Any ideas what predator?

[cmom]

If you have a game camera, put it up. Most likely the predator has roamed your property and you may not know it. Here most of the predators roam at night. Last night a Halloween cat.

Usual visitor. A coyote.

 

[GodofPecking]

Domestic cat, feral or tame. This is precisely what a domestic cat does, not saying a bobcat didn't do it, but if anyone was going to wager, go with the odds, its either a perfect match for a bobcat predator, bobcat population is X or it's feral or domestic cat, population X times a gazillion.

Domestic cats kill chicks small and large, and take FULL GROWN CHICKENS when they are hungry enough. Chickens cant escape anywhere in the dark and have no meaningful defenses they can use when they're blind at night. I've lost more than 100 or so chickens until I set up traps for predators. Got a fox here and there, but when it comes down to numbers you simply will not realize what is in your yard hunting until you vacuum a hole in the local fabric of predator territories and all the ones that will move to fill the hole do so and get caught in the traps. I only use humane traps, as I have often caught chickens in them, lol.

 

[GodofPecking]

Cats Cats Cats. The only thing as excessively numerous is owners who want their precious little (monster) to roam around and enjoy it's freedom ( ...... IN YOUR CHICKEN COOP ).

One neighbor is like "but she'd NeeeeVeeer harm your chicks"you can trust,you can trust,you can trust,you can trust,you can trust,.....

Then I say after I'm fed up, well lets put your precious in a cage with 3 of my chicks overnight and you pay me $20 for each one that is missing presumed eaten in the morning ok ?

"Oh OH" she said " it would be like putting dracula in charge of the bloodbank" she said. Yes, they expect you to trust their pet, but they are not as stupid as you are.

Whatever. Don't bother telling anyone, just find the local drop-off point where they can be checked for microchips and returned for a fee ( fees somehow teach or persuade owners better than all your most earnest efforts ) and read local laws. Your generally allowed to catch whatever is in your yard and dispose of it in any humane way.

The reason I say don't tell is any future predator cats or nice cats or books about cats go missing and it's your fault perhaps.

 

[blackandtan]

Cats Cats Cats. The only thing as excessively numerous is owners who want their precious little (monster) to roam around and enjoy it's freedom ( ...... IN YOUR CHICKEN COOP ).

One neighbor is like "but she'd NeeeeVeeer harm your chicks"you can trust,you can trust,you can trust,you can trust,you can trust,.....

Then I say after I'm fed up, well lets put your precious in a cage with 3 of my chicks overnight and you pay me $20 for each one that is missing presumed eaten in the morning ok ?

"Oh OH" she said " it would be like putting dracula in charge of the bloodbank" she said. Yes, they expect you to trust their pet, but they are not as stupid as you are.

Whatever. Don't bother telling anyone, just find the local drop-off point where they can be checked for microchips and returned for a fee ( fees somehow teach or persuade owners better than all your most earnest efforts ) and read local laws. Your generally allowed to catch whatever is in your yard and dispose of it in any humane way.

The reason I say don't tell is any future predator cats or nice cats or books about cats go missing and it's your fault perhaps.

Couldn’t agree more.
IMO, fluffy and Fido are the biggest chicken predators around - I have zero statistics to back that up , but I do have common sense AND experience! Whether you DO trap, ARE trapping, or WILL trap, and I think this goes for shooting too, it’s best to just keep it to yourself because unless someone actually has livestock they’ll simply never understand that you value your animal as much as they value theirs, and lets face it, anyone who chooses to let their pet wander is at risk of losing it to a car or coyote or animal services anyway, and you don’t need to get blamed automatically when that happens. SSS. Or trap, take to pound, and shut up