Killed 17 chickens

[MeepBeep]

Probably a weasel or mink as they can squeeze through the small crack you said the door had or they could have easily went through the chain link fence...

 

[hayley3]

How far up was the roost bar? Could the chickens have knocked it off during the scuffle? So sorry about your chickens...wow 17 of them..that's so many.

 

[Miss Biddy]

Wow, your pen is like mine, (see avatar) only I have tarps covering the top.
Mine is two chain link dog kennels end to end, plus a shed for the chooks and goats.
I've never lost a chicken to a unknown animal though.

I suspect it's because I have four dogs, and the predators are wary of them.
I *know* there is a fox den around, yet they don't bother my chooks, knock on wood.

So sorry for your loss. What a heartbreak!

 

[UberchicRanch]

What part of the country did this happen? We have Fisher Cats that can do something like that. They hunt for sport.

 

[chickenlover120]

Kansas

 

[UberchicRanch]

AH! OK, @chickenlover120 ,

You have most likely encountered the Fisher Cat's cousin - the Mink!! Check this info out:
http://webcat.fhsu.edu/ksfauna/mamm...74-893&dots=yes&tributaries=yes&isAnura=&map=

Fisher Cats are more in the Northeast / Northwest U.S. and Southern Canada. But you definitely have Mink in your neck of the woods. Don't think they're cute. Both Fishers and Mink are highly intelligent creatures that sometimes get bored and love to hunt...for sport! In fact, what do Fisher Cats, Mink, Weasels, and Wolverines all have in common? They're all in the same family of animals. We know Wolverines are the fiercest - capable of taking out Bears by climbing onto them and clawing them to death at the back of their neck!

I'm very sorry to hear of your loss but the only way to prevent this attack again is to either trap and relocate this cute, but dangerous, animal (local and State laws may not allow you to do so) or increase your line of defense with your coop / pens. Since Minks are highly intelligent and have sharp claws and teeth, chicken wire won't do. They are also excellent diggers. They can slip through chain-link fences.

For more info on how to upgrade your pen / coop, you can actually read an article here on the Backyard Chickens Forum:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/mink-chicken-predators-how-to-protect-your-chickens-from-mink

Hopefully this helps. Much luck to you!!

Best,
Johnny at @UberchicRanch

 

[Miss Biddy]

They are cute! I had ferrets for pets, and they were very interesting and fun.

I live in Northern New York, and never had this problem with with them.
I wonder if my dogs scare them away?
One of them is a very good hunter.

 

[MeepBeep]

They are cute! I had ferrets for pets, and they were very interesting and fun.


I live in Northern New York, and never had this problem with with them. 

I wonder if my dogs scare them away?  

One of them is a very good hunter.

Weasels and Minks can sneak around very well, likely unnoticed by most dogs, especially weasels that are just a little bigger than a large field mouse but longer and fully capable of killing adult chickens...

As for not having the problem, like everything your risk factor varies and can even appear to not exist, that is until it happens...

 

[UberchicRanch]

Well put @MeepBeep - just because you never had a problem doesn't mean they aren't scurrying around your neck of the woods. I've been eyeing the Peregrine Falcons in my area and also hearing the coyotes howl at night. We don't hear the Fisher Cat anymore...but that doesn't mean they're not around...

It's like Jurassic Park...they could be anywhere...

 

[enola]

Since I have been here I have seen a grey fox and the various raptors. I have trapped possums, coons, skunk, feral cats, neighbor cats, dogs that no one claimed, dogs that neighbors definitely claimed. The neighbors have shot red foxes, a coy dog and called in a coyote. They also claimed they shot a bob cat, but I didn't see it. Neighbors down the road claim to have seen a black bear.

So, you never really know what is out there until you see it in a trap or after it is shot.