Entire coop wiped out last night :(

[CedarAcres]

I'm so sorry for your loss. My family lost a whole flock to a weasel once.. thankfully we caught him when he came back for the rest of the coops. I hope you find out what did it.

 

[birdman450]

I am having a very hard time with predators right now I didn't shut my coop four days ago and lost six.so then the others were scared to go in there at night so they started going up in my work shed and wood shed now every night since I am loosing birds I have both live traps and paw snappers out but can't catch anything I started with about twenty now I have for left one is my last Americana who just hatched nine lil ones tonight I am going to try the up all night with shotgun trick hope to have some luck

 

[faithfarm92]

We have lost 3 hens in the past week. I believe it's happening during the day because they are being killed while in the laying boxes laying eggs. All that is left are the wings. Yesterday the predator even ate all the eggs in the laying boxes. Will be putting up trail cam today but any ideas what we're dealing with here?

 

[birdman450]

Normally they come at night dunno what u may have killing birds how close to home is your coop

 

[suttonhollerchk]

Same thing going on with us are pullets got eaten in the last couple of nights. Seems to be fox or coon I'm gone working mg wife can't seem to catch it traps set but who knows. Be glad to get home I'm fixing yo kill everything that moves!!! She loves are chickens and I love her and when moma is crying somebody gonna pay!! Lol

Any pointers on how to catch a fox??

 

[cluckcluckluke]

I am so sorry for your loss

. That would suck, a lot!!!
What I don't understand is, how didn't you hear anything?
When even a little hawk fly's over my hens and rooster go crazy, so I know exactly when the flock is under attack.

 

[JonB]

We have our coop quite close to the house, with a porch light on it all night. For awhile, when the bulb burnt out, we had no light on the coop. So far we've been alright, but we did see a young coon in the yard a couple evenings ago. We had lots of them and gray fox last summer, but we were also putting out quite a bit of black oil sunflower seeds. We've put out nothing since getting chickens in mid-March. We've got two 3 mo out in the coop and three 1 mo pullets who get brought in each night still. Michigan is FULL of predators, especially near any kind of wooded area.

 

[birdman450]

I shot a coon early this morning all that was left of my five Rhode islands about two months old was wings I have a really bad predator prob here in NY shot a fisher last night too trapping just was not doing it I lost a twenty bird flock in week twelve gauge time good luck and fight dirty lol

 

[ivan3]

For those who can run juice to the coop, a $20.00 Safety First baby monitor is a great addition. Obvious limitations are obvious (no one at home to hear the growling/screaming of the chooks or, everyone is a heavy sleeper). We've had these monitors in coop and turkey shed for almost 8yrs. If the chooks start whining & growling or the turks start giving out with the worry hiss, it is time to put on the mudboots, grab spot and rifle and sneak out the door.

Have gotten very well trained, over time. The monitor receivers are on the head of bed and always cranked to max volume. Neither of us wakes up when the rooster starts crowing and the toms begin gobbling to greet the sun. However, Chook/turk `anxiety' `signals' will cause both of us to wake up.

Sometimes, in the summer (shed/coop windows open - double layer hardware cloth attached to frames with wood screws through oversized washers), I'll see nothing in general vicinity of runs/coop-shed, though a quick check of surrounding woods/understory/brush will reveal the eyes of the pred. (chooks/turks can often hear what is coming - through leaf clutter - at some distance) and that-is-that (if you live in woods and have a `regular' coon - always spotlight surrounding trees just after dark (if they aren't being `challenged' - they'll just sleep near the `chicken & rice bowl''') have taken out females and their broods, more than once, from big White Oaks/Hickories within 75yds of poultry (glowing eyes in the gloaming - easy shots).

 

[keirys]

Get a have a heart trap & bait it with the dead chicken in there - see if it comes back tonight! Sorry for your loss I am battling racoons here