Feeding predators

[centrarchid]

Q
Okay phew sorry. I may seem kind of I don’t know annoying it’s just I have lost some of my favourite chickens to predators and I don’t want anyone else to deal What I’ve been through

Loosing chickens, whether it be to predators, disease, weather events, or other is part of keeping chickens. Learn from those losses so you can reduce odds of repeats.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

I would never ever put a carcass out for the wildlife!
Why attracting more attention than necessary?
I even bury the remains of our meals (bones) into my compost heap.
The little duck that died here in August found her final resting place under our huge Tulip tree, 4 feet under…

 

[Butterscotchbitesfinger]

I would never ever put a carcass out for the wildlife!
Why attracting more attention than necessary?
I even bury the remains of our meals (bones) into my compost heap.
The little duck that died here in August found her final resting place under our huge Tulip tree, 4 feet under…

I agree

 

[tacothechicken]

@Butterscotchbitesfinger oh no its totally understandable! if I wasnt in the situation I am whith all the food supply for preds id tell anyone the same thing you did! I lost my favorite hen to a yote a few years back when a sitter didn't know the property as well as I did and a hen disappeared (went broody outside coop and had hidden a nest) I told her exactly where to look! Unfortunately she didnt get the message till next day and by then it was to late

 

[roosterhavoc]

Loosing chickens, whether it be to predators, disease, weather events, or other is part of keeping chickens. Learn from those losses so you can reduce odds of repeats.

How long have you had chickens? How many chickens did you lose this year to predators?

 

[HenOnAJuneBug]

The little duck that died here in August found her final resting place under our huge Tulip tree, 4 feet under…

The only way I'd dig a 4' deep hole is with an excavator.

 

[roosterhavoc]

@Kessel23,
Good job! You are actually developing an understanding of what really goes on. Keep up the good work.

I do similar with camera traps in poultry area and some distance from it. It allows detection of critters getting past a perimeter when tracks not informative. I am trying to get some fish farmers in the practice as well.

The efforts allow you to couple predator signs with positive ID. As a result I am much more confident making call on whether an Great-horned Owl, Red-tailed Hawk, or has raccoon had a hand in working on a particular carcass. I have documented 4 predator species working my poultry area all within a 6-hour interval even when no birds harmed. They were in after rodents but checking at chickens in pens. I can also set out a chicken carcass and have no takers even after 2 weeks, excepting my dogs sniffing it when on patrol.

What kind of understanding exactly? Of course animals are going to eat the carcass? Canines might come right in to it or they might wait days or even a week or more especially coyotes.
Predators and wildlife generally don’t need human assistance to survive. Especially for a pretend animal planet experiment.

 

[Butterscotchbitesfinger]

@Butterscotchbitesfinger oh no its totally understandable! if I wasnt in the situation I am whith all the food supply for preds id tell anyone the same thing you did! I lost my favorite hen to a yote a few years back when a sitter didn't know the property as well as I did and a hen disappeared (went broody outside coop and had hidden a nest) I told her exactly where to look! Unfortunately she didnt get the message till next day and by then it was to late

I’m so sorry for your loss.

 

[aart]

Yep, have tossed birds that died or were euthanized and also slaughter waste out into woods.....did not document or really keep a close enough eye on them to see if and when they were taken by wildlife. I figured if something can get a meal there fine, otherwise it'll just rot into the ground, helped by bugs I'm sure.
Cool game cam shots @Kessel23.

 

[Kessel23]

Everyone has predators but we don't feed them and they move on, looking for food.. but you having a buffet, they're going to stay.

How often do you think I have a dead bird? If those animals are lucky they will get a tiny cockerel or pullet once a month, that definitely is not enough food to create some army of predators that just sit around waiting for me to toss them their next 1/2 pound meal.