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Something killed all 4 of our chickens. :(

post #1 of 8
5/20/12 at 7:50pm
Thread Starter 

They were out all day with us, doing things around the yard.  All full grown.  Sometime around 7:30, my wife went to check on them.  And they were missing.  Long story short, I found 2 bodies, one only seemed to be missing some feathers, the other, not much damage I could see.  But it's not like I looked reeealy close.  The other 2 were just missing entirely.  Only some feathers lying on the ground.  I had seen a fox a few mornings ago, and was keeping them penned until we could be watching them.

 

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post #2 of 8
5/20/12 at 11:09pm

Sounds more like a dog...a fox usually carries one off to eat or bring back to the den. A dog kills one after another and leaves them, like playing with toys. So sorry for your loss.

Avatar is half of group of Ameraucana chicks looking out of the brooder...Nov.'11. They are much more grown up now. Also have White Rocks, Cuckoo Marans, Andalusians and an assortment of EE's. Oh, and one Australorp hen who knows she is the absolute queen here.

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Avatar is half of group of Ameraucana chicks looking out of the brooder...Nov.'11. They are much more grown up now. Also have White Rocks, Cuckoo Marans, Andalusians and an assortment of EE's. Oh, and one Australorp hen who knows she is the absolute queen here.

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post #3 of 8
5/21/12 at 3:29am
yes, sounds like a dog. There is a good chance the other 2 are in hiding.
Most dogs ARE playing with toys. They don't even realize that the birds are "food," just funny floppy squeaking toys. When one breaks, they move on to the next
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post #4 of 8
5/21/12 at 8:34pm
Thread Starter 

I've never seen a dog in our yard.  in the nearly 10 years we lived on site, or the 10 it took to build the house.
 

I'll let you know what I find in the havahart...

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post #5 of 8
5/21/12 at 8:39pm

Don`t forget about little weasels too. We`ve got those up here and even as little as they are, they are ferocious.

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post #6 of 8
5/30/12 at 8:21pm
Thread Starter 

Nothing in the trap. 

 

But I am fairly confident that a red fox got high velocity lead poisoning a few days ago.  I've seen a wild turkey in the yard, and a possum.  Been a long time since I've seen any of them.

 

I'll set the trap some more.  Have to build a fenced run.  Get new chickens.

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post #7 of 8
5/31/12 at 4:22pm

My fox just took three in one day, so it's not unheard of. And I am 100% sure it was a fox since I saw him. =( However, he just left feathers, no 'parts' that I could find. /sniff.. 

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post #8 of 8
5/31/12 at 8:34pm
Thread Starter 

That's a bummer. :(  but sounds typical of foxes.

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BackYard Chickens › BYC Forum › Raising BackYard Chickens › Predators and Pests › Something killed all 4 of our chickens. :(