Devastated dosn't even cover it

[PeckinGorgeous]

Im so sorry youre having to put up with all that, Willow. Moving to the country is definitely a learning experience! Good luck and good vibes for the future.

Feral cats don't live long here either. Tired of my cat being attacked, tired of clothes on the line being sprayed with urine, tired of burying half eaten adult chickens, tired of fixing damaged flower gardens. Just plain tired of feral cats.

I'm even more tired of the people who have let ferel cats become an issue in the first place. It makes me sick to my stomach. It isn't the animal's fault, but what has to be done has to be done.

 

[PeckinGorgeous]

I think you are dealing with a Moma fox or a coyote . It would be very hard for a cat to drag off an adult chicken.

Every time I have had an adult chicken taken by a feral cat, the cat pulled the chicken off the roost, killed it and started eating the chicken immediately.

You do need to set a trap for the feral cat so he cannot attack your poor kitty any more.

X2!! It is also the MO of a fox to attack around dawn, so it sounds like a fox to me, as well.

Foxes are notoriously hard to trap, but it can be done. You also might want to check the game and wildlife restrictions in your area.

I've heard dog food works, or raw, stanky chicken to bait a trap. Make sure you wear gloves so you scent isn't on it. I've also heard camouflaging the trap so it doesn't stand out is a good idea.
There are even pvc trap ideas that are supposed to work. Never tried those myself, though.
Hope I'm not telling you everything you already know. Lol
Good luck!

 

[enola]

A fox will hunt anytime of day if she has young in the den.

 

[PeckinGorgeous]

Good to know, enola. They do usually hunt early morning, though, right? Am I misremembering there?

 

[enola]

Foxes are SMART. If they come by and your hens are fastened up, they will come back later. Once they figure out you are turning the hens later, she will lay in the bushes and wait...... She does not care what time it is when she is hungry......

 

[PeckinGorgeous]

You know, it's a lot of work, trying to outsmart animals!

 

[enola]

That is exactly why the # 1 rule in chicken keeping is be ready for your chickens BEFORE you buy them. It will save you a lot of heart ache.

I learned rule #1 the hard way..........

 

[duckets]

Good Saturday Afternoon enola and PeckinGorgeous,

I believe we all live within a short distance of each other down here in the southeast, and foxes have been in our area forever, and I'm sure WillowWispFarm has had foxes and coyotes forever up north. Coyotes are becoming abundant down here as well, I guess what I'm saying is we are just going to have to keep building and keeping our coops and runs much safer.

It makes sense though, because we do lock up our homes and we don't leave valuables in the front yard, heck sometimes it's necessary to keep a chain on the portable BBQ, and in most areas you can't leave a lawnmower or bicycle unprotected. And for the most part, I wish we only had to outsmart the predatory animals, because I'm tired of having to stay on guard against predatory 'humans' and the revolving door judicial system. (Uh oh, done went and got all political on an animal forum!)

 

[PeckinGorgeous]

Ha! You know what, duckets? I saw my very first coyote ever just last night; crossing the road at dusk.
And the very reason we moved to the country was so we could quit worrying about those predatory humans. Too bad t isn't the same with foxes!
But the humans are the worst. The man I got these chickens from, lost(I think it was 6) of his breeding chickens to a pit bull that someone was just letting run wild. Attacked goats, a horse and another. Dog too. I blame the humans. No one ever caught it and then they moved away. But the attacks stopped as soon as they moved and we saw it attack his chickens, so it was the pit.
Humans! Who needs em!

 

[duckets]

Ha! You know what, duckets? I saw my very first coyote ever just last night; crossing the road at dusk.
And the very reason we moved to the country was so we could quit worrying about those predatory humans. Too bad t isn't the same with foxes!
But the humans are the worst. The man I got these chickens from, lost(I think it was 6) of his breeding chickens to a pit bull that someone was just letting run wild. Attacked goats, a horse and another. Dog too. I blame the humans. No one ever caught it and then they moved away. But the attacks stopped as soon as they moved and we saw it attack his chickens, so it was the pit.
Humans! Who needs em!