Falcon killed TWO! of my girls!!

[bandm]

Yesturday a Falcon killed one of my prize Gold Laced Wyandottes.
It went through the end of the pen where the netting wasn't fastend down. It was a sad day. It took the head and ate the innerds from the tail end, just hollowed her out completely.
I now have chicken wire on top and fastened down banjo tight.

bandm

 

[PeeperKeeper]

Just down the river from you here. So sorry you lost your girl. the Red Tailed Hawks are bad here and the worst is...they don't fly south for the winter. Hope your attempts to protect work out well.

 

[Zookeeper9000]

Sorry for your loss. Sounds like your up on what ya needed to do to prevent it from happening again. Again sorry.

 

[I have WHAT in my yard?]

I am so sorry that happened. It never occurred to me that they would pry into a run!!

Do they get more aggressive when it gets cold or something??

 

[bandm]

I see them around all the time. I think with winter setting in, it is getting harder for them to find food.

bandm

 

[bandm]

I can't believe it!! another hen was killed today. The only way it could have got in was through the eves of the coop. They are open to the inside of the coop. I didn't think that Falcons were that smart. Let that be a lesson to me. I have already close all the openings, hopefully there will be no more tragedies.

My Girls, now two are gone

 

[Pumpkinpup]

I'm very sorry for your loss

 

[cmom]

Sorry for you loss. I had some skunks after mine. I killed 2 tonight and have a have-a-heart trap out for any more. One nearly had the bait out of the trap without setting it off. It was out of the trap when I killed it.

 

[silkiechicken]

Are you sure it was a flying pred? Eating off the head reminds me of weasels and eating out the body reminds me of a possum. Birds of prey in my mind are the ones who attack, pick the neck bones clean, and leave a huge pile of feathers on the ground. I can see a weasal going up through eaves, but not so much a flying pred.

 

[Poohbear]

Buy a "Live Catch" trap and load the pan with sardines. I also think you have a four legged predator. Set the trap on the outside of your pen up against the pen wire.