Free range chickens and predators

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feathermama

feathermama

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May 30, 2015
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I need some help. On Friday during the day I had 10 out of my 19 chickens were attacked and killed. three of the heads were taken off. 4 had damage to neck and head. & 3 we couldn't find. They were all spread out around 100 yards of the property. What could have done this while they were free ranging during the day??
 
Depends on your location. Here, in the Midwest U.S., the primary suspect would be fox. If unmolested, a pair of foxes can kill and carry off thirteen pullets in less than 15 min (found the cache site and then the den). A single, young fox, might well kill 10 and only take three. If it was a fox, it will most often carry off the victims to a point where it feels safe and cache them (at this time of year some distance from den, as well). If it was a fox, it will be back for the rest. Keep the survivors in pred. proof run when no one is available to supervise free ranging.

Sorry for your loss and welcome to BYC.
 
I would say a dog is most likely. Dogs will view chasing the chickens down as sport and like to chew on them especially the head. They will chase the chickens all over killing as many as they can catch.

Foxes will strike in daylight as well, but they usually just grab a meal and run. They will come back as feathermama stated. I had a problem for years with a fox that would get a chicken or try once or twice a year.
 
Thanks for the posts. We also believe it was a dog. I have also saw a fox in the morning around 530. Would she do a mass killing and come back for them later for her kits?
 
So sorry for your loss! It could be either, and it will return for sure. Lock up your remaining birds, and set traps and cameras if possible to ID the culprit. WE lost ten nice hens one day three years ago to a very mangy sick fox, who did return, and was killed the next week by a neighbor. We saw him, but couldn't get a clean shot. Let your neighbors know about this, and good luck. Mary
 
What ever, they WILL be back. You may want to put your chickens under temporary house arrest while you wait to ambush the returning predators. If you are allowed to shoot them in your town, that would be best. If you plan to trap and release, you just make them trap shy for the next person.
 
One of my RIR's disappeared after roaming Tuesday night no sign of her. Thinking she got sepeated from the flock she would be hiding in the empty well house or outside the coop door in the morning. Well after my chickens were under house arrest for the last 2 days, I finally let them out. 4 Guineas, 4 Austrolops, 4 Buffs & 6 RIR's. My have a neighbor has a 1200 acre bean field and that's where they love to make a run for gobbling up bugs as fast as they can run. They always come back at night knowing I put food and treats out

Sadly last night only 3 guineas, 2 Austrolops, 4 Buffs & 4 RIRs returned. The 1 of the 3 Guineas was calling out with no response for the missing mate. No return calls or sigh of the missing Guinea or Chickens this morning. Found what I believe are fox droppings in the yard by the coop. Sadly I believe I have a fox stealing my chickens, no visible sign of if. So sadly my chickens are going to have to stay in until the beans are harvested and I can see where my chickens are.
 
I've always found fox's' very shy. If your around or in and out frequently I think you'd be safe from fox's. I would keep them in a run or something like that when your not around until you can get rid of the culprit.
I wish you the best of luck
 
Oh, yes, keep them in the run. I let mine out last month, just to change out water, and one ran up behind me and snatched one of my girls. I got after it and it released her, but we had quite a bet of doctoring to do. Very bold that day.
 

I so want to let my feather flock free range but once they go into the bean field they don't listen to me at all. So I kept them in their coop, gets dusty and hot in there so I came up with a idea. I had an old screen from a door and it fits just about perfectly, not happy chickens but they get fresh air.

They finally got to go out tonight, didn't want to stay out. Kept close to the coop and went in after a 1/2 hour, wonder if they were sensing something near, one of the guineas got upon the roof and cried loudly.
 

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