disappears.

We will just have to stick with it until we catch the critter, if I catch it, it will bother us no more.

Sure that isn't just time someone feels like another Sunday roast? Spreading out the time and alternating flocks in the hope you don't catch on? I'd be padlocking everything and see if yours stay put and it's only your neighbours keep vanishing.

Or don't snakes swallow whole and only eat every 2-3 weeks. Do you have snakes native to your area that could be swallowing something the size of a chicken.

 

[glwchickens]

Well our chickens are not the type to just let you walk up and pick them up,
my wife and I have 6 G.L wyandotts left and they will walk up to you to see if
you have something to eat and run away if you try to pick them up, plus if
something scares them or it just doesn't look right, they make lots of noise.

We also have 13 Dominique chicks, results from a couple of crossings,
Dominique rooster with Dominique, buckeye, and one Orpington hens, we
hatched them out in late July in an incubator, there were 23 total out of 25 eggs,
we gave away 10. We keep them in a fenced area with access to the garden.

What ever it is, I don't think it is someone enjoying a Sunday dinner and we don't
have any snakes that big around here, a snake that big I would have found by now
and I would see to it that it went to the zoo because it would have to be a very
large Boa or Python and we live in Northern Kentucky, that would be one for
the KY record books.

Any way I would like to catch this critter and cancel it's ticket, I am thinking about
hatching out some Orpington eggs, after I locate and buy some.

Darrell