Decimated flock

[blitz1027]

Whatever you do not hook electric fence up direct to power. A number of people have been killed that way over the years and it is a fire hazard. A camera and bait would show you exactly what is going on. Any over hanging trees or anything if that nature?

Don't worry, I'm not going to do something that crazy or stupid. Tried the bait and as of right now don't have a camera to put out there. I have stayed up to midnight one night watching for him in hopes of catching that sucker in the act. There are no over hanging trees close to the pen. The nearest one is a good 30 feet away and no limbs anywhere near the pen. I suspect it maybe hiding in a hole way up on the tree but I have to wait get a ladder so I can drop a few firecrackers down it to see if he pops his head up.

Have you tested the wires themselves to make sure they aren't shorted?

Yes we have tested the wires. Unintentionally though. Might accidentally bump them and get popped by it.

I'm not a cruel person but after all the chickens this thing has killed I wouldn't mind seeing it suffer. I've lost prize winning chickens to this thing. They were my pets.

 

[Wickedchicken6]

I'm so sorry to hear about your flock.

Perhaps our following info can help..

We had meat chickens years ago. Their run was attached to an older wooded grainery. We figure it was foxes that dug underneath to access the run. The chickens disappeared from the run with no visible struggle. We layed chicken wire around the outside of the run with railroad ties on the edges so they couldn't dig underneath. That worked. But, then something started going over top, so we ran electrified wire around the run. (The run wasn't covered) We still experienced losses. We figure whatever it was climbed the building to access the run and then when we had them shut in, it tore off the opening where the auger used to be put in and gained access to the coop. So we processed them early and gave up chickens.

We got a variety adult chicken mix last year just to have in the yard. They stayed in the large barn at the farm. One of the Silkies went missing one night so we searched and found the dug hole we figured gave access and closed it off. The next night it killed all the Silkies, my black hen and an OEGB rooster. We secured the flock in a large welded wire cage. There was no sign of any bodies just feather strewn around parts of the barn. The next day a Silkie body showed up on the lawn with no head. We had assumed it was coons coming down from the loft but the body puzzled us.

I baited 4 box catch and release traps in the barn. I set and locked them open with wooden dowels. Baited them with large marsh mellows and canned cat food. I did that for about four to five nights and then I took the dowels out. Animals get brave and don't think twice about entering a baited trap. Caught two young foxes in the marsh mellow only traps on two consecutive nights. Our dog killed the last young fox.

I'm guessing you have a wily fox by the way it sounds. I've had excellent success trapping foxes, raccoons and skunks with cat food and marsh mellows. I zip tie a can of cat food (fish flavored) to the bottom of the cage at the back of the cage halfway between the trip door and the back of the cage. I also toss fresh marsh mellows into the back of the cage and out the door.

To fix our mistakes, we plan on using the electrified poultry netting not just as a run but also to enclose the coop within the run as a first defense to keep predators from gaining access to the outside of the coop. The building we're going to be using for a coop is sided with metal. Predators aren't' supposed able to climb the metal walls, from what I've read. We also will use the only 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch hardware cloth after reading about mink/weasel predation on this site. Perhaps this information can help your situation.


I hope you can cam/trap whatever is causing the grief for you! Please keep us posted on your progress. It may be valuable information that the rest of us can learn from. I wish you the best!

 

[blitz1027]

Well I got 2 surprises. First surprise came when my sister called me before I got home and said she found the last hen alive and well. Somehow she escaped the pen and and I guess was hiding somewhere in the barn a few hundred feet from the pen.

The second surprise came early this morning. I went out to check the traps and found all 3 of the traps tripped and 2 adult skunks caught. I had seen a skunk once before out there but that was before I had the electric fence. Anyway I was able to quickley dispatch the little stinkers without them spraying so no foul smell.

So what do you guys think? Are they the probable cuplrits to the great chicken massacre or am I still on the hunt for the culprit?

 

[hayley3]

To answer your questions first I already know how it got in. Second no I have not caught it and not only that but it did decide to grab an early supper last night because it didn't even wait till sunset to get her. No body, no feathers nothing. She was gone without a trace. I don't think this critter even waited for her to roost. So starting last night I'm setting 3 traps a night. Didn't catch anything last night but I hope to have more luck tonight.

I don't think a skunk carries off chickens and you said some were vanishing..some were headless..That is not the MO of a skunk.

 

[blitz1027]

The only one that vanished completely without a trace is the one we just found hiding in the barn. All the others were either decapited with no sign of their head or they were completely devoured.

 

[mechanic57]

http://www.backyardpoultrymag.com/w...ng-the-culprit-from-the-crime-scene-evidence/

Obviously this is not the final word in all mysteries of what killed a chicken, but it can be helpful when you are analyzing a crime scene and have no suspect.

 

[blitz1027]

http://www.backyardpoultrymag.com/w...ng-the-culprit-from-the-crime-scene-evidence/

Obviously this is not the final word in all mysteries of what killed a chicken, but it can be helpful when you are analyzing a crime scene and have no suspect.

Well based on what's listed there I'd say it was a raccoon. But a possum and fox also fits the bill with some of the bodies.

 

[mechanic57]

Yeah, its not the be-all-end-all of the who done it mystery. Sometimes you have to eliminate a predator based on the time of day of the attack and whether or not a suspected attacker is a day walker or nocturnal stalker.

 

[blitz1027]

Yeah, its not the be-all-end-all of the who done it mystery. Sometimes you have to eliminate a predator based on the time of day of the attack and whether or not a suspected attacker is a day walker or nocturnal stalker.

Well that had a lot of handy dandy info in it for what to look for. I know the killer is nocturnal but that's about it.

 

[pattyhen]

I feel so sorry for that chicken you have left. If you lived close I would take her until you get your pens and coop secured. Good luck catching whatever it is that killed your chickens. Don't give up we are rooting for you.