Attacked and mad about it!!

[janes flock]

Its not a good sign to have coyotes that comfortable during the day on your property.

 

[coop-er]

Agreed-scary, something is not right- ran into him in the neighbor's driveway- he was not even concerned... Wish I had been armed at the time.

 

[LisaLouHoo]

We've had a bad few days with foxes coming out in broad daylight and attacking my chickens. We think it is a sibling group of four that we watched last year out in our front field. Saturday they got two, a buff Orp that we found dragged and chewed up and one of my SL wyandottes was missing. I caught a glimpse of a fox running away through some trees. Today, my husband saw a fox in front of the house with one of my buff orpingtons, which is a big bird. He was shaking her and trying to drag her into the soybeans. He came inside to get his gun and I ran out back and saw another fox carrying one of my squawking GL wyandotte pullets...I screamed and it dropped her and she's ok. After I did a head count I was missing 3 of my hens. We only found one body. This was at 1:00 in the afternoon!! I locked them all up and we had to go out. Good news, when I came home tonight and went to the coop, there was one of the missing hens perched on the windowsill of the coop. She has missing feathers, but ok. We have to do something! I'm pretty sure they are ganging up and doing this. I know I risk this because I love to let them free range during the day. Bummer!!!!

 

[janes flock]

I love free ranging my birds. I will do everything I can to make sure they are safe in my yard. Luckily my pit bull x bull mastiff Eli stays with my birds night and day. He really doesn't guard them. He guards my yard. His presence is enough to keep the totes away. I'm still catching possums and coons every night in my live traps. But I haven't had any more losses since my chicks were destroyed.

 

[Vamvakas]

Fox, they kill as much as they can then come back later for there loot.

 

[mithious]

Thanks everyone for your input...it's actually a coyote.... Saw it today, close up, but lucky for him I was unarmed.... But I will get him

That was gonna to be my first guess, as we have coyotes here that show up in the back yard of my neighbors, in the middle of the day...and they WILL kill some and leave some, a fox does that too...I had one take a chicken, years ago, not here, right from in front of me. Then run my GSD round in circles, and be back for another chicken, before GSD got back...we found the den, she was feeding some pups. Had the game warden try to smoke her out of the dens she had built in a huge pile of rocks...I didn't want to kill the pups...it didn't work, although she did eventually move the pups. According to the game warden, fox have summer and winter dens...coyotes don't...they stay in the same den, year round...time to get out your shotgun!!!

I use a compound bow, as it is NOT legal here, to hunt them. My bow is oh so quiet

 

[jamiehopkins]

I lost 10 chicks shut up in cage with 1 inch chicken wire all gone but one. No sign of noting. One chick head is left. Last week lost 12 in fence on ground. And live in city. I'm sick over my chicks.

 

[OrpieOwner]

Sounds like a fox to me. My neighbor was literally sitting outside watching her chickens when a fox came running out of the woods, grabbed one of the chickens, and dragged it into the woods. It was in the middle of the day.

 

[wayne hulgan]

Sounds like a dog.

I'll vote for this.

 

[coop-er]

We've had a bad few days with foxes coming out in broad daylight and attacking my chickens. We think it is a sibling group of four that we watched last year out in our front field. Saturday they got two, a buff Orp that we found dragged and chewed up and one of my SL wyandottes was missing. I caught a glimpse of a fox running away through some trees. Today, my husband saw a fox in front of the house with one of my buff orpingtons, which is a big bird. He was shaking her and trying to drag her into the soybeans. He came inside to get his gun and I ran out back and saw another fox carrying one of my squawking GL wyandotte pullets...I screamed and it dropped her and she's ok. After I did a head count I was missing 3 of my hens. We only found one body. This was at 1:00 in the afternoon!! I locked them all up and we had to go out. Good news, when I came home tonight and went to the coop, there was one of the missing hens perched on the windowsill of the coop. She has missing feathers, but ok. We have to do something! I'm pretty sure they are ganging up and doing this. I know I risk this because I love to let them free range during the day. Bummer!!!!

So happy for you so have found one of the missing- we also have fields on most sides of property and it alternates soybeans and corn. This year, corn and it is providing cover for the predators- my free-rangers are now only out when we are present. Once we fix our problem we will replace our chicks- it killed 3 of my 6 hens, well left 2 dead.. The 3rd disappeared.. Maybe she'll show up but I think she was his dinner. Still betting on fox or coyote.