New Year's Day Massacer!!!

[luckychik]

I let the chickens out for a day if free range. I noticed that one was missing and I figured he had been gotten by something. We drove around from 2-5pm for something to do and we came home I noticed a pile of white feathers! I ran over to find 2 dead one completely gone and one just left dead. Now I went and counted heads and realized 10 were gone! So we started looking around I found two more piles of feathers a dead chicken half way buried! The rest I did not know! I went and got a game camera (in hopes to figure out what is doing this) and told my hubby if I have to sit out in camo with a gun I am going to "put down" whatever is bothering my chickens!! Well my son had shooting practice early this morning and I heard them coming back to the house...my hubby coming running in the house and said up the highway they found a chicken on the side of the road! Alive! I got up and found 2 more alive! So with all that being said I'm figuring all this was a dog? I am thinking no more free range for my chickens either unless I am out to chicken sit! It's frustrating!!!! Arg!!!

 

[Spanishchick]

I agree, its just not worth it and todays guard dog just isn't used to guarding chickens like they were years ago where they'd protect the entire ranch.

 

[millivanilli]

I'm sorry I hate when the predators get the poor defenseless chickens.
There's a good thread on here in the information section about determining what the predator was by the m.o. and what you find.

It is possible it was a racoon or racoons? From my understanding racoons are mass murderers, as opposed to say an owl or fox, would just pick up one and split with it. Unless it was a pack? Pack of coyotes?

 

[nxb161]

Ugh, what state are you in? I like the idea of free ranging, but I'm in PA, and I know I have hawks, owls, and foxes in the area, well i've seen them or gotten a pic of them in the past years. Thankfully not right near the house, but until I got chickens they wouldn't have a reason to. They get supervised short outings now and again, but I'm just not brave enough to chance it while i'm not around. I do have my own issues I need to fix though. When I built a new coop, and larger run I didn't fortify the ground around it like I did with the initial setup. I went in to check on their food the other day and heard meowing. Silly cat dug in and couldn't figure out how to get out. I don't think it hurt the chickens or vise versa, but now I have to figure out to block it off with frozen ground, oh well.
I hope you find the culprit soon!

 

[luckychik]

I live in Arkansas, last year I had a coyote run right behind my house with my mom and I standing on the back porch. I am thinking it was the pregnant dog I have seen around the place. I went and spoke with neighbors today and told them to keep a eye out for more chickens just incase some are still in hiding but judging by the piles of feathers I have found I think the rest are gone. I was so thankful to find the 3 live ones! They were scared to death still. I don't care who says chickens are not smart, they have no idea how smart they really are! I had nothing on the game camera tonight. I figure whatever it was is full from last night. I also believe it was the dog because it played with them. At least when a coyote or hawk kills one they eat it and don't leave bodies here and there! UGH it just makes me mad..................My neighbors were very nice and said they would help anyway they could. So thankful that I have neighbors watching out too!!

 

[jammyjammy2112]

i allso have had a massacra a few days befor christmas i went to check my hens and about 10 and my two chicks that i hatched had been killed they had been pilled in corners and the heads had been eaten 10 out of 20 hens and 1 cock. they took bout half the ones they killed and eat the heads off the rest and there was no hole dug this was all done in one night so all the sighs pointed to a european mink i think they where introduced to ireland sometime.this is my first ever attack in 3 years i have one very big chicken coop and run i usually leave them free range all day i locked my surving very tramatised hens and cock/rooster into the small chicken coop upstairs so it was impossible for anything to get them they would have to break trew a thick layer of wood.i put two mink traps up becouse i no it wasnt anything else becouse ireland dosnt have much preditors egcept hawks and foxs in my area no hole for a fox and a hawk wouldnt kill 10 at NIGHT.so anyway i left the hens out christmas day becouse i tought the mink would have gone with no sigh of food for a while and the traps havnt cought anything except robins and black birds which i released again then christmas night i left them sleep in there big chicken coop just taking a chance then next morning 2 more had been killed now im not leaving them out of there small coop unless im there or until i catch that mink

 

[jammyjammy2112]

oooohhhhhhhh and the silkie in my profil picture allso got killed my favourte

 

[luckychik]

i allso have had a massacra a few days befor christmas i went to check my hens and about 10 and my two chicks that i hatched had been killed they had been pilled in corners and the heads had been eaten 10 out of 20 hens and 1 cock. they took bout half the ones they killed and eat the heads off the rest and there was no hole dug this was all done in one night so all the sighs pointed to a european mink i think they where introduced to ireland sometime.this is my first ever attack in 3 years i have one very big chicken coop and run i usually leave them free range all day i locked my surving very tramatised hens and cock/rooster into the small chicken coop upstairs so it was impossible for anything to get them they would have to break trew a thick layer of wood.i put two mink traps up becouse i no it wasnt anything else becouse ireland dosnt have much preditors egcept hawks and foxs in my area no hole for a fox and a hawk wouldnt kill 10 at NIGHT.so anyway i left the hens out christmas day becouse i tought the mink would have gone with no sigh of food for a while and the traps havnt cought anything except robins and black birds which i released again then christmas night i left them sleep in there big chicken coop just taking a chance then next morning 2 more had been killed now im not leaving them out of there small coop unless im there or until i catch that mink

Oh my that's awful!!!! Very sad! So sorry! ....................My game camera did show a picture of a skinny pit bull looking dog. Someone is not taking care of it at all! I am not sure now which dog killed mine now! UGH!!!

 

[happyfrenchman]

I let the chickens out for a day if free range. I noticed that one was missing and I figured he had been gotten by something. We drove around from 2-5pm for something to do and we came home I noticed a pile of white feathers! I ran over to find 2 dead one completely gone and one just left dead. Now I went and counted heads and realized 10 were gone! So we started looking around I found two more piles of feathers a dead chicken half way buried! The rest I did not know! I went and got a game camera (in hopes to figure out what is doing this) and told my hubby if I have to sit out in camo with a gun I am going to "put down" whatever is bothering my chickens!! Well my son had shooting practice early this morning and I heard them coming back to the house...my hubby coming running in the house and said up the highway they found a chicken on the side of the road! Alive! I got up and found 2 more alive! So with all that being said I'm figuring all this was a dog? I am thinking no more free range for my chickens either unless I am out to chicken sit! It's frustrating!!!! Arg!!!

Luckychik... multiple kills around the yard.... chickens probably fled the yard.... half eaten carcasses. Not a wild animal M.O... it sounds like dogs to me too. An inexperienced, but bloodthirsty dog. That is terrible. I would look for stray dogs in your neighborhood. That is very sad and I am sorry. It hurts even though you know it is iI hope you get a good shot.

(Edit) I see you got a picture of a dog.... that would be your #1 suspect I would think. I personally have an animus toward pit bulls. The dogs themselves and some of the people that keep them make a deadly combination that the breeds numerous defenders seem to overlook when they insist how wonderful they are.

 

[happyfrenchman]

i allso have had a massacra a few days befor christmas i went to check my hens and about 10 and my two chicks that i hatched had been killed they had been pilled in corners and the heads had been eaten 10 out of 20 hens and 1 cock. they took bout half the ones they killed and eat the heads off the rest and there was no hole dug this was all done in one night so all the sighs pointed to a european mink i think they where introduced to ireland sometime.this is my first ever attack in 3 years i have one very big chicken coop and run i usually leave them free range all day i locked my surving very tramatised hens and cock/rooster into the small chicken coop upstairs so it was impossible for anything to get them they would have to break trew a thick layer of wood.i put two mink traps up becouse i no it wasnt anything else becouse ireland dosnt have much preditors egcept hawks and foxs in my area no hole for a fox and a hawk wouldnt kill 10 at NIGHT.so anyway i left the hens out christmas day becouse i tought the mink would have gone with no sigh of food for a while and the traps havnt cought anything except robins and black birds which i released again then christmas night i left them sleep in there big chicken coop just taking a chance then next morning 2 more had been killed now im not leaving them out of there small coop unless im there or until i catch that mink

That is terrible jammyjammy... I read somewhere a fellow had a mink problem. The mink were actually inside the coop all along. I will see if I can find the link.... I found this but it is not the one I referenced... This fellow is in Virginia USA but he talks about Minks. He has a website that is excellent with all kinds of information. http://www.themodernhomestead.us/article/The+Usual+Suspects.html