Why did my rooster kill all my hens??

[Egghead_Jr]

I'm having a rat problem. I've tried all humane ways to catch them but they are too smart, So, we are now baiting the front gate to run and my nephew is shooting them with a pellet gun. Hope my neighbors understand. The pellet gun's not too noisy.

If you see them in the day your overrun. Shooting them with a pellet gun is good sport but your have a serious problem and it won't put a dent in them. You have 100's of rats. Your only means to take care of it at this stage is to use poison. Chunx poison not pellets and use a tamper proof bait box. I keep one right in the run at all times.

 

[3riverschick]

Make sure your pets can't get to the rat poison or eat the dead rats.
Best,
Karen

 

[Howard E]

The rooster is safe and locked in the coop with the hens until I catch who ever is to blame. Just bought some traps going to set them up to catch the little $&@?

So what have you caught so far?

 

[LadyVictorian]

Your roo was a brave little guy protecting his hens. From the sound of it he was doing his job best he could. He got hurt fighting off what is likely a young weasel. My grandfather lost 20 hens in ONE night to one of those little monsters. They kill for sport rather than food and can destroy a whole flock in short time and will come back every night until everything is gone. I say it's time to start working on a nice weasel/mink coat and give your rooster a promotion for defending his girls. Poor guys been through a rough few days losing his ladies. Don't forget to treat any wounds he might have and stick live traps and snap traps all over the place. I killed a mink with a rat snap trap once when we were actually trying to catch the little ground squirrel who decided to dig up our barn foundation last year.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

A predator only needs to get luck once to score a chicken dinner. You definitely have a predator problem, likely a mammal. The predators have nothing else to do but to test your coop.

 

[ChickNanny13]

Your roo was a brave little guy protecting his hens. From the sound of it he was doing his job best he could. He got hurt fighting off what is likely a young weasel. My grandfather lost 20 hens in ONE night to one of those little monsters. They kill for sport rather than food and can destroy a whole flock in short time and will come back every night until everything is gone. I say it's time to start working on a nice weasel/mink coat and give your rooster a promotion for defending his girls. Poor guys been through a rough few days losing his ladies. Don't forget to treat any wounds he might have and stick live traps and snap traps all over the place. I killed a mink with a rat snap trap once when we were actually trying to catch the little ground squirrel who decided to dig up our barn foundation last year.

2X I hope the Roo that was separated from the rest didn't end up dinner! He's the HERO and I hope Jr heals well with the remaining hens. So sorry for you loss & I hope you catch (KILL) whatever it was! Glad we don't have as many predators here (Hawaii) that's in the Mainland but we do have IDIOTS that try brining in snakes & other vermin.

We do have the Mongoose, Hawaiian Hawk, feral cats/dogs & people that let their dog/cats run the streets are the worst.

 

[LadyVictorian]

2X I hope the Roo that was separated from the rest didn't end up dinner! He's the HERO and I hope Jr heals well with the remaining hens. So sorry for you loss & I hope you catch (KILL) whatever it was! Glad we don't have as many predators here (Hawaii) that's in the Mainland but we do have IDIOTS that try brining in snakes & other vermin.

We do have the Mongoose, Hawaiian Hawk, feral cats/dogs & people that let their dog/cats run the streets are the worst.

That is really nice and I get people want pet snakes and all that but so many people get them to look cool then toss them into the wild and they DESTROY the ecosystem. Just look at Florida.

 

[chicken4prez]

2X I hope the Roo that was separated from the rest didn't end up dinner! He's the HERO and I hope Jr heals well with the remaining hens. So sorry for you loss & I hope you catch (KILL) whatever it was! Glad we don't have as many predators here (Hawaii) that's in the Mainland but we do have IDIOTS that try brining in snakes & other vermin.

We do have the Mongoose, Hawaiian Hawk, feral cats/dogs & people that let their dog/cats run the streets are the worst.

X2

 

[Flock In Texas]

I'm having a rat problem. I've tried all humane ways to catch them but they are too smart, So, we are now baiting the front gate to run and my nephew is shooting them with a pellet gun. Hope my neighbors understand. The pellet gun's not too noisy. 

Google "bucket mouse trap". A little water in the bottom will drown them or at least make it too slippery to escape.

 

[cassie]

Your rooster didn't do it. If he had, the dead chickens would not be as you described. As others said, it looks like a raccoon, mink, or weasel.