An animal attacked "Fort Chicken" today!

[Buxton Ducks]

I love my birds and love wildlife so I keep my birds in a very secure coop and run. I got home today to find all my cats really anxious to get in the house. After letting them in and the dogs out, my chihuahua found a freshly dug hole under the perimeter fence. I then noticed LOTS of damage to the chicken coop and run. The chain link was slightly twisted in certain areas, the welded wire dig-in guard was tore up on two sides and there is many dents in the hardware cloth over the windows. Whatever it was also climbed around on the top of the pen and damaged the wire on the top. My little d'anvers were frozen in fear under the coop and my silkie roo was acting unusually aggressive. Amazingly all my predator proofing paid off and I had no casualties today! The adjacent duck and goose run was completely untouched. The size of the hole under the fence is fox sized but most wild animals won't waste so much energy unless they are starving. Everybody is safely locked away in the coop for the night but I am wondering what will happen tomorrow while I am at work. I am tempted to go check my trail camera...... What could have done this?

 

[cbenson6820]

pics?

 

[skillswife]

pics?

yep pics!

 

[Buxton Ducks]

I will get some up here today, especially if it comes back when I am at work.

 

[zazouse]

Sounds like a dogs work, i do not know what kind of fence you have around your place but i have 2 dogs here that can climb rite over a 4ft fence if they get a running start.

You said you were tempted to go check your TC are you sayen it was set up at the time?

get ready it will be back. perhaps the duck pen this time as something may have scared them or it away for now.

 

[ilovedragons2]

I also had something attack/terrorize my chickens. Whatever it was, it didn't leave any damage. When I went to let them out of the coop I noticed that only the two larger hens came out. I checked the coop and run and the other 3 refused to leave the run. My roo is limping and one hen has a bloody comb. There were an abnormally large amount of feathers in the coop and run and around the outside of the run. What could have terrified them so bad yet didn't try to dig?

 

[mondotomhead]

I think it could of been a raccoon. Those guys are relentless and don't give up easily, hence, all the places it tried to get in.

 

[ilovedragons2]

I found out what was terrorizing my chickens.....a 'possum. I found out by accident when I lifted one of the nesting boxes out to replace the material and it was hiding UNDER it!! No wonder my chickens didn't want to go back into the coop. Needless to say it won't be bothering anything any more.

 

[Buxton Ducks]

Well I came home yesterday and 20 feet of my perimeter fence was severely damaged, but the chicken and duck pens were untouched. I had to make a 6:00 drive to home depot and had a new fence up in an hour. This thing has to be bigger than a raccoon or opossum or even a fox. I found lots of fur on the fence and it is white and reddish which would rule out a bear but not a coyote. I am going to go talk to my neighbors this weekend and see if they have seen any stray dogs around. My trail camera is a mile out into the woods because hunting season is fast approaching but I think I may have to grab it and place it up by the coop. I had a bobcat get a rooster last year, but cats are all about stealth and would never do this kind of damage. If it is a coyote acting this aggressive I would think there is something wrong with it. If it is a dog I will have to trap it, and if it is a bear that I don't know what the hell to do . I will post any trail camera pics I get this weekend. Wish me and my birds luck!

 

[Buxton Ducks]

Zazouse, the perimeter fence is a simple and cheap 2X4 welded wire that my shepherd has lept over before. It is simply there to keep the geese and ducks from going into the woods and finding the river nearby. Whatever is doing this though is tearing at the fence and not just jumping it! It is really wierd!