First predator death / free range

[berkchicks]

So I feel like it was bound to happen but I’m pretty devastated over our first death caused by a predator.

Our little 2 month old silkie was killed yesterday during the day. We found a a small pile of feathers and a few drops of blood but that was it.

The rest of the girls (and boys) were in the coop terrified.

We have do feral cats, foxes and hawks.
My gut tells me this was a fox.

Our chickens free range.
This is the first predator death we have had since we started over a year ago.

We have two very good roosters, two dogs that are outside often and we are outside all the time as well. We have owls and this giant spinning crow thing

Should I chalk this up as a freak thing? That she was a young and tiny little easy white fluff ball of a target?

I am not sure what to do.

I would hate to not let them free range any more but of course I would feel terrible if this happened again.

I’m keeping the other 2 month old babies in the run along with a little baby and her broody mama.

We put out a havahart trap but so far nothing.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.
I feel terrible.

 

[DobieLover]

Free ranging and predator loss go hand in hand. The amount of loss depends on the predators you are dealing with, how savvy your birds are at evasion and the amount of shelter they have to escape predation.
Fox are terribly resourceful and clever.
If it was a fox, it will come back for another easy meal. I would lock up the flock for a week or two until the fox realizes it can no longer find an easy meal.
Have you considered confining them to a large electronetted pen? That is what I do and I have yet to suffer a loss of any birds while they are in their pen. Hawks are a constant threat but so far, none have attacked and I see them daily. There must be easier prey elsewhere.

 

[Sea Wolf]

If that is your first loss in over a year with free range, you have done very well. The pile of feathers says it was more than likely a hawk. A fox would have grabbed it and run. Hawks spend some time pulling out feathers and eating if they feel safe. They then will fly off with what is left if they can lift it. I lose a bird every couple of years. To hawks mostly. I have large egg layers and I always have a few polish hens mixed in. I do not make pets out of those. They are decoy birds. If a hawk or predator shows up, all the birds run .. except for the polish. They can't see the danger and they will be sacrificed to save my other birds. If you free range your birds, they are always at risk and predators feel invited. The large, black circling birds you see are probably vultures and no danger to your chickens. A hawk will circle with it's wings out flat. A vultures wings will be angled up in a slight V.

 

[cmom]

Where are you located? When you free range it's inevitable that sooner or later you will be discovered and have a loss. My losses usually have been from either a coyote, fox or a hawk during the day. At night, coyote, fox, possum, bobcat, owl. I have also had a skunk attempt to dig under a gate to a pen. I haven't had any losses except a few months ago. One was my fault. A fox got my very special bird during the day. I was preoccupied. I should have left her in her pen. Then something got a gate open to one of the pens and killed a couple of birds. I think it was the fox too. It did knock over the electric wire next to the gate so probably got shocked or maybe I would have lost more birds. I usually only let the birds out when I'm working outside around the coop. All of my coops have very large pens so the birds have plenty of room. I also have several game cameras around on my property and most nights see a predator on at least one of the cameras. Here it's mostly coyotes. Since I got the fox I have seen some but not like I was. I'm sure the one I got was the one that killed my Gladys. I put my live traps out and baited them and let the fox get used to getting the bait then I set the traps and caught the fox. If you have a game camera, put it up because more than likely the predator will be back. Good luck...

 

[cmom]

Last nights visitor.

 

[Shadrach]

If you've managed a year free ranging with no losses until now you've done well.
For many the knee jerk reaction after their first predator loss is to lock the chickens up.
Unfortunately as you can read on these forums just locking the chickens up doesn't necessarily result in no chicken losses. There a well thought out secure coops and runs and then there are the others.
I can't write you get used to losses because I never have. I lose some every year. Each one has had a name and often I've watched them hatch and grow.
It's this, the hatching and watching them grow, rather than popping down to your nearest feed store and grabbing a few chicks from a bucket that makes the difference to me. I see the cycle of life and death. Not everyone makes it to old age but even those that don't often leave the next generation to carry on.
I say learn to accept the losses. The dead don't care, the other chickens adapt much like we do and life goes on.

 

[berkchicks]

Thank you so much for responding!

So it’s been over a week now and we haven’t had any more attacks/deaths.

I think it was just bad luck and the fact that the victim was a five week old little silkie.

The more I think about it the more I think it was a hawk. Plus the girls are still very on alert every time they see something up in the air, even little birds or butterflies!

Right now doing a larger coop with electrical netting is not possible. I suppose we have just been very lucky so far!

Free ranging and predator loss go hand in hand. The amount of loss depends on the predators you are dealing with, how savvy your birds are at evasion and the amount of shelter they have to escape predation.
Fox are terribly resourceful and clever.
If it was a fox, it will come back for another easy meal. I would lock up the flock for a week or two until the fox realizes it can no longer find an easy meal.
Have you considered confining them to a large electronetted pen? That is what I do and I have yet to suffer a loss of any birds while they are in their pen. Hawks are a constant threat but so far, none have attacked and I see them daily. There must be easier prey elsewhere.

 

[berkchicks]

Thank you so much!

Yeah I think we have been lucky and that this is the first predator loss we’ve suffered.

And I think you are right, the more I think about it the more I agree that it was a hawk. The girls are all still very much on alert every time they see something up in the air, even small birds and butterflies.

It makes sense what you are saying. I read somewhere that chickens don’t need to be faster than their predator, they just need to be faster than the slowest chicken.

We have a little Mille fleur d’uccle and even though she is super fast and smart I still worry about her.

We do have vultures, but like you said I’m not worried about them. Just these mean hawks!

If that is your first loss in over a year with free range, you have done very well. The pile of feathers says it was more than likely a hawk. A fox would have grabbed it and run. Hawks spend some time pulling out feathers and eating if they feel safe. They then will fly off with what is left if they can lift it. I lose a bird every couple of years. To hawks mostly. I have large egg layers and I always have a few polish hens mixed in. I do not make pets out of those. They are decoy birds. If a hawk or predator shows up, all the birds run .. except for the polish. They can't see the danger and they will be sacrificed to save my other birds. If you free range your birds, they are always at risk and predators feel invited. The large, black circling birds you see are probably vultures and no danger to your chickens. A hawk will circle with it's wings out flat. A vultures wings will be angled up in a slight V.

 

[berkchicks]

Thank you so much!

I am in Maryland. I think we have a few less predators than you do. Mostly hocks and foxes are my main concern.

The more I think about it, the more I think this was from a hawk. The foxes are pretty scared of our big dogs, although I know that that doesn’t necessarily rule them out completely. I think the thing that is making me think it was a hawk is that the girls are on super high alert for anything up in the air, even small birds and butterflies.

Where are you located? When you free range it's inevitable that sooner or later you will be discovered and have a loss. My losses usually have been from either a coyote, fox or a hawk during the day. At night, coyote, fox, possum, bobcat, owl. I have also had a skunk attempt to dig under a gate to a pen. I haven't had any losses except a few months ago. One was my fault. A fox got my very special bird during the day. I was preoccupied. I should have left her in her pen. Then something got a gate open to one of the pens and killed a couple of birds. I think it was the fox too. It did knock over the electric wire next to the gate so probably got shocked or maybe I would have lost more birds. I usually only let the birds out when I'm working outside around the coop. All of my coops have very large pens so the birds have plenty of room. I also have several game cameras around on my property and most nights see a predator on at least one of the cameras. Here it's mostly coyotes. Since I got the fox I have seen some but not like I was. I'm sure the one I got was the one that killed my Gladys. I put my live traps out and baited them and let the fox get used to getting the bait then I set the traps and caught the fox. If you have a game camera, put it up because more than likely the predator will be back. Good luck...

 

[berkchicks]

Thank you so much for this response. I really do appreciate it.

We’ve lost three girls so far - one to an impacted crap from neurotically eating mulch (!!!?!), one from “the worst prolapse” our vet has “ever seen” and now this little girl to whatever predator took her.

You are right, it is never easy. Our flock are our pets, not an egg/food source and we definitely are attached to each and everyone of them.

I agree with you, that locking them up doesn’t really do much in regards to the predator. The predators are going to be there regardless. I have kept the little five week olds more locked up than normal and the mama with her one baby but other than that, like you said, “life goes on.“

Thank you again!

If you've managed a year free ranging with no losses until now you've done well.
For many the knee jerk reaction after their first predator loss is to lock the chickens up.
Unfortunately as you can read on these forums just locking the chickens up doesn't necessarily result in no chicken losses. There a well thought out secure coops and runs and then there are the others.
I can't write you get used to losses because I never have. I lose some every year. Each one has had a name and often I've watched them hatch and grow.
It's this, the hatching and watching them grow, rather than popping down to your nearest feed store and grabbing a few chicks from a bucket that makes the difference to me. I see the cycle of life and death. Not everyone makes it to old age but even those that don't often leave the next generation to carry on.
I say learn to accept the losses. The dead don't care, the other chickens adapt much like we do and life goes on.