Hello from Maine!

[allswell63]

Thanks for including me - live in coastal Rockland, Maine. Sadly, we lost our little flock (6 girls) in late autumn to a fisher - nasty! First time such a disaster. We'd been raising since 2012. Our New Hampshire Reds were by far the sweetest and most fun/productive gals. Miss 'em awful. We're re-building/predator proofing our coop and expanding and now just looking or NHRed chix!

 

[Cadence A Waller]

Welcome to BYC! Sorry you lost your flock.

 

[CarpCharacin]

Welcome to BYC! We're glad you decided to join. Sorry for your loss.

 

[DobieLover]

Hello and welcome to BYC! Glad you joined.
So sorry about your flock. Yes, fischers are very aggressive efficient hunters. We saw a family of them run through the woods about 40 feet from where our coop and run now are. We used 1/2" hardware cloth to enclose everything with a 2' wide predator apron of same all the way around and because of the bear who also visits, wrapped the works with 2 hot wires charged with 10,000 volts. Happy to report nothing has breached our defenses!

 

[crazy4ChickensNducks]

Welcome! Sorry about your flock

 

[allswell63]

Hello and welcome to BYC! Glad you joined.
So sorry about your flock. Yes, fischers are very aggressive efficient hunters. We saw a family of them run through the woods about 40 feet from where our coop and run now are. We used 1/2" hardware cloth to enclose everything with a 2' wide predator apron of same all the way around and because of the bear who also visits, wrapped the works with 2 hot wires charged with 10,000 volts. Happy to report nothing has breached our defenses!

Hi and great ideas. We have gotten many ideas (postmortem unfortunately!) from YouTube and we have plans to revamp/renovate our coop. As a baker, I just can't imaging going back to any store-bought eggs, and the fun I have everyday in the yard with the girls watching their 'dynamic' and having fun with meal worms!

 

[allswell63]

Welcome! Sorry about your flock

We aren't dissuaded, that's why we are rebuilding. Sadly would have liked to be wiser before losing our girls!

 

[Callender Girl]

Welcome to BYC, where people understand that your flock wasn't "just chickens"; they meant something to you!

It is devastating when a predator wipes out your flock. I had one survivor when a mink attacked one of my coops. I beat myself up for not getting outside faster, for not having a more secure coop. I thought about throwing in the towel completely.

It's been more than a year, and I have much safer coops and runs now, but I will never completely feel it's safe for my babies. Better latches, more hardware cloth and several Nite Gard solar flashing lights haven been installed.

However, yesterday, in the middle of the day, I noticed my Buff Orp and Faverolles making a fuss in their coop. The door was open to let in some (rare) sunshine, and in the bottom of the coop was a possum. It was as determined to stay as I was to remove it.

After trying a shovel, a pipe wrench an a prybar to get it out from under a nest box, I used the good old southern Iowa method: With heavy gloved hands, I grabbed it by the tail and pulled it out. I can't bring myself to kill an animal that is grinning at me, so I boxed him up and relocated him off the property.

However, had it been a mink, I would have beaten it to death without regret.

Wishing you the best of luck when you rebuild your flock!

 

[DobieLover]

Hi and great ideas. We have gotten many ideas (postmortem unfortunately!) from YouTube and we have plans to revamp/renovate our coop. As a baker, I just can't imaging going back to any store-bought eggs, and the fun I have everyday in the yard with the girls watching their 'dynamic' and having fun with meal worms!

Nothing like the next rivetting episode of Chicken TV.
I too loathe the idea of store bought eggs. Not just from the consuming perspective but knowing the conditions the chickens are kept in.
Good luck with those coop renovations!

 

[DobieLover]

Welcome to BYC, where people understand that your flock wasn't "just chickens"; they meant something to you!

It is devastating when a predator wipes out your flock. I had one survivor when a mink attacked one of my coops. I beat myself up for not getting outside faster, for not having a more secure coop. I thought about throwing in the towel completely.

It's been more than a year, and I have much safer coops and runs now, but I will never completely feel it's safe for my babies. Better latches, more hardware cloth and several Nite Gard solar flashing lights haven been installed.

However, yesterday, in the middle of the day, I noticed my Buff Orp and Faverolles making a fuss in their coop. The door was open to let in some (rare) sunshine, and in the bottom of the coop was a possum. It was as determined to stay as I was to remove it.

After trying a shovel, a pipe wrench an a prybar to get it out from under a nest box, I used the good old southern Iowa method: With heavy gloved hands, I grabbed it by the tail and pulled it out. I can't bring myself to kill an animal that is grinning at me, so I boxed him up and relocated him off the property.

However, had it been a mink, I would have beaten it to death without regret.

Wishing you the best of luck when you rebuild your flock!

How did that little bugger get in there? Good for you for moving it on it's way!