who killed them

[Intheswamp]

Btw, your chickens aren't heritage breeds that possibly are descendants from George Donner's flocks...are they?

...a little levity, sorry.

Ed

 

[Dan M]

no, don't know how, was speaking of the run, door into coop stays open, yes, I don't know I guess I was just putting most of the damage on the others eating them. I think there are a few spots something could sqeeze under . I have a lot of skunks

 

[Intheswamp]

no, don't know how, was speaking of the run, door into coop stays open, yes, I don't know I guess I was just putting most of the damage on the others eating them. I think there are a few spots something could sqeeze under . I have a lot of skunks

It sounds like you have a insecure setup. I looked back on some of your previous threads and you were inquiring about clipping wings to keep your chickens from flying over the fence. Unless you have covered your run since the wing-clipping posts then your run is really not secured. 4-foot fence? 6-foot fence? Without putting a cover on about the best you could do would be run a couple of strands of electric fence wire around the perimeter...top and halfway up the side...maybe even a few inches from the ground.

If you can't secure the run then you have *got* to at least lock the chickens up at night in a *secure* coop! The pop door remaining open at night and opening into an insecure run...that's an open invitation to predators of all types. If the door can be closed then start closing it when the chickens go in at night. Do this for the next couple of weeks to see if you still have losses *inside* of the coop. If you continue to have chickens attacked inside the coop then you need to start looking for gaps that the predator(s) is entering through....and BLOCK IT!!!! Use 1/2" (or smaller mesh) hardware cloth.

If you *think* there are a few spots something could squeeze under the fence...they can. You need to add an apron around the perimeter of the run for diggers and to keep critters from squeezing beneath the fence.

Someone mentioned that if a raccoon can get it's head through a hole it can get the rest of it's body through it...that is correct. It's like their body turns into jello or something and they "pour" through the hole...really amazing. Possums are the same way.

I think the predator is walking in through the pop door, killing what it wants to, and dragging what it wants to into the run area. Sprinkle some flour over the walkway going into the coop and see if you have footprints in it the next morning. Of course if you see footprints this will also mean you have dead chickens waiting inside/outside the coop if you haven't secured it. If you secured the coop then you will just see the footprints where the predator walked up expecting to get in, but was hopefully unsuccessful and left.

Sorry, but until you secure your chicken coop and run your chickens will continue to suffer. It will take some work on your part but will be well worth the effort.

Best wishes,
Ed

 

[Dan M]

I closed the door into the coop from the unsecure run last night. I will be covering the top with netting today. I have a 6 foot frnce, which I started (will finish today), adding a 4 foot piece of 1" wire fence to the bottom with a foot on the ground held down with cinder blocks and large rocks. It looks a lot better. I think I got comfortable as they had been there for two years same setup and never lost one. Oh and the 6' fence eliminated the wing clipping. thanx for all the advice

 

[Dan M]

everyone inside was safe overnight. good thing I closed the door as there was two new holes under the fence this morning, I could smell skunk at one of the holes. it was able to get the bat out of the havahart I think the trap is to small and also old and doesn't shut properly all the time. oh well. time for allout war with skunks. I shot one last week and it didn't spray, however it did release after it was dead . any ideas on how to kill without the stench ? I was thinking if I get one in the live trap I will just submerge it entirely under water until no bubbles ?

 

[Intheswamp]

It sounds like you're making progress! Good move on closing the door. The apron will definitely help with the diggers. One thing, though, is that the 1" mesh will still allow grab-throughs by raccoons, but the 1" with the apron is a big improvement non-the-less.

Is the netting over the top metal or cloth/plastic bird netting? Either type will work pretty good against flying predators, Naturally the plastic or cloth netting won't do much against raccoons and similar predators.

Eventually, if you can work it out, some strands of electric fence wire around the perimeter will enhance security greatly.

Drowning a skunk...that's a tough kill. Beyond the drowning aspect, I'm not sure whether they would spray or not...you could possibly end up having to deal with a large volume of skunk scented water.

A good head shot should be an instant kill and avoid a spraying episode.

Best wishes. Stay proactive!!!
Ed

 

[brandiscott]

everyone inside was safe overnight. good thing I closed the door as there was two new holes under the fence this morning, I could smell skunk at one of the holes. it was able to get the bat out of the havahart  I think the trap is to small and also old and doesn't shut properly all the time. oh well. time for allout war with skunks. I shot one last week and it didn't spray, however it did release after it was dead . any ideas on how to kill without the stench ? I was thinking if I get one in the live trap I will just submerge it entirely under water until no bubbles ?

I drowned a possum yesterday in the trap. Wasn't wasting bullets.

 

[Dan M]

update, 2 skunks down . one head shot , didn't spray but definitely let it out after it was dead, polluted the whole yard. the one that I caught in a live trap I took a large tote big enough to submerge entire trap filled it up with water and dropped it in. No spray, but again it definitely released after death , stinky water for sure. The good thing was the water diluted the smell and when I poured it out the trap and the tote rinsed outeasily. buried the skunk and my yard doesn't smell at all. I would call the drowning method a success. also fyi skunks don't hold their breath. all the bubbles came up right away , over very quickly.

 

[Rock Home Isle]

Good news...two chicken killers, one & done.

 

[Intheswamp]

Glad you got rid of them. Hard to believe the smell has left the yard...glad it has left, though!!!

Keep the traps out...

Ed