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

[cmom]

I think most people who own chickens have had a predator kill some of their birds. I have lost my share too in the past but not for a very long time. I put electric around my coops and pens, concrete under my gates and heavy duty netting over my pens. I have 2 coops that are open on one side and before the tarps went up and the netting, it killed several of my birds. I couldn't figure out what it was because I couldn't find how the predator was getting in. The camera told the story, it was an owl. I have video of it killing a bird.

 

[cmom]

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

 

[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.

 

[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.

 

[Raenh]

So very sorry for your loss...

 

[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.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

So very sorry for the devastation. Do you have any idea as to what the predators were ? Almost sounds like the work of multiple dogs. The only time I lost that many in one incident, it was dogs.

I must second sourland's post. Once when I was a child we lost almost half whole baby chick house of week old replacement pullets when a weasel or mink, (I don't remember which) killed almost 1/2 of the chicks hiding out under the gas brooder. This replacement house's floor was tongue & groove floored and raised off the ground. The door crack was about the only place that entrance could be forced into the replacement brooder house. All the chicks were neatly piled up in the floor so I suspect a weasel.

I have lost multiple game roosters and not a few hens to single dog attacks. Dogs don't normally kill from hunger but from boredom.

 

[morganalefae]

I agree with electric fencing, I would use the tight knit hard wire cloth stuff can't remember what it's called I would nail/staple it to the base of the coop/run frame and dig about 3-4 ft down and about 2 ft out and lay that in followed by chicken wire over the top of the cloth stuff and fill it in. I have my coop lifted about 2ft of the ground and have put paving slabs under it and attached it to my run so extra run space that's predator free there. My run is build on top of a large raised bed area so under all the dirt there are paving slabs and along 3 sides are thick concrete slabs that I have attached the bottom of my run 2. along one side is a large brick building so I don't think any predators will get in easy. But I know it sucks losing a animal I had one of my girls disappear a few weeks ago no signs of struggle nothing just gone she was a fav.

 

[chickendreams24]

Oh no I'm so very very sorry for your losses.

Personally I think a lot can be gained from seeing the aftermath after a predator attack. But from experience I know it can also be extremely horrendous. We've had losses, too many losses, but never so many at once. Again I'm so sorry. I've been there before when you're wondering should I really, can I, do I want to start again. Do what's best for you right now but don't beat yourself up too much or your DH. Mistakes are made by us all but sometimes you can't keep them safe no matter how hard you try. All we can do is our best.

Don't give up you can do this. I would contact the DNR they should know these coyotes have become so bold. I would also put up a game camera if you have one and then I would deal with the whole pack if you can. Now that those pups know what chicken is you can be sure they'll be back.

We will be rebuilding our coop next year after rat and mink attacks. Underneath the inside and outside walls; wood siding outside and I forget what it's called inside but it's washable and water proof, we will be lining at least the bottom 2-3 feet with hardware cloth with either chicken wire or a larger welded wire fencing on top for double defense both the inside and the outside. Part of our reasoning for this is to keep predators and rodents out.

We had a serious problem with predatory rats 18 or so months ago which brought in a mink. Actually it wasn't the first time the mink was here. Anyway we worked for months to get rid of the rats and tried to get the mink. We were unsuccessful with the mink but now we are worried the rats are back or will come back.

Our coop does have a foundation however the rats chewed right through it to enter our main coop walls the first time. If we ever lay the foundation for a coop(this was an existing building) we plan to run metal in the foundation to deter chewing.

 

[Trish1974]

Along the lines of what @morganalefae was saying, instead of doing all that digging to bury the hardware cloth you can just bring it out away from the fence line (like an apron) and use landscaping pins to hold it to the ground. Eventually the grass will grow through it, you won't even see the fence and you can mow right over it. That will save you so much time and will spare you a lot of aches and pains! You can see in this picture where I had just finished replacing my woven wire fence with hardware cloth, how it is lying flat over the ground. In just a few months it looked like the far right end where the grass had already grown through the hardware cloth. I brought mine out 18".

Also, I would use U-nails to secure any fence or hardware cloth to your coop. I've heard stories of big raccoons pushing or pulling through fence that was only stapled.