Any ideas what is taking my hens?

Chicydechick

Chirping
Jun 13, 2015
29
20
64
Wichita Falls Tx
I had 28 hens 8 of those were pullets just starting to lay. One day 5 birds disappeared. Everyday since it has been 2 birds a day. There are no signs of digging in. The whole bird will be gone. We have found places on our 12 acres of where a chicken was eaten. Only a few feathers are left. Whatever it is has decimated my flock. It has taken only my youngest birds which were my replacements for some of the older hens that are 4 yrs old. My hens are traumatized. Any ideas? I am currently in process of putting netting over their run which is pretty good size. About 50' x50'.
 
My guess is a coyote. They can leap tall fences in a single bound just like superman.

They will take the whole chicken and carry it off to eat it somewhere else, likely for their pups. They often come back for more birds if they have a litter.

The other thought is a fox, if they are smaller chickens.

Raccoons tend to carry close by and leave a lot of traces of their visit in the coop as they need to work more to catch a hen. (Loose feathers, hens with no heads, body close by the coop). Owls tend to take just one at a time, not 5 in a night.

Whatever it is, I recommend electric netting if that is the netting you mean, or you'll soon be down to no birds.

So sorry for your predator losses. That is so disheartening. And yes, it is always the best birds.

Lofmc
 
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I was having a bad time with coyotes and then I read an article that talked about putting a radio outside and putting it on talk radio 24/7 so there are human voices around, music does not work. We did this and it has been several months now and I have not seen any coyotes nor have I lost any more chickens to them. I would assume it would work the same on foxes, but, it does not scare of raccoons.

I did lose a couple of silkies to a hawk but putting up a fake owl that moves its head back and forth and a couple of scarecrows seems to have stopped that as well.
 
I have had coyotes run out of the woods in the middle of the day and snatch a chicken and run. Came home one night at 5 pm and there was one sitting on my porch like it was a freaking dog or something!
 
We have been having a lot of coyotes lately. We figure the attacks are happening early in the morning.
Try using a motion detector to tell you when its in the pen. See my sig.
Or use 2 way radios with the voice active MIC to tell you when there is a commotion. Then if you have a good rifle/scope then you can fix the coyote.
I am just nervous, that if he tries to jump your fence, and the top of the fence is just netting (assuming not metal netting), then he may still fall through it and get one of your girls.
 
Try using a motion detector to tell you when its in the pen. See my sig.
Or use 2 way radios with the voice active MIC to tell you when there is a commotion. Then if you have a good rifle/scope then you can fix the coyote.
I am just nervous, that if he tries to jump your fence, and the top of the fence is just netting (assuming not metal netting), then he may still fall through it and get one of your girls.
Try using a motion detector to tell you when its in the pen. See my sig.
Or use 2 way radios with the voice active MIC to tell you when there is a commotion. Then if you have a good rifle/scope then you can fix the coyote.
I am just nervous, that if he tries to jump your fence, and the top of the fence is just netting (assuming not metal netting), then he may still fall through it and get one of your girls.
Thanks for yhe idea.
 

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