First losses to a predator. What am i on the look out for?

[NoseyChickens]

Thank you everyone. School is out after tomorrow and DS and his friend are dead set to get this thing. I'll be looking into a trap.

 

[bburn]

Three racoons and one possum later.....I say racoon also. My DH said he had never SEEN a racoon up here i the thirty years he has lived here.

I am getting pretty good at setting the traps. Tuna or really smelly cat food to set the trap. Borrow to get multiple traps if you can. Seems there is never one.....

 

[MetalSmitten]

we caught our first coon last night, after two chicks were taken the night before. we've been here 1.5 years and this was our very first predator problem, we'd also never seen raccoons here before.

i hope you get your culprit.

 

[ranit]

In my experience a coon or possum will eat on the whole chicken a lot of time just leaving feathers, wings and sometimes feet. Mink and weasels will often mass kill eating the heads and leaving the rest. They will also go for the younger birds as the older ones are bigger than they are and a bigger fight.

 

[NoseyChickens]

Yes these little ones were still very small. And not too used to the run and coop. The older birds in the run and the runs next to it hid in the coops. I am seriously wondering if it might have been something air bound. The ground is sand the there were no tracks what so ever. They were also all in the middle of the run, not pulled through the fence. Our runs are not covered. We have alot of hawks, ravens, owls and what not out here as my entire town is a bird sanctuarary (sp?). We even get migrating vultures at certain times of the year. I did a little research online last night and read a few things that say hawks will decapitate and take the head, so will owls. It was also right in the middle of the day though so that could rule out a couple of things anyway. I did put in a call to my neighbor whos inlaws have lived out here forever and she is going to ask them what it may have been. They used to raise chickens as well.

 

[colebarnhart]

Quote:
If it was during the day and your run is open from the top then I think your right in ruling out the night predators and you seem to have read up on it enough and answered your own question

Thanks for the info

 

[WhetzelMomma]

Sounds like it's possible that it was a bird of prey for sure!! Don't rule out "night" predators just because they are SUPPOSED to hunt at night. They kill during the day too!! I know a woman in my area that lost her whole flock of 40+ birds to a raccoon in the middle of the day.

 

[bryan99705]

Possible weasel, Big enough to kill them and chew off head then they drink the blood but leave the carcass. Suggest crawl the coop perimeter looking for gaps, dig marks, hair left on wire, and tracks. Then you rake and smooth the dirt all around you coop so any footprints will clearly show.
Once you know what you're fighting, then you'll better know how to stop it. Also consider netting the run with fruit tree net or some folks have success hanging shiny items from strings over the run however hawks & owls usually takes the carcass to feed little ones

 

[dragonlair]

I had that happen to a couple of my adult layers, the culprit was a fox.

 

[Moochie]

I'm no help here Mrs. Olvera but your thread worries me about the safety of my little ones. About a month ago a cat was endangering my flock, now possible hawks? :L

I am also very sorry for your loss.