Bear Attack...and After

[OzarkCountryGirl]

Last month a bear broke into my breeding turkey coop/run and massacred my entire flock. About $900 in birds, plus the hatching eggs. It took me over 2 years to find eggs from show quality stock, then another year to get the poults to breeding age. This was their first year and had only been laying about 2-1/2 weeks before the attack. And I was gutted at the loss.

As I was cleaning up all the remains and raking out the feathers and the crushed egg shells and all, I found one lone dirty, yolk crusted egg hidden and half buried in a corner of the coop there it had gotten kicked about during the attack. My first thought was...Nemo! So I carefully picked it and took it to the house, and marked an "N" on it. I had five other turkey eggs on the kitchen counter from the week my girls first started laying as I wasn't sure how fertile they would be, being their very first eggs and all. But taking a chance, I put them in an incubator along with the "Nemo" egg.

I really didn't hold out much hope in any of them hatching, but lo and behold, last night little Nemo hatched!!!! And two more are following!

 

[OzarkCountryGirl]

I'm sorry to hear about your losses, I can't imagine how heartbreaking that must have been.

But I'm glad you found the Nemo egg and it's wonderful to hear that Nemo has indeed hatched!
I hope all goes well.

Thank you. Two more have now hatched, so Nemo won't be alone.

I'm really surprised the very first eggs were fertile and viable, and the girls weren't even a year old yet. With chickens it seems like it usually take a bit before the fertility is good in new laying pullets.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Last month a bear broke into my breeding turkey coop/run and massacred my entire flock. About $900 in birds, plus the hatching eggs. It took me over 2 years to find eggs from show quality stock, then another year to get the poults to breeding age. This was their first year and had only been laying about 2-1/2 weeks before the attack. And I was gutted at the loss.

As I was cleaning up all the remains and raking out the feathers and the crushed egg shells and all, I found one lone dirty, yolk crusted egg hidden and half buried in a corner of the coop there it had gotten kicked about during the attack. My first thought was...Nemo! So I carefully picked it and took it to the house, and marked an "N" on it. I had five other turkey eggs on the kitchen counter from the week my girls first started laying as I wasn't sure how fertile they would be, being their very first eggs and all. But taking a chance, I put them in an incubator along with the "Nemo" egg.

I really didn't hold out much hope in any of them hatching, but lo and behold, last night little Nemo hatched!!!! And two more are following!

I'm sorry to hear about your losses, I can't imagine how heartbreaking that must have been.

But I'm glad you found the Nemo egg and it's wonderful to hear that Nemo has indeed hatched!
I hope all goes well.

 

[OzarkCountryGirl]

Congratulations on saving little Nemo and have the others hatch also.
After the devastating bear experience they should be able to console you a little.

How did you prepare the coop for the next bear visit? I have no experience with bears but from what I read they will be back and there are interesting ways to deterr them by using hot wire and boards spike with nails etc.

@azygous has lots of bear experience and might be willing to share her methods of dealing with them.

It had previously withstood big cat attempts as I knew we had those in the area and built it for such, but it was apparently just a little too weak for bear. I have since fortified the runs and windows with livestock panels, put hotwire fencing around the perimeter, and have installed motion detection alarm system.

Good idea about the spiked boards. And I'll check with azygous. Thanks!

 

[azygous]

Oh, my gosh. This is so tragic. All they time and energy and emotional investment, just gone. I know the feeling well, and it can also include rage over how unfair mother nature can be.

Putting up hot wire is a good start, but to be effective, it has to be mounted against a barrier so the bear can' just jump over or hope between wires. They must be invited to engage with the hot wire and you do that by baiting it with peanut butter. The bear has to contact the wire with nose or mouth since all other parts are well insulated.

Ask me anything about bears. I've had them in my house twice for destruction derbies and just last summer in my coop. I've never had a bear attack when the hot wire was activated. They've all been when the wire was off.

 

[Lor]

How devastating for you. to have a bear attack.
Good to hear you were able to hatch a few of those eggs!

 

[LaFleche]

Congratulations on saving little Nemo and have the others hatch also.
After the devastating bear experience they should be able to console you a little.

How did you prepare the coop for the next bear visit? I have no experience with bears but from what I read they will be back and there are interesting ways to deterr them by using hot wire and boards spike with nails etc.

@azygous has lots of bear experience and might be willing to share her methods of dealing with them.

 

[theoldchick]

Congrats on the little ones. Sorry about the Bear attack.

 

[OzarkCountryGirl]

Oh, my gosh. This is so tragic. All they time and energy and emotional investment, just gone. I know the feeling well, and it can also include rage over how unfair mother nature can be.

Putting up hot wire is a good start, but to be effective, it has to be mounted against a barrier so the bear can' just jump over or hope between wires. They must be invited to engage with the hot wire and you do that by baiting it with peanut butter. The bear has to contact the wire with nose or mouth since all other parts are well insulated.

Ask me anything about bears. I've had them in my house twice for destruction derbies and just last summer in my coop. I've never had a bear attack when the hot wire was activated. They've all been when the wire was off.

In the house??? I can't imagine how scary that must have been! Thanks for the peanut butter tip. I'm definitely going to do that. How often re-applied? I would assume after every rain for sure, as it would dilute the flavour/scent.

My neighbours acrossed the road are also on Bear Alert since the attack as they have young children who play in their fenced in (chain link) yard, and a bear can easily bound over that 4-ft fence.

 

[azygous]

Peanut butter retains its aromatic qualities even after rain. I refresh it each month or when critters eat it off the wire. Hot wire shocks won't harm chickens, though they do experience a shock. I have a rooster who gets shocked by the wire and then will stand there repeatedly "attacking" the wire and getting a shock until he wears himself out.

Yes, wildlife getting into my house from time to time is something I've gotten used to living in the wilderness for 30 years.