Golden Comets

[BishopJohn]

11 out of 12 killed? Time to go hunting, I'd say. I am still feeling horrible that I left the coop door unlatched yesterday and my puppy got in there and killed one of my 1 month olds. I guess I'm just lucky it wasn't all but one.

 

[ostmark]

I'm in a fairly developed section of Gainesville Florida, and over the years I've had trouble with raccoons, possums, bobcat, coyotes, great horned owls, and hawks. I now have battery operated alarm sensors, they sell for about $10 on sale at Harbor Freight, that go off when an animal comes snooping around the coop at night. In the last 10 months I've shot some five racoons and a couple large possums (I let the small ones go) that my dog has treed, I let him out when the alarm goes off. And of course I latch the doors to the coop at night fall (they are allowed to roam my seven acres during the day..) The coyotes have been brazen enough come hunting chickens during the middle of the day, and I finally shot a female when she came around the corner chasing a hen. They haven't been back, but they will... Always something out to eat your chickens!

 

[ToddR]

Yeah, I learned the hard lesson on not making sure I latched the gate at nightfall.
Still not sure of the predator since the crime scene doesn't make sense.
One duck killed and eaten on site. Biggest and slowest meal. Five chick carcasses with puncture wounds. Six chicks missing with no feathers laying around. And "Lucky" with puncture wounds that didn't hit vital organs.
Daughter saw a fox on the way home, a couple doors down, but nothing else when she pulled into the drive.
Only thing I know we have in our rural area outside of city limits is possum.
Lack of feathers seems like a "pack" of some sort that hauled off the chicks.
Once I get the coop done in the backyard, the dogs should keep predators at a distance.
Live and learn .... sigh.

 

[buzz2978]

Sounds like a fox or coyote to me...with the stolen chicks I would say fox. They are one of the smartest things living under the trees and are capable of "supermarket shopping" and are smart enough to pull it off. Maybe a young family...mommy fox teaching her young adolescents how to steal your chickens! Get a have a heart trap (tie a chicken by the leg inside it overnight, sorry sacrificed bird...) and you will find out who is coming around. Just make sure the trap is big enough for the critter...happy hunting!

P.S.
My dad has had problems with weasels, fox and other predators. He started putting a dog in the run at night and now no more problems...She has a nice dog house and sleeps right outside the co-op, inside the birds run and the dog and birds free range in the day. Great solution if you have a dog willing to bunk with the chickens/ducks...

 

[toddtodeter]

Could you please be more specific about the alarm sensors from harbor freight?

 

[LindaB220]

Could you please be more specific about the alarm sensors from harbor freight?

Hey Todd

That is exactly what I want to know also.

 

[Donna Bass]

so i have been told that she is a issa brown, or RIR now I been told she might be a golden comet! lol this is her 2 days ago. she was very loud if any of the other birds came near her, she never laid a egg before and I thought she was to young, 15 weeks old she was also the littlest baby we had. Now today she laid a egg!


go Ginger!

 

[ToddR]

With little splotches of white she looks like my golden comets. Awesome job at 14 wks!

 

[ByrdWc3]

My GC is the sweetest friendliest of my bunch, and they are all pretty great. Can anyone tell me if this is her dark brown egg?
I think it may be her first. She's 4 1/2 months old.

 

[LindaB220]

My GC is the sweetest friendliest of my bunch, and they are all pretty great. Can anyone tell me if this is her dark brown egg?
I think it may be her first. She's 4 1/2 months old.

Hey Byrd,

You have a great setup My comets are almost 4 mo old and I'd be interested in finding out the color also.

But wait. Go back to post #47 and the color looks like the other egg. Let us know.