Help! Massacre, need revenge

[AmyJane725]

The cunningness of it all makes me think raccoon too, but I've also never heard of a raccoon eating the entire bird (or large group of birds) on site. I've heard of them ripping off heads, eating crops and leaving the rest, or just eating part, but never entire bodies. I feel like that would have to be something big. Maybe a raccoon opened everything and something bigger came in and cleaned up? Bizarre.

I'm so sorry for all of your losses. That's horrific. Especially the sweet little babies and momma I'm glad you found one at least. Too bad it can't talk and tell you what happened.

If it were me, I'd take your poor little survivor, set it up in the garage again with a live feed game camera on it, and sit waiting with a gun. When whatever it is comes back to finish the job, run in there and shoot it (hopefully without damaging your garage...) Might be some holes in that plan, but that's what I'd do.

 

[Cryss]

Oh how horrible! I am so sorry! I really hope you get to the bottom of this. A camera would be my second step. My first would be an electric fence!

 

[50-45-1]

Agree that it sounds like at least two different preditors.
Set some traps appropriate for coon as that critter is known for figuring out latches.
Also if your coop is not to far from the house, you could use a baby monitor to listen for a disturbance.
I had a ferel tom cat who ate all my baby chicks once. He ate them where they were and left behind wings, beaks and feet like you describe.
Coyote and bobcat will take your housecats.
Im sorry for your losses, its so frustrating.
The secure coop and run i have now are the result of years of preditors showing me where my flaws and weeknesses were.
Good luck!

 

[centrarchid]

I have had three predators representing three species in one night that were recorded on same camera in barn. I have also had repeated instances before dogs in place where and owl comes in disturbing flock with a red fox then finding flushed birds on the ground in the dark. Most of the time such combinations do not occur,

 

[cmom]

@Elsveta641 So sorry about you losses too. If you have a game camera I would put it up and then you will find out what you are dealing with because it will keep coming back. I agree with Mary, I have electric wire around my coops and pens and the predators don't mess with it, they know it's there. I also put concrete under my gates and heavy duty netting covering all of my pens. There are some places I dug a trench along the bottom of some places along a fence a foot deep and then took some wire and hogged ringed the wire I put in the trench to the bottom of the fence. Everything was done because of losses due to predators in the past. I have used both leg traps for a fox and bobcat and live traps. I baited the live traps for a few nights and let the predators take the bait then set the traps and caught the predator. Good luck...

 

[cmom]

@LilFox

 

[woodmort]

I agree with some of those above--sounds like a combination of predators. Having lost birds to all of the above I found there are a variety of ways they kill and/or eat. Coons will kill and eat crops maybe stomach parts but leave the rest, rarely do the kill more than one or two. at a time Weasels and mink will kill and kill everything they can reach, often eating nothing but just leave a mark on the neck. Fishers will also kill what they can get at and. maybe carry off one to eat. Foxes, bobcats and coyotes will kill and carry off, prefer to eat in solitude or take to dens for young. Owls and hawks leave a lot of feathers and will carry off unless the chicken is really large. Cats will kill young chicks but rarelu an adult or even a pullet/cockerel. Also coons are the most likely to break in although a fisher is strong enough to tear its way through wire if it isn't secured well--I had a friend who had one go through the side of her plywood coop,

Finally a pack of dogs could be working to do the damage you describe, Of all the predators they are least likely to carry off and most likely to kill, eat some and leave. They are also capable of tearing their way into a building.

BTW it might help if you gave us an idea where you live--area, in town or out? Good luck and, from experience, I can say revenge is sweet so hope you catch the culprit(s)

 

[cmom]

A few months ago a predator got a gate opened to one of my pens and killed 2 birds. When I discovered it the next morning I wired the gates shut. Whatever it was it also knocked down a post next to the gate that had electric wire. I suspect the predator may have gotten a shock when it hit the wire or possibly more birds would have been killed. I suspect it was a fox because I saw a fox on my game camera that is pointed at that coop but it was a little foggy that night so I couldn't see the gate. The following night the gate had been messed with again but this time the predator didn't get it opened. I saw a fox and a coyote on camera. Around the same time I had a bird that was out taken by a fox during the middle of the day.

 

[DuckWhisperer06]

The cunningness of it all makes me think raccoon too, but I've also never heard of a raccoon eating the entire bird (or large group of birds) on site. I've heard of them ripping off heads, eating crops and leaving the rest, or just eating part, but never entire bodies. I feel like that would have to be something big. Maybe a raccoon opened everything and something bigger came in and cleaned up? Bizarre.

I'm so sorry for all of your losses. That's horrific. Especially the sweet little babies and momma I'm glad you found one at least. Too bad it can't talk and tell you what happened.

If it were me, I'd take your poor little survivor, set it up in the garage again with a live feed game camera on it, and sit waiting with a gun. When whatever it is comes back to finish the job, run in there and shoot it (hopefully without damaging your garage...) Might be some holes in that plan, but that's what I'd do.

However the OP decides to lure it in and trap it, it needs to go. A .22 (or even a pellet gun) should work for the smaller predators, a coyote might take a bit more to bring down. A game camera would help you see what you’re dealing with.

 

[cmom]

I agree. I would permanently relocate too. I just bought a Ruger 1022 with a scope. I thought if I saw a coyote, I'd shoot it. We have so many here and a neighbor invited some people onto his property to shoot a few. I see them most every night on at least one of my game cameras. Here nothing preys on the coyotes but the coyotes will prey on everything else including bobcats and fox if they can catch them.