Heartbroken after losing 75+ birds, 2 turkeys, & 10 ducks.

[Stajemahal]

I think putting up electric fencing around your coop/run would give you the most protection. That is easy to do; no man needed!

& I believe someone above said they had solar powered ones?

 

[Morrigan]

Yes it plugs into an electric outlet. The battery and solar are ok but I had more problems with them.

Very, very sorry for your losses. I had a bobcat wipe out most of my hens one night and know exactly how horrific it is to find that in the morning.

Agree with electric fencing and the above post. Plug-ins are cheaper and more reliable. I had a solar powered one, but it stopped working in the winter.

 

[Tortoise]

Oh wow, how devastating, so very sorry.

 

[HuskerHens18]

I agree with Al. We have a fairly large coyote pack here as well and they only take what they can hold and flee the property. One dog killed 17 animals in a half an hour here, I'm voting you have a dog problem. They can be really sneaky to you, but leave a horrible mess behind.

 

[21hens-incharge]

We would all like to help you figure out the predator proofing.
We need more details though.

What is the coop made of?
What is the run made of?
Is there a roof of wire or solid material on the run?
Can you add hot wire around it?
(It comes in solar powered too)

Such a devastating loss! I am so sorry.

 

[muddy75]

So sorry for your loss! I agree with your theory that it was most likely multiple coyotes to cause so much devastation in a single night. if it were me, (and in an area to do so safely) in addition to traps and extra security measures, I would put out some bait, pull up my predator call and do a couple all-nighters with my 12ga or predator rifle and thin out the predator population!

 

[cmom]

If you have a game camera and put it up. I'm sure whatever it was it will be back. We have lots of coyotes around here too but they rarely hunt in packs. The most I have seen together is 3. I have several game cameras on my property. I live on a dead end road. There is a trail that goes along our property and the predators use it like an interstate. Good luck...

 

[Stajemahal]

For now..... Find a way to lock up the survivors.

Lock em up tight.

They've been moved to a new coop entirely.
Honestly, it's a shed but the survivors are so freaked out, I wasn't
about to put them back in the horror house.

 

[21hens-incharge]

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/catalog/electric-fencing

AC is the kind that gets plugged into an outlet. DC would be anything running on batteries.

Solar charges batteries and is subject to failing with days of heavy cloud cover or snow on the charging panel.

 

[EggWalrus]

& I believe someone above said they had solar powered ones?

Staj, I'm so sorry you are going thru this loss. I lost about 40 back on New Year's Day. And no matter how long you've been keeping chickens, it never doesn't pull at your heart strings. We can't always see every way a predator that is determined can get our birds, so don't blame yourself or your hubby. All we can do is fortify our coops and try to make them as predator proof as possible. Another good idea is to compartmentize the coops. That way if one gets broke into, you don't lose everything. We have it a lot easier these days compared to days of old. We have electric fences, game cams, modern traps. But back then catching a predator meant sitting up all night without falling asleep, for nights on end, and trying to shoot the bastard in the dark.
I'll be praying for you and your survivors. Best of luck to you.