Dogs or Coyotes?

[JustOrpsNC]

Coyotes are getting really bad, sorry for your loss.

 

[justplainbatty]

Well, you never know. Last fall, I had a fox attack. It took one bird but a few were missing. As I stayed out, calling to them, looking, finding, escorting back to coop, all but one came back. (excluding the taken one of course). I thought she been gotten had too. Well, she ran far and was either afraid to come home alone or forgot/didn't know her way home. As it turned out, my next door neighbor (an acre away) called the next night to inform me that my hen was roosting on their porch! I went and retrieved her. She was unharmed. So, you just never know. At that time, I had no rooster to call for her to guide her home.

 

[PC Farms]

I feel your pain I was working one night and at 4:30 a.m. my neighbor called and informed me that they had overhead their dog barking continually after looking they found it inside my chicken pen. The dog killed 13 of my New Hampshire red hens and my New Hampshire rooster. I understand how you feel bout bad luck.

 

[rainbowhatchery]

Coyotes dont usually kill and leave things around so if you have some missing and some just dead laying around if I understand it right I would say dog. Coyote kill for food, stray dogs often are just killing for fun and the chase and will just kill one then leave it and move on to the next maybe just carrying a few off when they leave.

 

[CrazyTalk]

Coyotes dont usually kill and leave things around so if you have some missing and some just dead laying around if I understand it right I would say dog. Coyote kill for food, stray dogs often are just killing for fun and the chase and will just kill one then leave it and move on to the next maybe just carrying a few off when they leave.

This is only true if coyotes have uninterrupted access. They're just as much spree killers as dogs are - they just come back and get the bodies as long as nothing spooks them off.

 

[rainbowhatchery]

good point, i guess in our area they come in at night without interruption and take it all, have heard of people losing 20-30 birds in a night, just gone in the morning, thank god for our LGD dogs thats for sure. Im no expert on kills because with the dogs we have not had one in 10 years, just hear lots of stories from people buying puppies from us becuase of their predator issues.

 

[haileyb123]

Bobcat?!

 

[IndigoJaguar]

Bobcat?!

I don't think so, but I don't know. What are the characteristics of a bobcat kill?

 

[palomasfarm]

My husband is a wildlife specialist who deals with predators daily and he says most likely dogs. Coyotes have pups this time of year, but they are still in the den, not out hunting alongside mom.

Hope your missing chickens come back home.