Broody Hen Attacked in Barn Roosting above Cages

centrarchid

Crossing the Road
14 Years
Sep 19, 2009
27,548
22,220
966
Holts Summit, Missouri
A predator came in last night and took four chicks that are just over 3 weeks old. They were under broody that I decided to let out of her cage so it can be used with a younger brood soon to hatch. I placed one of those wooden nest things you buy from TSC on top of a cage containing another broody hen with chicks.
It was placed tight against the wall.
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Only thing I noticed last night was dogs got riled just after midnight and high tailed it to barn based on barking. I am a bit sick so not on my game when it comes to responding to such alarm. Approaching the barn entrance after sun up I could see the nest was displaced and a couple feathers from hen were next to it.
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I quickly found hen and she has only 3 of 7 she had last night. I was able to find feathers from the hen on ground and also stuck to pen a good 20' away. She appears sore but will not allow me to pick her up for inspection. See feathers near crate on ground.
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Nest has been replaced and baited with carcass of a culled American Dominique cockerel. Game cameras will be set up shortly. My gut feeling it is a GHO that has no trouble beating perimeter other likely perp would have hit feeder first and gone after other chickens in cages encountered along route raccoon should fine a little tough to climb with making a mess.
 
Getting setup for tonight's observations. The traps are ready for deployment tomorrow night if our baddy is a raccoon or more. Lucy the hell hound will be kept in house until I loose here as needed.

Cockerel in nest box with wire through his pelvic bone to make removal more difficult.
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Game cameras recording everything at 30 second intervals.
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Roughly the view have from house using binoculars and spot light.
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If it proves to be a raccoon, then Lucy will almost certainly get a piece of it. Ben already barking at owl in tree a couple hundred yards east of house.
 
Adjustments being made to pens outside barn where effort made to get juveniles to roost up and away from cage perimeter. Two pens with about 30 juveniles each have installed inverted milk crates birds will roost on instead of piling against sides or in corners where predators can reach in for parts.
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Juveniles valued most as training tools are being encouraged to roost on pole well away from side of cage. Adults more than a year already know this trick.
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Confirmed it is a GHO. It was already working pens by 2130 and flushed the juveniles in the last image above. Son and I spotted owl in light from house as it flew away from pen with juveniles. My boy is excited like his old man. I placed some live traps and another pen up against the pen with the juveniles as they are hiding on vegetating at base of pen. Odds high a Red Fox will come through later to look for birds on ground if like in past years.

Darn spot light ran out of juice.
 

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