Daytime attack killed entire flock

[Paul Wilson]

I've been keeping chickens for 10 years in suburbia without a problem. The run is 6 ft high 2 x 4 welded fencing buried 4 inches into the ground. The chickens have scratched holes up to 4 inches deep under the gate. The roof is heavy duty plastic fencing with 1" holes made for keeping out deer. I shut them in their coop every night shortly after dark. A few days ago they were all killed in a very short time around 3:00 on a sunny afternoon. I found all 10 of them scattered around their run with small bites on their heads or necks. Nothing was eaten or torn. They were still warm and without rigor mortis when I found them. There was no blood on the ground and not much in their feathers. The fence is sturdy and was intact. We live on a lake and I have seen mink on the shore about 100 yards from our property, but the coop is 100 yds from the shore with the house between it and the lake. We have a woods and a swamp across the street. Years ago my wife saw what she thought was a weasel run across our driveway. We're not sure what was the culprit but we suspect either a weasel or a mink. But I thought both were nocturnal. Will 3 ft high chicken wire added to the welded wire fencing keep whatever it was out?

 

[Poultrybreeder]

It could, another option was skunk, they kill by the head, everything else is fine

 

[Paul Wilson]

Never have smelled or seen any skunks around. Could a skunk get through the fence or under the gate?

 

[aart]

I've been keeping chickens for 10 years in suburbia without a problem. The run is 6 ft high 2 x 4 welded fencing buried 4 inches into the ground. The chickens have scratched holes up to 4 inches deep under the gate. The roof is heavy duty plastic fencing with 1" holes made for keeping out deer. I shut them in their coop every night shortly after dark. A few days ago they were all killed in a very short time around 3:00 on a sunny afternoon. I found all 10 of them scattered around their run with small bites on their heads or necks. Nothing was eaten or torn. They were still warm and without rigor mortis when I found them. There was no blood on the ground and not much in their feathers. The fence is sturdy and was intact. We live on a lake and I have seen mink on the shore about 100 yards from our property, but the coop is 100 yds from the shore with the house between it and the lake. We have a woods and a swamp across the street. Years ago my wife saw what she thought was a weasel run across our driveway. We're not sure what was the culprit but we suspect either a weasel or a mink. But I thought both were nocturnal. Will 3 ft high chicken wire added to the welded wire fencing keep whatever it was out?

Sure sounds like you've got it figured out. Any predator will hunt during the day if hungry enough.
Both can climb and smaller ones can fit thru a 1" hole,
and can probably chew thru plastic and maybe even chicken wire.
Weasels often just drink blood from a fatal neck wound, not sure about mink,
they also will frenzy kill many before drinking and/or carrying off carcasses to cache.
Does it look like it dug under the run fencing?
If not, it probably came thru the 2x4.

Oh, and, Welcome to BYC....sorry you're having troubles.

 

[Folly's place]

Welcome, and so sorry for your losses. It certainly could have been weasel, and only hardware cloth will keep them out. You might be able to trap and shoot that one, but more will come sometime. Perfect security is really hard! I did a major coop/ run upgrade in 2015, and still had a rat or rats in there this winter, and lost three nice bantams. I don't know if electrified poultry netting works against weasels; you can ask at Premier1supplies.com. Good luck, Mary

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Mink and Weasels are both aquatic when they want to be aquatic and they are both nocturnal when it suits them to be nocturnal.

That said both mink and weasels hunt, kill, and eat when the notion strikes them.

 

[Cullen Bohannon]

Really sounds like a coon to me! Fences will be no problem for them and they live around water.
Daylight killing might be a mink, but mink usually eat fish exclusively.

I have seen coons kill every hen in a coop for fun..like 30 birds!! and not eat any of them!
I recently lost 5 turkey poults to what I believe was a house cat. But that may have been a coon too.
Skunks kind'a live with my turkey's and chicken flock and seem to cause little or no trouble except they make my Blue Healer smell terrible!. My skunks are well fed on eggs from chickens that don't lay in the coop, so this might make a difference??

.I run a 600 acre ranch and all of my birds are free animals. I do lock the chickens up at night.

The biggest killer of birds is bobcats and they live in all parts of the country! Even cities! And no-one ever sees them or even knows that they share the same land as the Bob...but make no mistake, they are there!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I believe it is a mink or weasel. Exactly what mink have done to me. Every day another coop had every bird killed and nothing eaten.

 

[Chickie pants]

I have a problem with Hawks and coons.

 

[Patinas]

So sorry for your losses!! Geezz! Not sure where you are but I've heard Possums will kill an entire flock and not even eat them. I have not heard of coons killing a flock your size, but rather they will come back night after night. Just my two cents worth! Again, so sorry for the losses!