I woke up to a mess.Dead birds everywhere!Graphic! UPDATE!

[ivan3]

Sorry for your loss. Sure hope whatever it was hasn't mortally wounded your gumption.

We've had good luck with baby monitors and low wattage LED's in coop/shed. The light allows them to see (just barely) anything that might make it past the traps/fencing and hardware cloth. The monitors (max volume next to bed) cue us to anything approaching through the woods (chooks growl/whine, turks putt/gobble).

Pour out the leaden mood into bullet molds and hang in there.

Transmitting 220v `plug' the vermin vibes...

 

[RedRoosterFarm]

Yep,no heads. We have no coons here at all.
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[Rare Feathers Farm]

I forgot to mention...I have a gorgeous Light Sussex roo for sale and I have a few chicks popping out under a broody as I type...if you're interested in any of those rather than some hatching eggs, just let me know! I hope you get whatever it was...I'm sure it will be back...

 

[GAChknGirl]

My SO sisters labs got out once and would only shake them til they were dead or eat their heads sounds like the work of a dog to me!!

sorry for your losses i would be so upset if something like that happened to me!

 

[RedRoosterFarm]

Its maddening cuz we thought we were dog proof but the darn thing went up and over a 5 foot fence. Sorry about your birds. That stinks!
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[RedRoosterFarm]

Let me know if you do get eggs please. I have a good chance of a hatch because you are so close. thanks
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[Rare Feathers Farm]

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I'm not sure where in WA you are--but we're planning a swap/sale next month, maybe in Cle Elum?? I could bring chicks/eggs/roos, whatever with me. I will also (hopefully) have some Salmon Fav (bantams), bantam Orloffs and maybe a few (standard) Rosecomb White Dorkings...

 

[RedRoosterFarm]

What gets me is at 10:45 last night the geese and dogs went crazy and I drug my butt from bed to yell to them to shut up. Big mistake. I will listen next time.
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[suburbanhomesteader]

This is probably neither the time nor place, but after my loss to predators (pit bulls) I switched to a hoop run made of welded wire horse panels (from Tractor Supply) in 2" x 4" mesh, 5'x15'. The panels are supported from underneath with chain link posts and top rail running down the length of the tunnel, to provide a tunnel about 8' wide and 6' tall.
I hog-ringed a 2' skirt of the same material along the bottom edge, and tacked the joint down with 4"x4"x10' beams spiked into the ground. I made a door of the same mesh. This mesh is very difficult to cut with bolt cutters, so no dog is going to rip through it (not sure about a bear). The "Chunnel" is strong enough to support a 140lb human walking along the top, and I have eliminated more than one pit who had climbed or jumped my property line fence and was climbing/digging to get into the chunnel (I watched them for more than 15 minutes before I decided to take matters into my own hands). I've seen pits rip through chain link like it was butter; they can't make a dent in this.

In fact, the only losses I've had since I built the chunnel are the occasional eggs to rat snakes. I normally let them feed for a couple of days and then re-home them.

Good luck and shoot straight!

 

[adoptedbyachicken]

Bobcats and Lynx both kill everything the first time, and often pile them to pee on then leave with only what they will eat that day. They will come back for the rest. It could be a dog too, I don't discount either of them. How did they get in? That's probably your best clue, the higher up the more likely it's a cat than a dog. Good luck in catching whatever it is.

Just down the road from us a farm had all the poultry taken out by a Lynx early in the morning, it got in over a pen in winter when they had piled snow from the driveway too close to the fence. Snow being the insulator that it is the hot wire top did not deter the cat, then once inside the outer fenceline it got into each area by forcing the doors or siding. Killed everything except two turkeys and had them all piled in the main yard peeing on them when the owner saw him. Had just got up for coffee, lucky he worked really early that day. He got outside in time to shoot it but they lost over a hundred birds, all their layers and their meat birds that were only a week away from being ready for the freezer, all but 2 turkeys.