Chicken and Turkey Theft

[newbie coops]

Has anyone had an issue with human predators? About 5 or so years ago, one of my heritage Tom turkeys was very likely (with almost no doubt) stolen by a human. Now we've found that of our 19 layer hens from about 2 months ago have been reduced to 14...with no sign of an animal predator - no feathers, nothing left of a carcass, no blood...nothing. One day we had 19 hens, and with not doing a head count for several weeks (my husband always shuts them in at night and stopped doing a nightly headcount) and then one day when I counted them outside, and went inside the coop to see if anyone was roosted up, and found no other evidence of more hens, I counted 14! We've been doing a head count every night since, and they remain at 14 but I strongly suspect a person took them, maybe even at the same time. Has anyone else had an issue with HUMAN predators?

 

[nuthatched]

Cameras, locks and dogs Though any reasonably sized predators cam make off with a bird without a trace, especially over several weeks.

 

[MysteryChicken]

Not particularly, but we had pumpkin theft one year, several years ago. We suspect it was our next door neighbor that stole pumpkins from our garden.

 

[LRH97]

I've had my suspicions, but not anything concrete. I've come home to my aviary door standing wide open and a heavy growout pen door open as well. Four goslings went missing with the growout pen incident. I am very tired in the evenings at feeding time, so it may be possible that the predator was my own negligence, but it's so routine that I have my doubts. I had also had an individual show up to my property that, come to find out after the fact, other people suspected of taking birds after refusing to sell to him.

*Side note*
Off-premises sales are the way to go, these days. Find a nice parking lot. Plenty of decent people out there, but plenty of weirdos too. Ones you probably wouldn't care to have checking out your property.

Game cams are the way to go IMO. As nuthatched said, larger predators are very capable of snatching without any evidence. Either way, with a few cams up you'll at least be able to see what's going on.

 

[lagrange chicks]

I have no doubt human predators will become as big of problem as natures predators.

 

[Leatherworker]

I have no doubt human predators will become as big of problem as natures predators.

As things in our country get more tense and the influx of to many humans are put on us, I agree with you. That is a concern.