Bears got my flock

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Equus5O

Equus5O

Songster
10 Years
Apr 5, 2009
921
7
139
Knowlton, NJ (Warren County)
This would have been my third spring with chickens. I was just talking to a friend last night about bears, and commented how we haven't had any bear problems since living here, and the time I'm really concerned is in the spring. This morning at about 0700 I was on the porch, the dog was out, and my husband went out to check the wood boiler before leaving for work. The chickens hadn't been let out yet. I put my son on the bus at 0810, put the ATV away and went to let the chickens out. The outer run fence was bent in three places. The chicken door was torn off. One slaughtered chicken was in the run. Seven slaughtered chickens were in the coop. Three piles of feathers were in the outer run. All eleven chickens. Gone. Bear prints all about. Remains of two chickens and three piles of scat out in the woods. This happened between 0700 and 0800, while I was getting my son ready for school. I called my closest neighbor to ask about their chickens, and heard that they lost three two nights ago to a predator that tore into their coop. From the beginning I knew this was a possibility. But I had been lucky, until now. Poor chickens
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I am sorry about your chickens! That is kind of scary! I did not realize they tore into the coop like that! Geesh..you can try to predator proof your coops from racoons, cats and other predators...but how do you bear proof a coop? Wow sounds like the bear was very determined!
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so sorry is there anything you can do, call fish and wildlife I know some places they do pay to replace animals lost to bears, wolves and such. I would be worried that the bear will be back.
 
Im so sorry for your loss. When i raised chickens in the adirondack mtns. N.Y. I fenced with field fencing and then put poultry wire over it, never had a problem. I hope you don't let the bears get the best of you, re-fence defensively and get some more peeps, don't give up. I had gotten some beautiful buff geese and had them in with my goats, i never expected anything would go in with the goats after them, Boy was i surprised when i woke up one morning to find that two bobcats had gone rt into the goat house and dragged the geese rt out and tried to pull them thru the stock panels . They couldn't pull them thru and they got stuck halfway thru and froze like that. I had to look at that unpleasant reminder till spring thaw. I miss those geese, they were so great. The bobcats came back several times to eat on those carcasses durring the nights. Again so sorry for your loss.
 
Thanks for the kind words. Really the only thing that can be done is electrifying. The coop is surrounded by chain link fencing, but we don't have chain link over the top. Chain link isn't going to keep out a bear. So we chose not go for the extra expense with chain link roofing. The bear(s) went over the top of the fence and tore the little chicken door right off of the coop. I think the sow did the damage to the coop, and a new cub went in for the bloodbath.
 
I am so sorry to hear that news. I know how we felt when 7 of our 8 hens were all gone one afternoon--with somebody being in the house when they were attacked and didn't hear a sound!! It feels horrible. I do hope you get chicks for yourselves, and also find a way to make the building bear proof for future hens.
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I live in Hunterdon Co., just South of you. Last year according to our animal control officer there were five adult bears in our relatively small township- two of them being sows with cubs. Bears in New Jersey are now a reality and not just in North Jersey. Sorry for your loss. You're right- electrifying is the only hopeful solution.
 
I'm sorry for your loss
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Did you report it to Fish & Game? The problems are getting worse and worse every year with the exploding population. I haven't had a problem with the birds yet but I had one come into the garage which is under the house (bi-level) last year when I forgot to close the door. He didn't care one bit about the dogs barking right on the otherside of the door.
 

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