Help! Predator took ALL my chicken in 1-2 hours

[Math]

I'm sorry for your lost. I guest we have to be prepared and watchful.

A bobcat killed two of my hens in their pen 2 days ago. I caught one bobcat in my trap but I think there is another. I have set my trap again. Maybe I will get the second bobcat.

 

[nayeli]

I'm sorry for your lost. I guest we have to be prepared and watchful.

A bobcat killed two of my hens in their pen 2 days ago. I caught one bobcat in my trap but I think there is another. I have set my trap again. Maybe I will get the second bobcat.

What do you do with them when you catch them? How big are they?

 

[TexasVet]

Owls and hawks are raptors, and they are protected by state and federal regulations. It is illegal to capture or kill one (even in Texas) without a depredation permit. Getting caught could result in steep fines and jail time.

Info on the permit can be found here: http://www.fws.gov/forms/3-200-13.pdf

 

[dekel18042]

Sorry for your losses. Unfortunately predators will show you your weakness in your chicken containment system. Most of us have suffered this at one time or another. In our area, we have several types of predators and in my opinion foxes are the worst. They are smart and sneaky. The chickens could range the grounds freely under the watchful eye of our dog. Nothing was ever taken on his watch. One day last summer I had a quick errand to run and popped him in the house and left. Fifteen minutes later I returned to find my mother in law in the yard with a broom. She had seen a fox. Unfortunately my beautiful large Jersey giant hen was gone. (Why she went out with a broom instead of sending the dog out is beyond me.)For this to happen so quickly, the only thing I could figure was the fox had been watching from a vantage point and when the dog went in he sprang into action.
A nearby neighbor had 17 chickens disappear in one night. They were inside the coop high on roosts, but the chicken door was a flap that was not secured that night. The foxes (I suspect more than one.) had carried the chickens away. All that remained was a blizzard of feathers.
What makes foxes the worst of predators in our location is that they will hunt and be out both day and night so just locking the chickens up at night isn't enough. Foxes will also carry extra food (chickens) away and cache them for when their food supply is lower.

 

[gotthefever]

Yes, It can happen. Niavete...broad daylight, 11am dogs and humans in and out of the house every 15 min. August, so possible young fox snached easy pickins.


No free range with out protection. Lesson learned.

 

[gotthefever]

Sorry for your losses. Unfortunately predators will show you your weakness in your chicken containment system. Most of us have suffered this at one time or another. In our area, we have several types of predators and in my opinion foxes are the worst. They are smart and sneaky. The chickens could range the grounds freely under the watchful eye of our dog. Nothing was ever taken on his watch. One day last summer I had a quick errand to run and popped him in the house and left. Fifteen minutes later I returned to find my mother in law in the yard with a broom. She had seen a fox. Unfortunately my beautiful large Jersey giant hen was gone. (Why she went out with a broom instead of sending the dog out is beyond me.)For this to happen so quickly, the only thing I could figure was the fox had been watching from a vantage point and when the dog went in he sprang into action.
A nearby neighbor had 17 chickens disappear in one night. They were inside the coop high on roosts, but the chicken door was a flap that was not secured that night. The foxes (I suspect more than one.) had carried the chickens away. All that remained was a blizzard of feathers.
What makes foxes the worst of predators in our location is that they will hunt and be out both day and night so just locking the chickens up at night isn't enough. Foxes will also carry extra food (chickens) away and cache them for when their food supply is lower.

not secured that night....there are many such stories here....I didnt get home in time, door not closed, they like to roost in trees... and then. OH my gosh they are all dead.. So, what have we learned? the precious up. Sundown...whatever method, you, kids, neigbors,, chicken sitters... or they will at some point die at the teeth of predators. My chickens are in an electrified pen when I leave in the evening, I don't sweat too bad to close the coop door other than the cold.

Tjer==

 

[TigerLand]

I am a nuisance wildlife control operator for the Louisiana Dept of Wildlife an Fisheries... Gators, hawks,owls and eagles, black bears and panthers are VERY protected here. I must first investigate and declare it a nuisance problem then contact fish and game, they send an agent out to investigate also, once they deem it a nuisance issue, and only then!! can i trap for the animal.. and with raptors(hawks owls and eagles)... i have to be very very VERY careful not to injure the raptor in any way. same with black bears and panthers but their really serious about birds of prey.. live net traps that dont spring real hard.. i usually pass those jobs on to another fellow nuisance wildlife op because its a big ordeal and not worth the stress or money.. ill stick to skunks and such lol.. dogs and foxes are my biggest problem.. im taking care of that though. red and grey fox around here.. greys are known as tree fox because of their ability to climb like a cat. only k9 in the world with retractable claws like a cat. their more bold and aggressive than a red fox though much smaller in size.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Interesting input. Thanks.

 

[TigerLand]

On another note.. the DNR has made statements that trapping/hunting is the only way to keep wildlife in check.. with the constant development of land.. turning woods into suburbs and walmarts, their running out of places to go and food to eat. I couod show you a graph of how fast a population of coons, fox, coyotes or bobcats can get overpopulated and starvation or disease wipes them out. a very slow and painful death.. where as trapping some of these animals every year keeps their populations healthier and the nuisance calls not as common.These animals are very intelligent and simply relocating has proven not to be effective as their very territorial and relocating an animal into foreign turf is most times a death sentence to the animal.. I support trappers and hunters, not because im cruel and hate the animals but because i love wildlife and love to see them thrive.. I trapped a property last year and caught 1 bobcat, 7 coyotes, 11 red fox and 13 greys. took 5 otter and 34 beavers.. it had never been trapped before. the land owner said he had never seen so many rabbits and turkey on his property, and he had quail moving back into the area. i trapped this place again this winter and caught almost just as many critters.. i did see less mange in the fox and coyote, and the coons and skunks taken did not show signs of distemper like many that i harvested there last year.. healthier population when their controlled.. Hope i dont get bashed for this, the truth sucks some times.

 

[Lynngraham]

my lovely chickens and roo loved free range too. Since the fox attack that took one hen and left my roo badly injured they stay locked up. also have had a hawk attack the coop, but all were safe. we live in a very suburban area.