2 killings, 2 days-necks eaten, feathers pulled through fence? HELP!!

[kgrice7861]

Long story short I have 3 Chinese geese, 2 black runner ducks. This morning woke up and my critters weren't playing in pool as usual, thought something was off but had an early appointment so I had to leave. Come home and husband said he found female goose (full grown) dead with only her neck chewed off. Neck was still attached but was completely pulled of meat and feathers. Cleaned up cage before dark and came to eat supper. Came outside and my male black runner is now found in same place goose was, looking same way except this time a small piece of breast was gone also.
They are fenced in. Fence is around 5 feet tall and coverd completely with chicken wire. We've never had this problem before and I'm furious!! I keep dog igloos inside the fenced area for them to sleep in with hay. When I found my black runner though I noticed there was blood all the way in top of the dog igloo and he was still on the inside of the fence but on the outside of the fence his feathers were scattered everywhere. I set a trap and hope to catch this pet killing nuisance but I'm still not sure what it could be???? HELP PLEASE!?

 

[trailrider330]

First of all, welcome to BYC! It is great to have you here!

Secondly, sorry about your loss. It could be many things but a likely culprit would be something like a raccoon. They can easily reach in, grab a bird and try to pull it through the fence. I would suggest running down to your local feed or hardware/home improvement store and picking up some 1/2" hardware cloth. Chicken wire is only good for keeping chickens contained, not for keeping predators out. Use the hardware cloth to line the bottom 2-3' of your pen. It is also advisable to run at least 12" of hardware cloth down into the ground to deter animals that dig. An electrified wire can also help deter predators.

Trapping is also a good idea. This pest obviously knows where it can get a free meal now and it will be back. Just keep in mind that where this is one critter there are possibly 10 more where they came from. A trail cam may also help shed some light on what animals are coming out to investigate your pen. Either way, making your pen as predator proof as possible is the way to go!

 

[kgrice7861]

Thank you so much! I have a very very large dog kennel and I closed them in it for the night. It's completely sealed in except for the front door which is fenced so I set many large things in front of door to make sure to keep the killer out. Haha. (My husband will probably see in the morning and think I've gone crazy)

It's now midnight and I'm sitting on my back steps waiting for anyone of them to make a noise. I have 20+ old pallets so tomorrow I'll be building a house for them to sleep in at night. At first I thought owl because I always hear them and I saw blood on top of kennel but when I noticed feathers pulled through to other side of the fence I have no idea what it could be. I hope to get some sleep and catch the predator!

 

[marvriel]

This is my first post too.

I lost 4 hens last week to a pair of Black Weasels. Terrible creatures. Always went for the neck like yours, and once there was a hole chewed in the side of one. Twice tried to pull a dead hen through the fence. It could be what you are dealing with. A weasel, by itself, can squeeze through a normal chain link fence. I bought a trap and caught one with a piece of the dead chicken, and the second with tuna. They attacked at day and night.

From my brief experience, there is almost no way to defend against a weasel. The only way is to get rid of it.

 

[centrarchid]

Long story short I have 3 Chinese geese, 2 black runner ducks. This morning woke up and my critters weren't playing in pool as usual, thought something was off but had an early appointment so I had to leave. Come home and husband said he found female goose (full grown) dead with only her neck chewed off. Neck was still attached but was completely pulled of meat and feathers. Cleaned up cage before dark and came to eat supper. Came outside and my male black runner is now found in same place goose was, looking same way except this time a small piece of breast was gone also.
They are fenced in. Fence is around 5 feet tall and coverd completely with chicken wire. We've never had this problem before and I'm furious!! I keep dog igloos inside the fenced area for them to sleep in with hay. When I found my black runner though I noticed there was blood all the way in top of the dog igloo and he was still on the inside of the fence but on the outside of the fence his feathers were scattered everywhere. I set a trap and hope to catch this pet killing nuisance but I'm still not sure what it could be???? HELP PLEASE!?

Great-horned Owl.

Trapping not a good option.

Look into means for stopping owls.

 

[kgrice7861]

First of all, welcome to BYC!  It is great to have you here!

Secondly, sorry about your loss.  It could be many things but a likely culprit would be something like a raccoon.  They can easily reach in, grab a bird and try to pull it through the fence.  I would suggest running down to your local feed or hardware/home improvement store and picking up some 1/2" hardware cloth.  Chicken wire is only good for keeping chickens contained, not for keeping predators out.  Use the hardware cloth to line the bottom 2-3' of your pen.  It is also advisable to run at least 12" of hardware cloth down into the ground to deter animals that dig. An electrified wire can also help deter predators.

Trapping is also a good idea.  This pest obviously knows where it can get a free meal now and it will be back.  Just keep in mind that where this is one critter there are possibly 10 more where they came from.  A trail cam may also help shed some light on what animals are coming out to investigate your pen.  Either way, making your pen as predator proof as possible is the way to go!

I now know what it is! It's a coon! It's now almost 11:30 and I came out to check on them and heard some strange scratching noise so I hurried up and caught him jumping over the fence. I can't imagine how he gets in but he uses the dog igloos to hop out. Thank goodness I had already locked them up!! Trap is set again and I'll be waiting. He keeps setting the trap off but I'm not catching him.

 

[kgrice7861]

And I know it's nothing fancy but this is the pallet house I started today. Tomorrow I'll finish her up and line the holes all the way to top like I stared at bottom and make a good door. I can't wait to put it in the pen and see them in it!

 

[trailrider330]

I now know what it is! It's a coon! It's now almost 11:30 and I came out to check on them and heard some strange scratching noise so I hurried up and caught him jumping over the fence. I can't imagine how he gets in but he uses the dog igloos to hop out. Thank goodness I had already locked them up!! Trap is set again and I'll be waiting. He keeps setting the trap off but I'm not catching him.

Be sure to search "catching/trapping a raccoon" on BYC. They are very crafty creatures and are good at eluding capture so starting off with the best trapping techniques, prior to them knowing you are on to them, is best.

Cute little coop you are building too. Just be aware that your birds are still going to need some ventilation in the coop or you are going to end up dealing with respiratory issues. Hence, you might want to leave some of the top open like it is in the front, but then wrap 1/2" hardware cloth, securing it with fender washers and screws. Or, work out a way to get plenty of ventilation into the door. That will allow the air to get in, but not other critters. (You can search "ventilation" on BYC for more information). The other thing to be aware of is that pests can still dig under the coop for access to your birds so you will need a way to keep them out from the bottom as well. A 1/2" hardware cloth skirt, attached to the bottom of the coop and then buried at least 12-18" down, will help with that. You will also need to make sure they can not dig in under the door. We lost several hens and rooster when one did just that. We also had another coon get so desperate that he tried to bite through the siding to get to our chickens, but fortunately he never got through. (You can search "predator proofing" or "coop skirt" for more information on that).

Sorry. I just want to make sure your animals are as safe as possible so you do not have to go through this again.

 

[RJSorensen]

Hope you have found your varmint and dispatched same. Around here, when things get pulled through the cage, it is Raccoons. I have seen them pull the whole body of a good sized bird through the pen, one piece at a time. A leg here, a leg there and feathers everywhere. A horrible sight, and a feeling that one can not even adequately describe. What ever the cause, I do hope that you catch it, deal with it, and make it so as to not allow another to repeat this horrible crime.

RJ

 

[stasia14]

CAT! i'm sure, that was domestic cat....