4 dead through the wire?

[cseals]

I just finished my coop sunday. Fully enclosed, upstairs coop. I bought three chicks and one pullet sunday as well. This morning I get up to feed and all three chicks are gone and pullett is in the coop headless. I can see where the chicks were pulled through the wire and some feathers outside the coop. They had been roosting on the ground. They had not figured out how to go upstairs. I live in north east texas and my coop is in a 8 foot wood fenced in yard. What am I up against here? Nothing got in the cage it is pretty bulletproof.

 

[reesepoultry]

Sounds like a racoon to me.

I would lock them up at night until they figure out to sleep inside at night time.

 

[cseals]

I live in town. We have several feral cats around the neighborhood as well. My five year old is going to be devastated this was our father son project.

 

[ThePamperedPullet]

I agree, sounds like the work of a coon. They can reach through the wire and grab whatever is in reach. A typical coon attack will leave a headless chicken.

 

[gallusdomesticus]

An owl will also do the trick. They can't pull the bird through the wire so they'll bite off the head.

 

[cseals]

Is there a way to get them to roost upstairs. They have a walkway upstairs but they never went up there. I even put them up there and they just came back down.

 

[MMPoultryFarms]

Redo your coop reinforcing it with hardware cloth Chicken wire is a no no in the chicken buisness I think they make it so you have to keep buying chickens from attacks like these >.> in truth sounds like a racoon as well to me could be a cat none the less hardware wire is the way to go.

 

[Gypsi]

When my pullets were little they would all nest on the ground under the temporary brooder-coop at dusk. When I got home after sunset I had to go out, lift the hanging t-shirt door, and they would all march up the ramp into the coop to roost. If one fell out they would squawk so I'd go out and let them back in. They let themselves out the t-shirt door in the morning. (I have 1000 ways to reuse old t-shirts)

I had a feral cat get into the pen one time, when I'd left the heat lamp on but the tshirt open, and a ladder next to the run where I'd been tying off an opening. It ate a bird, left the wings.

Put the babies to bed, and hardware cloth is wonderful if you have coons. I have big dogs, 6 ft privacy fence, and I've always had dogs. One stupid skunk has found a way into the yard one time. I closed the path after I buried him. He was BIG.

 

[hudsonhousechicks]

I've heard that a raccoon will work through chicken wire and kill chicks and I've heard that hardware cloth is the way to go. I think we've just been lucky with our chicken wire - so far, all the ladies have been safe and sound but if we start to get predators I'm switching out to hardware cloth. I was at a chicken seminar over the weekend and learned about the Nite Guard Solar powered anti predator light. Maybe it would be worth a try?

 

[haTHOR]

Quote:
i am confused. is there not a way to enclose them in their roosting area? a door or gangplank that can be closed or shut? if not, no offense, but leaving them on the ground with chicken wire between them and predators was just a recipe for disaster. if they don't go up you have to put them up for a while until they get it--then you have to check them for awhile to make sure.

otherwise it's just a chicken buffet in your yard...there are so many nocturnal animals who love chicken.

you absolutely must put hardware cloth over your chicken wire in order to keep this from happening again if there is no actual closable roosting area...and you better bury hardware cloth in an apron along the ground too...you say it is bullet proof but could an animal not dig under and get into the area where they are sleeping?

most of us, like you, have learned how much protection chickens need the hard way. nothing like losses (and sad kids) to clarify the nature of our extreme responsibility to these animals who are great but can't protect or defend themselves at all.

good luck! as much as you hate it, this will be a good learning experience for you and your son, so all is not lost.