First loss

[noconachickenmama]

So, I've had chickens for 5 months and today was bittersweet...We had our first egg today, but I also found two of my birds dead this morning. I'm sure you've all experienced this...just bad luck. My boyfriend was out of town, I got off work late, and came home after dark. Maybe 45 min after sunset. Checked the coop, but it was dark. Only saw 6 of my 8 birds but thought maybe they were just cuddled up. Anyways, found my Rhode Island red roo this morning in the driveway, half eaten. Then checked the coop again and still short one. Found feathers only from another roo about 20 feet from the first. What confuses me is that we didn't see the body last night, but they were killed FAR from the coop so I'm shocked that they weren't in their coop. We have security cameras but caught nothing. I had four roosters out of eight chickens ,from my "all pullets" chicks I bought at TSC, so I guess I can just be thankful it was 2 roos. Keeping them in the run for a few days and moving cameras a bit to see if whatever killed them comes back. Update...found second bird's body. See second picture.

 

[hayley3]

There can be two predators...one that does the killing and one that stumbles upon the dead carcass and drags it off somewhere else. Was your coop locked up before you came home?

 

[noconachickenmama]

There can be two predators...one that does the killing and one that stumbles upon the dead carcass and drags it off somewhere else. Was your coop locked up before you came home?

No, the coop wasn't closed. I got off late unexpectedly. However, we are on 17 acres. My chickens free range, but hang out on about 2 acres. They are usually in the front yard, where there is a lot of cover...hay bales, tractors, farm equipment, trees...but the chickens always go in their coop by themselves at night. The coop is in the backyard, behind the house. I found the two out front, not far apart, indicating to me they were killed before dark, but I can't be sure. Surprised we had nothing on camera. But what can catch TWO, and not be on camera? Do owls hunt together? Do they hunt at dusk? It was a cloudy day, too, but usually the chickens go to their coop even earlier then.

 

[Folly's place]

I'm so sorry for your losses, it's never good. Do keep your survivors in their safe coop and run until this is resolved, or at least two weeks or so. Reset the security cameras, or add game cameras, to try to ID the culprits. I wonder about a canine of some sort, and it could be during the day, or in the open coop last evening.
Mary

 

[noconachickenmama]

I'm so sorry for your losses, it's never good. Do keep your survivors in their safe coop and run until this is resolved, or at least two weeks or so. Reset the security cameras, or add game cameras, to try to ID the culprits. I wonder about a canine of some sort, and it could be during the day, or in the open coop last evening.
Mary

Thank you. I had the extra roosters advertised, trying to find them a home because I had four. I guess most just butcher them, but I couldn't. They were only five months old, so not really fighting. And I guess it helps that I got them all together at just a week or so old. So, I actually needed the roos to go, but this isn't the way I wanted that to happen. I guess as everyone does, I want to know WHAT killed them. I have two 10 lb dogs that I let out to potty at night, but always with their "big brother" who's about 80 lbs. Would certainly like to know if it was coyotes but I think they'd just take the whole bird.

 

[hayley3]

It could be anything with all that acreage. But I always think raccoon first if you found a body.
Whatever it is will be back so having an open coop at night is not the safest thing.

 

[50-45-1]

Hawk or owl might kill during the daylight hours, then it could be raccoonos or opossum that feast during the night.
If this invoved a fox or coyote, you would not have found a body. It would have been removed and taken with them.
If you dont install a locking door on your coop to keep critters out at night, i dont Give your chickens much hope. Im only supprised its taken the preditors this long to find you.
Sorry for your loss!

 

[noconachickenmama]

Hawk or owl might kill during the daylight hours, then it could be raccoonos or opossum that feast during the night.
If this invoved a fox or coyote, you would not have found a body. It would have been removed and taken with them.
If you dont install a locking door on your coop to keep critters out at night, i dont Give your chickens much hope. Im only supprised its taken the preditors this long to find you.
Sorry for your loss!

I'm a little frustrated that a couple of comments have indicated that I'm stupid and leave my coop open. If you read my post you will see that is not the case. My boyfriend is usually home, and he locks the coop up. He was out of town. I usually get home right at dusk, but I work for a doctor's office and we had a late patient. I couldn't leave. I was very upset to see only 6 if my 8 birds in the coop when I got home, but I wasn't even sure...they all go to the back of the coop and cuddle together. It's a big coop and it was dark. My coop is very secure, and the run is good for daylight, vut as I said they generally free range during the day and we've not lost a bird. With the circumstances, I almost wonder if so etching chased those two and they were hiding, then got killed in the morning next day. Or if the head rooster wouldn't let them in the coop. The one carcass was in the driveway, but my boyfriend would have seen it when he came home at 8:30. So I really think for some reason they did not go in the coop but weren't killed yet, then got killed in the later hours or in the morning. And I'm thinking hawk or owl because we have cameras and caught nothing

 

[noconachickenmama]

As I mentioned, I DO NOT leave my coop open. It was a one time unfortunate combination of circumstances...ugh

It could be anything with all that acreage. But I always think raccoon first if you found a body.
Whatever it is will be back so having an open coop at night is not the safest thing.

NOT l

 

[sourland]

To me the kills look like raptor kills. Feathers plucked and strewn around the carcass and meat eaten from the bones.