What kinds of Predators have taken your birds?

[Riverdale]

racoon
'possum

 

[SEHchicks]

I checked Hawk but didn't see Bobcat or Coyotes on the list - we actually don't know what took our chick - Robin was 10 months old, we always let them free range in our urban backyard, and yesterday, Sunday morning, few minutes after I let them out of the locked coop for the night, we heard this frantic and panicking noises from them, so I came down to check - the pool water was rippling with a wet trail leading toward their coop, and the other three on the hill, nervous. I thought Robin was startled by something and fell in the pool, got out and run into the coop, so I tried to calm the other three first. Then I saw all these crow flying over the nearby hillside and making a lot of noises, and got alarmed - went and checked the coop, and Robin was NOT in there. My kids came down and we then found a pool of feathers near our fence, following out, we saw more feathers over the fence and the driveway, around the next house, and led up to the hillside where the crows were.... Later in the day, my daughter and I went up to the hillside but didn't want to look too hard to see her remains, if there were any, so we came back down again.


We got the four girls last May when they were only 5 days old, always free ranged them since they grown up to almost full size, and today, I kept the rest three locked up in the coop - feeling really sorry for them but don't want to take the risk again! They are such good and happy hens and now what?!

Robin was the one in the very back... miss her so much!

 

[pheasant1]

You should start a thread, "what's the worse predator and how to deal with it".
My good friend had a bear kill his rabbits, I had a bobcat, it couldn't get them to eat them but stayed until they were dead.
Mink and weasel will destroy a flock, they are the worse.

 

[vonrow]

Last summer we had a run-in with one of our crafty Minisnowta Bobcats. It didn't go well for the bobby however... it met with an early end at the side of the road one day. I'm a cat person, but I had a bullet set aside for that critter. But the road traffic beat me to it. heh.

 

[CharlotteHens]

Two hawks and one coyote here in Charlotte, NC. Argggggggg

 

[keithskarma]

a Scrub Jay flew off with our one week old chick.

 

[greylock]

You forgot Coyotes. The most of mine have been lost to coyotes.

 

[eaglegreen]

Hattiehatesfox-- what are quolls??

 

[eaglegreen]

I found a couple of my pullets dead. . . they looked whole, but they had their entire insides hollowed out! I asked around about what would do that, and repeatedly was told "Skunks." We had plenty in the neighborhood till a 'neighbor' killed 11 of them. Then a year later, I lost all 6 of my hens in one episode. Each was killed and left partially buried in a different part of the yard. It was a mystery--I talked with the extension agent, neighbors, etc. but no one could figure it out. Then, a friend who was raised around here (mountains, in S.W. New Mexico) came to visit and asked about my chickens. I told him what happened--one gone completely, the others buried in different places. His immediate response: "Bobcat. That's typical of them. They'll carry one off to feed on, or feed their kits, and plan to return for the others later." However, it never did. Meantime I've extended all my perimeter fences up to 7' as I was advised. No more problems. And, I have ducks now, too. Thank God they're all safe so far!!

 

[Cofast1]

Sss? I realize it means killed but what's it stand for