Brainstorming To Determine What Killed My Birds

[AshlyMommaWard]

Thanks all for your input!
The mystery has just been solved!
I locked my dogs (with food and water) in our shop, waited until they pooped. Feathers and a beak along with what looks blatantly like the gizzard contents of a chicken. (Balled up grasses and undigested corn etc.) Found in one poop sample. Didn't get poo from both dogs, but I'm calling them both guilty.
As of now the birds are healing and afraid, they will remain in their 244sq ft coop & run until they are all healed, I will be thinking it over, but as of now am considering selling all of my birds. If I cannot give them a safe & happy life I will find them someone who can. Free ranging is and has always been my #1 criteria for "happy".
These dogs are a lifetime (theirs) commitment, and I can easily find good homes for the birds. Will be considering supervised free ranging as an alternative, but with 2 kids under 3, my time is limited.
I appreciate all the help! Thank you all!

 

[centrarchid]

Thanks all for your input!
The mystery has just been solved!
I locked my dogs (with food and water) in our shop, waited until they pooped. Feathers and a beak along with what looks blatantly like the gizzard contents of a chicken. (Balled up grasses and undigested corn etc.) Found in one poop sample. Didn't get poo from both dogs, but I'm calling them both guilty.
As of now the birds are healing and afraid, they will remain in their 244sq ft coop & run until they are all healed, I will be thinking it over, but as of now am considering selling all of my birds. If I cannot give them a safe & happy life I will find them someone who can. Free ranging is and has always been my #1 criteria for "happy".
These dogs are a lifetime (theirs) commitment, and I can easily find good homes for the birds. Will be considering supervised free ranging as an alternative, but with 2 kids under 3, my time is limited.
I appreciate all the help! Thank you all!

Your offspring challenges similar to mine. Dogs plus chickens maybe too much for your currently. I make so free-range time-restricted with supervision as dogs broken in. All my good dogs do what yours are doing now during early stages. They still eat dead chicken parts but that is not an issue.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Chickens feed you breakfast and the occasional chicken dinner.
Dogs, as much as I like them, don't do either.

Good detective work though.

 

[centrarchid]

Chickens feed you breakfast and the occasional chicken dinner.
Dogs, as much as I like them, don't do either.

Good detective work though.

Say what!? The dogs protect those meals for many us out here.

 

[Amina]

Here's another idea. Any chance you can use electric fence to separate an area for the birds that is away from the area for your dogs?

 

[AshlyMommaWard]

There is always a chance that the contents of the poop were from kill #2 (the only kill I know wasn't the dogs, because I was present) her body was brought out of the woods and when I saw it was missing the top half, that could be what was consumed by the dog, especially since I found no claws, I dont know. I will still set the live trap again this evening for good measure
Yes centrachild, offspring problems! Haha!
When we move there would be a good possibility of electric fence, but our current property has a very permanent coop that faces the woods, with little good forage there, the have to come around and all over to different areas of our 4 acres do get all the good stuff. At the new house we could do a mobile coop style, and that option would be feasable.
Thanks folks!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Say what!? The dogs protect those meals for many us out here.

True, but if the dogs are the culprit, that's not protection.

 

[centrarchid]

True, but if the dogs are the culprit, that's not protection.

Ugh, not a lot a though there.

 

[turtlelady627]

I agree with all of what CHICKENCANOE said and I would also like to mention Owls are incredibly wasteful when it comes to the death of our flock friends. I lost some of my girls to owls. Literally had strewn pieces of meat around the headless carcass of Henny Penny. At that time my chicken pen was regular chain link fencing, sitting 5 ft from a wooded area and all of my birds were accounted for when put to roost the noc before. I have had fox make a dash for some birds in broad daylight, however I feel most assailants strike from dusk to dawn as previously stated.

I am getting ready to set up glowing eyes about my property as a scare tactic to these marauders. BAM!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[chickie-doo]

Really, the ONLY way to protect your poultry is to keep them in a completely ENCLOSED run and LOCK THEM UP AT NIGHT!!! Wildlife is opprtunistic so you can't blame them if they see each prey. Ckns couldn't be easier ESPECIALLY when they're roosting!!
Why even take the chance?????