4 dead in 3 days - What is it?

[keelinkiddos]

I've lost 4 chickens in the last 3 days! 3 of my chicks were pulled through 1 in. chicken wire - 2 of them had heads eaten off and one had legs pulled through and its back end eaten ( this sounds like a raccoon to me) then we found one inside of our coop (which is like Ft Knox) she had been completely gutted. We think whatever it was came in through our nest box door that has a small crack in it - it looks like it grabbed her in the coop and drug her down to the corner of the run. I have no idea what has done this, reading the sticky, it sounds like a weasel - are there weasels in SC? I live about 30 miles from the coast, and I have never heard of weasels in our area. Please help - I don't know how to protect my babies.

 

[rufus]

Dust the area with flour, and then check in the morning for tracks. This sounds like a coon or possum problem. Either set the traps or set up all night with a 22.

Rufus

 

[keelinkiddos]

How could a coon or possum get through a 1 in. crack - which is about 4 1/2 ft off the ground? It had to come in through the roof, but still there is about a 3 in. overhang covering the 1 in. crack.

 

[CreleChick]

It could very well be rats or cats. I've heard of people having rats come in their coops and injuring or chewing heads off adult birds.

Sorry for your loss.

 

[ranchhand]

Quote:
Hollywood, SC here- (just south of Charleston)- yes, we have weasels- the vet calls them minks. Raccoons, possums and weasels have similar MOs, and you may have several instead of just one.
Sounds like you need a lot more hardware cloth. I know I have spent a fortune on it!

 

[jjthink]

So sad. Lesley, you've got to somehow get all your remaining babies in lock down somewhere else (basement or whatever) until you turn their area into Fort Knox or you will likely have more deaths by tomorrow, Day 4. It will be worth it. Day 1 was bad enough. As was noted above, hardware cloth, hardware cloth, hardware cloth.
JJ

 

[keelinkiddos]

Thank you all for your comments, we have done everything we can for now - except wrap the entire coop in hardware cloth. The remaining chick is in a dog crate inside of Ft Knox, the baby monitor is out beside the coop and the gun is beside the bed - wish us luck!