Buffs found Dead, head off/leg torn

[2txmedics]

Well all this rain has our coops flooding...but Ive been going out at dusk and locking the buffs in at night....so far so good...DH said didnt think it was at night as the chicken bodies were not rigor mortised at all...said soft and limp....I say, maybe so...

But being a medic, know that a body will rigor and then get limp again after so many hrs...goes through a process...We cant work out there to secure it with all this rain!!!!

 

[al6517]

Typical coon behavior. keep your chin up and reinforce then just drive on.

AL

 

[gsim]

Hdw cloth and close-up at dusk for now. Electrification later as you can. I put in 5-mile, 4KV charger,with 4 courses of hotwire including gate. Mine is open to sky tho since it is so large at 2000 sq ft. Large resident population of crows good for most days, but saw a chicken hawk land on corner post of pen this week scoping it out. Chooks huddled in corner, not able to get to henhouse without getting closer to it because of cross-fencing I put in to re-grow grass. I was lucky as wife saw it and ran outside chasing it away. kDeer netting or aviary netting is available in rolls 25 ft wide and any length wanted, so can be used to discourage aerial attacks.

 

[feathersandfluff]

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Had the same problem with the coons killing my geese. They left their bodies the same way as you described yours. We already had a six foot fence. We ran the electric fencing about a month ago and have had not problem.

 

[the Old Rebel]

All of this is GREAT if you are dealing with a raccoon. But read up on weasels and minks and then find out if you have either one in your area.

We've had lots of birds for 10 years. We learned the hard way (as you have) about raccoons. So all of our pens have been made predator proof from raccoons. But now we are under attack by a weasel or mink. From what BYC'ers have told me, a weasel can fit through anything larger than 1/2". They can climb too.

They also go after the head first and suck the blood out.

I don't mean to hijack this thread. I just don't want someone else to experience the nightmare we've had this past week. I'll take coons any day over weasels.

I'm soooooo sorry for your traumatic losses.

Best of luck to you all in the future.