First Time Egg Candler Scared!

[coleson12]

One of my chickens was snatched up during the night! , I dont know what got it

 

[chicapee]

One of my chickens was snatched up during the night! , I dont know what got it

sorry to hear that coleson. Were they in the coop or run or free ranging.

 

[coleson12]

sorry to hear that coleson. Were they in the coop or run or free ranging.

they were in a dog cage with poles running up and down, you know what Im talking about? the poles were about 1 inch apart. What do you think got him? By the way it was TED. The one I helped for day to assisted hatch

 

[scflock]

they were in a dog cage with poles running up and down, you know what Im talking about? the poles were about 1 inch apart. What do you think got him? By the way it was TED. The one I helped for day to assisted hatch

Like a dog carrying crate? Were there any feathers, or anything else left around? I have had a raccoon reach through small gaps in a fence and pull chicks through

 

[chicapee]

Can you post a picture? What time of day did it happen?

 

[coleson12]

There were a few feathers but nothing else. This is what the dog crate looks like.

 

[coleson12]

I found he was missing in the morning, I guess it happened at night

 

[chicapee]

He must have been dragged through the bars, could have been a coon, possom etc. You may have to cover the cage with hardware cloth, to prevent anything from access to your babies. Sorry coleson, that is so sad especially as you have worked so hard with them.

 

[scflock]

I found he was missing in the morning, I guess it happened at night

I'm sorry, I hate that for you. The longer you keep chickens, the more you will learn to defend against. Everything likes to eat chicken. Without seeing, my guess is raccoon. They can grasp with their paws, and the chicks probably slept against a wall. A 'coon could pull one through the gaps in the wire. See if your parents will buy you a roll of hardware cloth (Like what they build rabbit cages out of) to zip tie around the crate. The mesh will be too small for anything to reach through

 

[scflock]

He must have been dragged through the bars, could have been a coon, possom etc. You may have to cover the cage with hardware cloth, to prevent anything from access to your babies. Sorry coleson, that is so sad especially as you have worked so hard with them.

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