Could a dog get a chicken through this?

[parkerpeeps7]

Hi all!
Anyone know if a large dog, size of a hound could get a chicken through 4x2 welded wire? Just found my favorite chicken dead up against the wire. Feathers missing but no body parts or meat, not even skin! I'm at a loss for words but I'm trying to figure out if this could have been my neighbor's dog.

Thanks!

 

[Mr MKK FARMS]

I don't know, it could of been a really big dog! Do you have cougars in your area?
Good Luck finding the unknown predator!
I hate it when Racoons and Minks get my birds!

 

[1muttsfan]

Sounds more like a raccoon - they will reach in through the wire and grab a chicken.

Wrap the bottom several feet of your wire fence with hardware cloth (not chicken wire)

 

[parkerpeeps7]

I don't think I have cougars but I do have bobcats. I have never, not once in the almost year that we have had our run built have we ever seen a predator or even evidence of one. This is my 1st chicken lost to a predator that was in a protected run. I thought it might have been a raccoon but I thought surely it would have eaten some of the chicken. Am I wrong in thinking that? Again, never had predator problems before so I'm totally lost.

 

[fried green eggs]

I'm sorry for your loss.

Maybe if it penned it against the fence with it's paw but, my guess is something with claws. Did this happen during the day or at night? Night predators like possum, raccoons or day time cats. I think most would suggest you put 1" chicken wire on the inside of your 2x4 fence so, predators can't reach through and grab a chicken.

 

[parkerpeeps7]

I'm sorry for your loss.

Maybe if it penned it against the fence with it's paw but, my guess is something with claws. Did this happen during the day or at night? Night predators like possum, raccoons or day time cats. I think most would suggest you put 1" chicken wire on the inside of your 2x4 fence so, predators can't reach through and grab a chicken.

Thank you. It had a lot of feathers missing and long red marks down it's legs like teeth dragged down them. I've had a dog get a hold of a chickens feathers through chicken wire and hold onto it so that's why I was thinking it was a dog. We did have the smallest chicken wire around the outside of the bottom half of fence but it was slightly bent up and my chicken was stuck to the fence. I'm thinking it happened during the night b/c my husband gave them water before dark last night & she was fine up in the coop. She is a new chicken and always stayed in the coop. I think maybe she was hiding from my females b/c they had been picking on her some since she was the newbie. My chickens didn't do this b/c her feathers were all around the OUTSIDE of the fence.

 

[1muttsfan]

Use hardware cloth, not chicken wire. Any predator could have been spooked away before feeding. And yes, raccoons will come out during daylight, as will coyotes, foxes, stray dogs, bobcats, and hawks.

 

[parkerpeeps7]

Use hardware cloth, not chicken wire. Any predator could have been spooked away before feeding. And yes, raccoons will come out during daylight, as will coyotes, foxes, stray dogs, bobcats, and hawks.

Thank you. Guess we will be looking for hardware cloth now.

 

[Trefoil]

Sounds more like a raccoon - they will reach in through the wire and grab a chicken.

Wrap the bottom several feet of your wire fence with hardware cloth (not chicken wire)

If it was a coon, the hen would be in pieces. But you are correct in thinking that with wire that size the pen isn't safe against predators.

 

[parkerpeeps7]

I really thought our pen was very protected but I guess I was wrong. We always check to see if there has ever been tampering or signs of predators and we've never saw a thing. Whatever it was couldn't get to her that good b/c there was hardly any blood and everything was intact except feathers. Unless of course it got scared off.