GRAPHIC: Buff Roo, Found Dead, Pulled Through Door Run

[AHappychick]

set traps and replace all that chicken wire with 1/2 inch or 1/4 inch harware cloth, make sure it is on the bottom at least 2 feet from the floor going out so nothing can dig under or reach in. Poultry netting is not strong enough and the coons can chew it, rip it and reack trough it.

So sorry!

 

[2txmedics]

here's the dog kennel run....and the door way...do u see that tiny gap?...u can see it better on the left side of the picture...the right side is like this...small not even a 2" gap!!!!! and yet it got in

this is my buffs when they are babies like 1mo old...now they are 5mos old and HUGE....you would have thought if they made it as babies, surely when they are alot bigger they would survive! Ive never had a problem before this is one coop of 4 I have...the others are more secure than this one.

 

[bigstack]

I'm So sorry!!!
Coon for sure! They are like rats and cats. If they can get their head in they can squeez in usually. They can and will climb over, dig under, and squeeze through fences/walls. Electric hot wire is a deffinate where I live. I have 3 strands at bottom and 2 on top. first one is 2 inches from ground, then 8 and 12inches up. on top it is 1 inch from fence top and 4 inches higher. I like to be extra safe.

Good Luck and God Bless!

 

[fordmommy]

Coon.

 

[kartking22]

Quote:
I agree with AHappychick. A coon will reach in and grab anything within reach, pull it through the wire and eat as much as possible. Sorry to say too that it will come back when it knows that your chickens aren't as safe as you thought they were. I have had birds grabbed through the 1" chicken wire as well. You need to find a way to deter the coons from getting thier little arms through your wire. I have had electric wire around my coop and the coons found a way over this as well. They are very smart. I found that putting up 3' of old discarded corrugated tin around the run to be my best answer. The coons can't climb up or over this and also shields thier view of what's inside. This also keeps my birds calm if a predator does decide to circle my run.
Set box traps also to catch your killer. If the coon can't find a way into your coop, it might decide to venture for an easier meal in a trap.

 

[ewhulbert]

I had the same thing happen to me over the summer. I lost my entire flock to a mean and pregnant raccoon. I took care of 6 or 7 of them, and its as if they could tell my backyard was a bad place to be because they avoided it for several months. Now I just had a raccoon tip my girls bowl over and raid my pail of scratch, so its time to take the trap out again. If you have a .22 you can take care of them right there in a suburban backyard. It really isnt much louder than the stapler I put their wire up with, and its pretty much impossible to figure out exactly where only one shot came from if you werent expecting and listening for it.

 

[2txmedics]

The gun sound not a problem I live out in a rural area few neighbors but no big deal. I won't hear my hens being attacked as they are to the back of the property. I can hear the Roos crow, but not attacks. The tarp is not to keep anything out other than the sun,wind and rain since all they have is the play house. I have moved my 5mo. Old EE's from a mini coop like this one into my main coop/run since they are smaller than my buffs for sure I'd lose them!! So I'm on over crow in my main coop. Which you can see in my link here called: my beautiful babies. I have 18hen n one white EE roo. Until all these heavy rains n cold weather go away in a few months n built more coops. He was beautiful...

 

[ZooMummzy]

I'm sorry about your loss

I have hardware cloth covering all my fencing (it's like chainlink) even the gate - the whole gate - top to bottom - including the openings on each side. I overlapped it big time on the latch side! My chickens are only out in the run during the day though and completely locked in at night, but I worried about my dogs and neighborhood cats trying to grab the chickens through the openings. I hate working with hardware cloth but I am a big supporter of it.

 

[tnchickenut]

Sorry to hear it... think it is a raccoon. They are so smart at getting in at things... most people underestimate their ability to get in just a inch or so is enough for them to reach in and grab.

Whatever it was, chances are it will be back. Once there is a meal, they don't forget. Put the smallest wire mesh you can afford all around. That will help.

 

[4 Love of Baby Chickens]

I'm SO sorry!!! That's a COON for sure!!!

That's the way I've found 12 of chickens dead unfortenly in the past 3 month AFTER the great Massacre.

Then I lost over 12 of my chickens in just a weeks time while I was at camp in 2008.

Man do I miss my RIR champion hen Rhoda. I still have yet to replace her. She was the best dang broody, layer and winner in my flock.

And my 3 EE's roo's and pullet. I was going to sell the 2 roo's for extra money. One of them to a friend who took a liking to him for $15.00 the other one for $10.00 too. The pullet was almost to laying age too!! Out those EE's I only have 1 hen left!!! And she's not doing so good!! I think she has an impacted crop. Don't know how to take care of it though.

Darn coons. Why do they have to come and mess things up for?????????? I've probably lost over 24 or more chickens to them over the years.

Like my favorite Red Sexlink hen Penny. She looked just like your Buff Orp Roo.

But I saw an fully formed egg inside of her!! All ready to be laid for that day!!! I have replaced most of my flock since then but I still miss all of my hens.

Lil' Blue, my Batnam Blue cochin pullet who had just started laying. Whenever I came into the coop and sat down she would come running and jump up on my lap. Such a lap chicken.

My cute little BR babies. Cloe, Patrick and Teddy.

Whenever they would see me they would come running too and stand right beside me and hope for some petting.

Cute little rascals.

Penelope, my gorgeous BR pullet who had the most perfect barring on any BR's I'v ever had. I was going to enter her in the fair that year. She always came running too whenever she saw me.

Little Shadow 1st, A flightly yet exellent layer and broody. She was just beautiful. I loved her. I have since replaced with just as beautiful BSL pullet that I named Little Shadow 2nd but I still miss the 1st.

Little Red, Penny's sister and a great layer.

I had lost the last of my first chickens that I had gotten on September 12th, 2005. I really liked her and was planning on keeping her for my pet until she died. But not that way!! Horrible death she had.

Dapple, my cute and pretty Batnam hen. Layed cute little eggs too. She would ride and Lil' Blue would each ride on my 2 shoulders if I gave them the chance.

I never did find out what breed she was. She had managed to get away when I first bought her and survived out in the woods for over a week so I knew she must've been tough.

I'm SO sorry about you losing your Buff Orp Rooster like that. Horrible. He didn't have a chance. Do you lock your chickens in their coop at night? Or do they sleep in the run?