Does anyone know what predator digs and then takes chickens "to go"?

[Arcnadius]

I live in West Central WI in farm/wood country. A year ago some predator dug around our run defenses (hardware cloth 12" out horizontally from the fence and 24" up the fence) and took 7 birds out. No carcasses, just feathers. We reinforced around the coop and run, but the critter found another weakness to exploit a couple days after the first killing. We had the girls under lockdown so we didn't lose any that time, but this critter is strong and a very good digger. It leaves a hole/tunnel about the size of a softball and is velociraptor smart. If it can't dig in a spot because of the hardware cloth, it moves sidewise a couple feet, or out, or any direction it thinks would be beneficial. It returned one more time, just before we put up a trail cam, but the girls were still locked down. I don't remember how it got in that last time. It didn't return after that so we took the trail cam down. Last night (almost a year to the day from the last killing) it exploited a weakness in our garden to tunnel into the run. This time it forced its way into the coop (so it had to be after dark) by pushing against the inside sheet metal popdoor, bending it, and pushing it off the track. Last night's take was 6 birds, again no carcasses - just feathers from the assault. It made multiple attempts at digging into the run before it found the garden entrance.

Any idea what this could be? I've seen fox and coyotes in the area, and rumor has it that we may have badgers and weasels plus minks. I'm going to try to get a trail cam installed tomorrow because I think it'll be back if history holds. I think I'm going to have to put in fencing under ground to stop this thing. Any idea on how far down I should go?

 

[iwiw60]

From your description it sounds like a fox that's taking dinner home to their babies...so very sorry for your losses.

 

[Arcnadius]

Would there be only one fox, or is the family coming en masse to cart off the birds?

 

[aart]

I think a fox would dig a hole bigger than a typical softball, can you post a pic of the hole with a dollar bill next to it?
Or maybe your game cam will tell the tale before you can do that.

A fox usually does take it's dinner to go, they've got babies to feed this time of year and there can be more than one are hunting for the young'uns.

 

[Arcnadius]

Sorry there's no scale. These were taken last year during break-in number 1. The top picture was going under the coop and the bottom picture was the fence from the garden to the run (both weaknesses were fixed). Hubby fixed the new holes so I can't attach those photos. From these pics, the holes look bigger than a softball, but there are others that were smaller.

ETA: Note the class 5 rock displaced from the coop area. Whatever it was dug through 6" deep packed crush limerock...repeatedly. Strong digger!

 

[iwiw60]

Sorry there's no scale. These were taken last year during break-in number 1. The top picture was going under the coop and the bottom picture was the fence from the garden to the run (both weaknesses were fixed). Hubby fixed the new holes so I can't attach those photos. From these pics, the holes look bigger than a softball, but there are others that were smaller.

ETA: Note the class 5 rock displaced from the coop area. Whatever it was dug through 6" deep packed crush limerock...repeatedly. Strong digger!

Most likely either fox or raccoon. I take it from the pics then that you have a dirt floor in your coop? In other words, it dug the hole, got in to your flock? If so, using that crushed limestone will do NOTHING to deter them. Hopefully there's a way for you to use 1/2" hardware cloth for your flooring underlayment, curling it up on the outside edges and screw/washers it in. Can you raise the coop with a jack to do that?

Either that or use 1/2" hardware cloth over that chain link, keeping at LEAST 12" apron of sorts in the ground...down and out, kinda like this:

 

[Arcnadius]

We have a solid floor on the coop (it's a converted shed) so I think last year the predator waited in the yard until the pop door opened. I did naively think the crushed rock would keep predators out from under the coop. We fixed that last year, but this **** thing backed away two feet and then dug under! I think I need to go underground this time.

 

[aart]

We have a solid floor on the coop (it's a converted shed) so I think last year the predator waited in the yard until the pop door opened. I did naively think the crushed rock would keep predators out from under the coop. We fixed that last year, but this **** thing backed away two feet and then dug under! I think I need to go underground this time.

8-0 Are you going to set a trap or camera, I sure would like to know what did that.

 

[Arcnadius]

I'm trying to borrow a trail cam in time to get it set up for tomorrow night. A co-worker thinks I have a fox, and recommends I bury wire fencing 6 inches down and 18 inches out. Does that sound like enough?

 

[jessica wedda14]

If you are unable to get the trail cam in time sprinkle baby powder around the suspected areas and possible exit trails the animal my be walking over this way maybe a print will be left behind in the powder