Chicken massacre...we are very sad - Page 2

Quote:

Originally Posted by albert w 

I'd like to hear how you think the predator got in also. Not to rub your nose in it, but to learn from it and hopefully avoid it myself. Very sorry for your loss.

Me too please. Obviously you did something right for 3 years. We are getting ready to build a new coop, I would like to know as we are fairly rural.

Sorry.  It sounds so awful.  What a beautiful photo of them.  Don't folks lock them up at night.  I have an outside enclosure with a roof and then the actual coop that I shut and close the ramp door.  Am I being stupid to think other animals could still get at them.  I live in a neighborhood and don't see too many animals.  Once I saw a racoon, skunk, fox and deer (some neighbors think they have heard a fisher cat) over the  23 years I have lived here.  Will I ever be able to sleep at night now, wondering if they are safe and have I done my share in keeping them safe.  

I am so sorry for your loss.  We lost two of our original 4 girls last fall to a foster dog we had at our house...it was heartbreaking.  To protect our girls, we have the run totally fenced in with chicken wire (including top) - the sides of the coop are wood and go down 8 inches into the ground. We have another layer of thick wire fencing attached to the sides of the coop run and have recently installed a hot wire around the coop for extra protection.  It looks like the "Poultry Penitentiary" now but I don't want to find our chickens dead in the yard again. Best of luck to you and again, I am sorry for your loss.

I'm deeply sorry for your loss. i know it's devastating. 2 years ago we lost 18 in one night and the rest over the next week. 23 birds in all. we finally found the culprit's . They were raccoons. An old man down the road told me if one finds your chickens he will bring back all his friends. sounds crazy but i guess it's true. any way i rebuilt my coop putting the roost further away from the windows and further down about head level and 1 ft away. i put a latch on the door that you have to lift and slide to get open. instead of chicken wire on my windows i used 1/2 inch expanded metal that will last forever. i also invested in 2 night eyes. you can find them on line in some of the livestock suppliers websites. they screw on to your coop about 18 inches of the ground and have a solar panel that charges a battery during the day and flashes two red led lights at night imitating a predators eyes. i was skeptical but it  works. i have caught raccoons going into the barn next to the coop but steering clear of the chickens. i also have a hot wire running around the top of the pen but i have not used it in about a year. not sense i got the night eyes. I'm not trying to sell you on this product but i spent 25 dollars each and have not had a problem sense.

I am so sorry about your loss!!! I have had my girls 3 years and have lost one to a hawk and it is very heart breaking to find your babies in that condition! i would say that it was most likely a raccoon or an opossum. I have heard an opossum just kills for the sake of killing and not so much to eat its prey. I bought a wood storage building for my coop and just put lots of heavy wire over the windows and my door has a dead bolt on it and my girls are locked up every night. It has a wood floor and is completely enclosed. Again sorry for your loss, I have lost 5 total over the years and it is very difficult when something happens to them cause they are just like part of the family!!

I am so sorry for your loss. I can't imagine your pain.

so sorry for your loss. People think I am crazy for actually thinking these chickens are my pets but THEY ARE! Our family loves our chickens and I cannot imagine losing all at once after having them for 3-4 years. I hope you never have to go thru this again.! Sorry again for your loss.

i had a raccoon kill some of my pekin ducks and they were barley eaten and the head was still intact

I had always heard that if all the blood was gone, it was a weasel that got your chickens. But I think that's quite possibly an "old wives' tale." I think people are right--it could have been raccoon or skunk just as easily. I think a fox would have taken a whole chicken with them, but I could be wrong. Our chickens live in the the Fowl-version of Fort Knox, but I still jump out of bed at the slightest noise!

So sorry for your loss. I too am very attached to my birds. Even the meaties. If you have one, set a live trap and see what comes back for a free meal.