Help me stop the carnage!

[DragginA$$]

Hi!
I am desperate. I'm losing a hen every day or two. I have a trail cam coming tomorrow (Wednesday evening) and then I'm out of town for four days! I am down to three hens with multiple predators, I think.

I found one hen with just her head missing. Raccoon. The others have left a few feathers from the struggle and I find nothing else. I think it could be a fox. Most opossums leave the body without organs.

I thought they were going missing at dusk. I have an electric coop door so I programmed the door to close earlier in the evening (still after they go to roost). I had four last night. I checked this morning and I'd lost one already.

I have a well-ventilated coop that's 6x6' and 8' high with hardware cloth on three sides plus an oscillating fan. I'm in Dallas, TX and the high for the next five days 101 at 50% humidity. I don't have a run since they have the run of the whole backyard.

Should I keep them locked in the coop (for five days!) until I figure out what's getting them?
Or let them get picked off one at a time?
Or something else I'm not considering?

Thank you in advance for your suggestions.
Heartsick Chicken Mom,
Kellye

Hi there! I feel your pain so much! We are in Virginia. I agree with the other folks, it will certainly help to find out exactly what is getting them so you can take action accordingly. We have owls (which will only eat the heads, I know this because I woke straight up at 4 in the morning to catch the owl in the act). We also have fox, raccoon, coyotes, ferel cats, squirrels, etc. everything likes chicken. Here’s what we did. We have a large coop INSIDE 6 foot chain link dog kennel fence. We have 5 10x10s with the doors to open so we can rotate our girls. The top is completely covered with the chain link panels and welded wire fence with bird spikes. Around the bottom is chicken wire, and rebar every 4-6 inches. We haven’t lost anyone since 5/31. However, a fox tried digging through so this weekend I am adding more rebar around every 2-3 inches. The rebar goes down 8-10 inches.

Phase 2 will be electric fencing!

You obviously can’t do this before you go as long as you have someone checking on them and plenty of water it may be best to keep them cooped up.

I am sorry to say that you will find it is a constant battle to keep your babies safe as the predators are relentless.

Good luck!

 

[Ila88]

Have you tried a raccoon trap? We also have kept a radio on talk which seems to help, as well as having a dog and/or man pee around the coop. Good luck. It is heartbreaking to lose them to predators.

 

[NebraskaHick]

Around here I have more problems with dogs than wild varmints! At the latest episode (no chicken deaths) the Sheriff was involved. The dogs in question have been a local problem and he gave us the directive to "shoot on sight", since the owners aren't controlling them.

 

[PippaN]

Hi!
I am desperate. I'm losing a hen every day or two. I have a trail cam coming tomorrow (Wednesday evening) and then I'm out of town for four days! I am down to three hens with multiple predators, I think.

I found one hen with just her head missing. Raccoon. The others have left a few feathers from the struggle and I find nothing else. I think it could be a fox. Most opossums leave the body without organs.

I thought they were going missing at dusk. I have an electric coop door so I programmed the door to close earlier in the evening (still after they go to roost). I had four last night. I checked this morning and I'd lost one already.

I have a well-ventilated coop that's 6x6' and 8' high with hardware cloth on three sides plus an oscillating fan. I'm in Dallas, TX and the high for the next five days 101 at 50% humidity. I don't have a run since they have the run of the whole backyard.

Should I keep them locked in the coop (for five days!) until I figure out what's getting them?
Or let them get picked off one at a time?
Or something else I'm not considering?

Thank you in advance for your suggestions.
Heartsick Chicken Mom,
Kellye

Sorry for your loss. Need more details. Question is, are predators getting into the coop or into your yard as they free range. If the yard, its obvious that you need to build a proper hardware protected run. If the coop, how are they getting in and have you electrified it?

 

[TARDIS37379]

I love it it's like a chicken fortress.

My neighbor called it Maximum Security Egg Holder

 

[pamiejune]

I think you're right about different predators. Head missing can also be mink/weasel/ermine, and they only need a 1" opening to get in. A few feathers left can be a hawk/eagle, besides the fox. Skunk will also take a chicken. If you don't lock them up, they will all be gone when you return. Build a run when you get back. Your run will have to be 1/2" hardware cloth 2 ft. up from the ground (I layer it over 1" HC that's used for the rest of the run) plus sink it into the ground by a foot. Cover the top with hardware cloth, too, as racoons climb and can rip right through chicken wire. With a set-up like this, they can stay out all the time. You can place a tarp over it for shade and protection from rain/snow. I buy my HC online as it's much cheaper in 100' rolls that way.

I really feel for you as I went through this heartbreak, living right next to woods, many years ago when my children were little. Not so much now (just the aerial predators) as my property is all lawn (fenced-in backyard) and pasture, few trees - no cover for ground predators, although fox can be very brazen. Good luck!

Pam

 

[rwoodstockn]

Hello kellyek.
Welcome to BYC.
A trail cam does not stop predators. Sure it's great having a picture of what's killing your chickens but it won't stop them dying!
At 101 F, I would say you shouldn't lock them in their coop.
The answer is to build them a secure run and cancel your trip.

A trail can won't stop predators, but the right one can tell you when they're coming around so you can be in position to interdict them. I got a less capable can the first time around; it doesn't have date and time stamps on the pics. Wal-Mart had one for around $40 that does have date/time stamps.
If I know when to expect bad guys I can be ready with the appropriate solution.

 

[Shadrach]

A trail can won't stop predators, but the right one can tell you when they're coming around so you can be in position to interdict them. I got a less capable can the first time around; it doesn't have date and time stamps on the pics. Wal-Mart had one for around $40 that does have date/time stamps.
If I know when to expect bad guys I can be ready with the appropriate solution.

I don't know. The bad guys you get seem pretty reasonable if they turn up at a particular time.
Part of the point of being a bad guy here at least is to be unpredictable and fast.
Maybe we've got different bad guys.

 

[CatWhisperer]

You might want to add another box fan while you are gone. Also if their water won’t stay cool in the heat you may need to have someone giving them fresh cold water while you are gone.

 

[Wicked Storm]

Hi!
I am desperate. I'm losing a hen every day or two. I have a trail cam coming tomorrow (Wednesday evening) and then I'm out of town for four days! I am down to three hens with multiple predators, I think.

I found one hen with just her head missing. Raccoon. The others have left a few feathers from the struggle and I find nothing else. I think it could be a fox. Most opossums leave the body without organs.

I thought they were going missing at dusk. I have an electric coop door so I programmed the door to close earlier in the evening (still after they go to roost). I had four last night. I checked this morning and I'd lost one already.

I have a well-ventilated coop that's 6x6' and 8' high with hardware cloth on three sides plus an oscillating fan. I'm in Dallas, TX and the high for the next five days 101 at 50% humidity. I don't have a run since they have the run of the whole backyard.

Should I keep them locked in the coop (for five days!) until I figure out what's getting them?
Or let them get picked off one at a time?
Or something else I'm not considering?

Thank you in advance for your suggestions.
Heartsick Chicken Mom,
Kellye

Owls are the ones who eat just the head, found that out the hard way a few years ago.