chickens getting killed daily. big gaping holes in their bodies

[mel83452]

i am dealing with massive massacre at our home. came home to 2 dogs who had bowled through the electric fence (which wasn't hooked up). they got 6 birds. i left for work the next day and only let them out in the run that has a 7 foot wooden fence that it dug in a foot into the ground. it does not have a top on it. that afternoon after work, i noticed another was dead in the coop with a big chuck out of its belly. thought it must have been injured the day before. this morning i pulled one that had major injuries (i thought from the dog) into the house and cleaned the wound…again, big gaping hole! have her in a pen in here. then tonight i went to close them in and another chicken was dead in the coop with a big hole in it. what could this be. i know there is a skunk nearby, but can they climb a 7 foot wooden fence? any ideas would be great. none of the chickens are leaving the coop (which is part of an old building with concrete floors and wooden walls built in the 40's) until i can be sure i am not going to lose another. we have gone from 28 chickens to 17 in a very short time. this sucks.

 

[LisaAnnW]

When I was teenager, the wonderful Cochin bantams I had babied from chicks ended up with fatal injuries like that. Culprit turned out to be a rat. I hope you can get your situation under control - I know it's very stressful.

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[mel83452]

thank. sorry about your chicks. we don't have rats here…lots of mice, but no rats. might be a skunk, if they can climb fences.

 

[ekemily]

might need a little bit more info. .. How old are the birds? Do you have many hawks or weasels in the area? pictures?
Usually dogs chase the bird, pen it down then bite at the back, ripping feathers until they get to the spine. Then they just start crunching.
Is the hole in their under belly or through their vent (rectal area)?

 

[bertman]

possums and raccoons can climb fences. you might not see them even though they are around.

I'm sorry for your losses.

 

[ekemily]

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[mel83452]

most of the chunks have been at the lower back. sorry i don't have any pics right now. the chickens have been various ages. some 2 years, some 1 and the last two are our new birds from 1st week of june.

we do have raccoons in the valley, though we have never seen them in our area. also weasels, but again, don't see so much down in the valley. not thinking hawks as the chickens are all found in the coop, unless they are climbing back in the coop after getting attacked. there is a skunk living under a shed in the property behind our house. a friend just told me her brother has lost a ton of chickens to skunks this year. i think i am doing to need to do a little skunk hunting. yuck!

 

[LisaAnnW]

I hadn't thought we had rats around either, as we'd never seen any before. That happened decades ago. I believe rats are like raccoons - they can turn up anywhere.

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[Michie]

This may sound silly, but dont the chickens kill the rats and mice?? I know "something" is getting in my coop everynight and digging small holes. Only one cochin is a nervous wreck, but no one has been hurt???

 

[Katy]

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Mine kill and eat mice, but they didn't the rats.