All my chickens dead?

[ChickaD7]

That's a great idea and I think that's going to be the safest, best option! Thanks!

 

[SilkieSensation]

They were enclosed and locked in their coop. This is the coop we have. http://ana-white.com/2012/05/plans/frame-chicken-coop The door I refer to is the opening in the inside of the enclosure that they go upstairs and sleep. So that in the morning they can go down to the bottom still enclosed in the run safely in the morning until I come out and let them out to free range. Does that make sense? My thing was that the animal scared them down in to the enclosed run and it grabbed them through the small chicken wire wholes. The darn thing didn't even make a hole or break in!? I hope that gave you a better picture of what kind of enclosure I have.

I would definitely at least replace that chicken death wire with rabbit wire (1/2 inch square hardware cloth). All of my boxes have 1 inch square or smaller hardware cloth over all windows & doors on the night coops/boxes.

 

[BrendaJ]

Very sorry for your loss Lots of predators will do this - depends on what is in your area - weasels/minks are well known for beheading. Do you see where it got in? Tracks?

 

[themenagerie]

A weasel can fit through a hole the size of a quarter, so it could very well have been inside of your coop. I would do what others have said... change to smaller hardware cloth & lock them up at night. I'm sorry for your loss.

 

[sphillips]

In my Storey's Guide to Raising Chicken's book, there is a predator chart. According to it, if you have several chickens dead with heads missing, or crops eaten, it's a raccoon. I'm so sorry for your loss, how frustrating and upsetting that must be. I always worry about predators, and wish I could free range my chickens, but with the hawks, coyotes, and who knows what else, I try to keep them safe in their coop/run. Again, I'm sorry that you've had to deal with this. Must be heartbreaking.

 

[Sandyd]

If it happened during the day, I would say a mink. I had 10 hens taken out by a mink that went through a 2"welded wire enclosure with hardware cloth wrapped around that (didn't have the hardware cloth the top 2 foot). Got him the next day when he came back to have more fun by using a small wired live trap with chicken heads in it. Minks come out during the day and night, males wander a 3 mile radius for territory. Weasels more at night. Your carnage sounds like what happened to my ten girls. Good luck catching it and hope you get him. I have 15 4 week olds now to replace the 10 that were killed.

 

[ChickaD7]

I am in KC, MO. I am pretty sure it was a couple of raccoons. It never got through the chicken wire. It literally grabbed my poor girl through the wire and proceeded to eat what it could. My other girl just got injured enough to go back upstairs and die in the nesting box. :-( Thanks for all your kind words and suggestions. I appreciate it. We will be switching out to hardware cloth asap. Until then I am blocking the girls in to the nesting area at night.

 

[SilkieSensation]

I am in KC, MO. I am pretty sure it was a couple of raccoons. It never got through the chicken wire. It literally grabbed my poor girl through the wire and proceeded to eat what it could. My other girl just got injured enough to go back upstairs and die in the nesting box. :-( Thanks for all your kind words and suggestions. I appreciate it. We will be switching out to hardware cloth asap. Until then I am blocking the girls in to the nesting area at night.

I had racoons wreak havoc last summer at my old house. They literally pulled 1 of my little mallard drakes through the 2x3 hardware cloth a piece at a time. All I found was a bunch of feathers & a few chewed bone scraps.

 

[eelson]

Hey all,

Glad for this post, we had a similar situation this morning and this thread has helped bring some peace and answers.

Our 14 girls and our roOster were all found on the floor of the coop dead. Many with heads severed and others just torn apart.... it was heart breaking after 4 months of care from day old, and realizing we were only a few weeks from our first eggs.

Time will heal us but glad to share our proud bunch with ya'll and remember them.

-b

 

[donrae]

Hey all,

Glad for this post, we had a similar situation this morning and this thread has helped bring some peace and answers.

Our 14 girls and our roOster were all found on the floor of the coop dead. Many with heads severed and others just torn apart.... it was heart breaking after 4 months of care from day old, and realizing we were only a few weeks from our first eggs.

Time will heal us but glad to share our proud bunch with ya'll and remember them.

-b

So sorry about your losses.

Sadly, every thing loves a chicken dinner. And most of those things aren't deterred in the slightest by chicken wire, they go right through it. Sounds like something in the weasel family, they can also fit through tiny cracks. If you want to try chickens again, I'd advise to research making a Fort Knox coop and run, or you'll likely have the same issues.

Again, so sorry. It was a beautiful flock