All chickens killed

[KayElle]

Hi I'm looking for advice. I'm new to chickens. We had 20, 4 month old chickens all killed in the coop. We think a raccoon got in from the rafters. I'm devastated, I loved them. We want to try again but what do you do with the dead chickens? I'm going to wash the coop down with Clorox water and then secure any opening with hardware mesh. Any other ideas about warding off predators?

 

[Nicole01]

Oh gosh, I'm so sorry for your loss..

Make sure there are no holes and openings. Use a strong wire like hardware cloth. Make sure they can't dig under the building either if there is no flooring, some people use boulder rocks. Make sure there are no latches that raccoons can open, they are very smart.

I keep my coop door open to the run and we use welded wire under the hardware cloth. We buried the wire about 20" in the ground. The reason we have 2 wires is that I was worried that weasels would get through. Hardware cloth is the best wire to use. We covered our ventilation with wire as well. Our coop floor is concrete and behind a steel door, nothing can get in if the door is closed.

I'm so sorry this happened. It's devastating to lose the entire flock.

You could set live traps and kill the predators. Some people use dogs to ward off predators.

 

[ChicKat]

Hi KayElle,

Welcome to the BYC forum. I'm so sorry for you flock loss, and sad that your first post is so devastating. Nicole01 has great advice. You may also want to try a live trap if you have one, to catch the 'coon. I guess you would have to talk to your local county extension agent, or a game warden to determine the best (legal) disposal.

I have a product called "solar night eyes". You may want to consider that for peace of mind.
http://www.solarniteeyes.com/ they are also available on amazon. I've had mine well over a year....and they have performed flawlessly.

I'm glad that you are going to reinforce your coop and get more chickens....everyone needs chickens IMO. :O)

ETA not sure what regulations in your area would be. some people put the dead chickens in the trash..some burn them and if it is a beloved pet, they may put it into their family pet cemetary -- but coyotes etc. could dig it up -- you may want to check around...even your ag extension agent or your disposal company. I know that in the UK there are ordinances about dead chicken disposal.

 

[7L Farm]

Half inch hardware cloth & make sure you fasten the cloth securely to the wood. Best way is to fasten the cloth to the wood & then use another 2x4 over that. Like a sandwich. In other words a 2x4 over the seams hiding whatever you used to attach the wire with. It cost more but very secure.

 

[KayElle]

It was so sad and shocking. To make it worse my toddler loved them and as splinting out the window saying chicken wondering where they were.

Thanks for the ideas. Now, our coop is off the ground with wire under the floor, and is latched with sliding locks (the kind that a lot of public restrooms used). Do I need different latches? We will definitely reinforce the roof openings bc that's where the supposed raccoon got in.

Do those lights really work?? I've seen them before and they're on my list of purchases. How many do you have?

Apologies of my posts are not good etiquette or hard to understand. I've never done thread posting before.

Thanks for the condolences, I feel so silly crying my eyes out at work. People don't get it!

 

[KayElle]

Was pointing*

 

[HEChicken]

I am so sorry for your loss. If you have pictures of your coop that may help give us some ideas for how you can reinforce it.

Eliminating the predator would be among my first priorities. I am a "live and let live" kind of gal until there is a reason I shouldn't be. When a fox killed 16 of my flock in July, I lay in wait for it to come back and ended the problem with a .22. If you go to YouTube and search on "duke dp raccoon trap" you will be able to see some videos of an inexpensive trap that really works, in action. The trap will catch the animal live though, so you will need to be prepared to dispatch it. Foxes tend to hunt alone but you may find that where there is one raccoon there are more, so you might need to set the trap multiple times before your risk is reduced.

Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[leadwolf1]

So sorry for your loss

Raccoons can work slide bolts. I would use a hasp and lock.

 

[Nicole01]

I know those censored lights don't work, not for us anyways. We have them, but we have predators at our coop all the time. We live in a wooded area. I'm up every hour or two in the night and I see them walk up. The other night I saw 3 coyotes in our backyard, I also see them at my coop during the day.

Don't feel silly for crying. I lost a hen from a coyote this summer and I was heartbroken. I'm not sure how big the wire is on the floor, but I've seen some birds on here have their toes chewed off. I just wanted to let you know.

Raccoons can get several types of latches open. Our run door has a latch that locks and it's up at the top of the door where they can reach it. I can also add a dial lock, which I'm thinking of doing for next summer. I don't want any kids or people taking my flock at night.

Good luck with your next flock. I've come close to losing my entire flock a few times by free ranging and neighbors dogs. We are putting a chain link fence around our property to keep the 4 legged predators out for the daytime.

 

[7L Farm]

You know what happens atleast this is whats happening here at 7L. I have expanded my flocks & have multiple coops. I now have quail & more roos. The noise these animals create travels a great distance from the coops. Just the other day I was on the other side of my property hunting I was just sitting there listening to my roo's crowing the quail whistling & thought my no wonder all the predators are showing up looking for a free meal. My birds are calling the predators to my coops. Plus, the smell I'm sure. Just do yourself & your animals a favor build your coops super strong & double check it all the time because as time goes on you will find flaws are something that needs fixin & remember a coop is never finished.