HELP! Something killed 20 of my hens in one night!!!

[ranaldifamilyfa]

HELP!!! So my coop has been on this property for over 30 years. we used to have problems with bobcats reaching through the wire so we have about 3 different layers of various chicken wire. we have had coyotes jump our 6ft chain link and get at the chickens when they were out roaming the yard . however they go in the coop at night and theres a small back door that slides down and closes. I had not let the hens out the past few days because they were jumping out of their fenced area and getting in my garden before I could harvest the veggies from it. but yesterday I let them out because we got a produce delivery for the animals. ANYWAY, I forgot to close the small back door to the coop and when I went out 6am this morning they were all over the bottom of the coop dead. not much blood. so at first i thought maybe they were all poisoned by the produce (but our other animals are fine) there were feathers everywhere and when I counted 5 out of 20 were missing. the ones left behind didnt have visable wounds except maybe some blood on the head or neck, but not eaten or chewed on, almost like the neck was snapped and the animal moved on. I didnt find a trail of feathers or blood to the canyon , which we live RIGHT next to. I don tknow what would have done this, a coyote i think would have eaten the small hens that were left in the coop instead of leaving them there, or carried them off....
Oh and yes, the one that looks like its sitting up in the back right IS currently still alive. she looks to have small puncture wounds on her neck and wobbles around in shock but so far is still alive.
Please Help me figure out what could have done this, also the size of the small back door is kind of visable just behind my lone survivor. we live by a canyon in san diego, california. we have coyotes, bobcats, opossums, racoons, skunks, apparently we also have weasles.... I just dont know what would leave all of them dead and have taken 5 away...
www.ranaldifamilyfarm.com

 

[hannihooni]

That is horrible! I hope you get this figured out. How very sad! When I was a kid we raise rabbits and weasels would sneak in the pens and kill I remember not much blood too. We lived in northern MN. Not sure what we did about the problem, but knowing my dad he likely trapped them.

 

[Meca]

I am so sorry for your loss! I would be devastated if this happened to me!


My guess would be a mink or weasel. I've heard they will kill everything in the coop just for fun.

 

[LoneStarHen]

So sorry about your loss! I have had raccoon break into the coop and kill a large amount of birds, but usually they eat some of them. Hope you figure it out.

 

[AQHAchick22]

So sorry for your loss! This is terrible!
My guess would be a weasel...however a raccoon is another possibility. I'm just a little thrown off because some of the bodies are missing. I hope you figure it out.
Do you have a game cam or anything you can put out overnight in case it comes back looking for more?

 

[ranaldifamilyfa]

im going to talk to my husband about some kind of night camera. I am thrown off by the bodies missing as well. racoons and skunks and opossums I have heard will eat some of the chicken, bobcats usually just leave a pile of feathers and blood. we have had coyotes steal them during the day while they are out and ive had a feather pile. the other mystery is we didnt hear a THING. our coop is not far from the house. Whatever it was was watching closely because I hadnt let my hens out the last few days so this was the first time in a few days i had even let them out, OR left the back door open, so either this predator just got really luckly or something really freaky is going on. I didnt really inspect super closely the bodies, I kind of wish i had now.. i was just shocked finding ALl of them dead. The one that is still alive has small puncture wounds on her neck so it could still either be coyote or weasel... i have never see a weasel in this area but ive heard from friends close to our area (20minutes or so) that they are becoming quite popular and raid chicken coops any chance they get. dogs and weasels will kill everything just for sport.... so that kinda fits the idea that they killed 20 hens in one night, but taking some of them away would fit more with a coyote... a city trapper guy i called this morning suggested maybe i made the coyote mad by not letting the hens out so when it attacked after seeing the perfect opportunity it killed all of them.... I also am not sure why my other animals were not bothered by the coyote, we have a 3 week old baby mini goat, along with his mother and three others that werent bothered by whatever this predator was at all. two pot belly pigs , two roosters in a side cage and two peacocks... none of which seemed overly stressed out or bothered this morning..... I can handle the death of one or two hens, but the entire coop being massacred just leaves me feeling very unsettled and uncomfortable. thanks for your replies!

 

[Meca]

Is there any chance that maybe a weasel got in first and maybe a coon or something drug off the bodies?

 

[Suckafish272]

I'm not sure of the predatory or feeding behaviors of weasels but having grown up in San Diego I can tell you that raccoons almost seem to have a "newspaper route," that they follow every night. They know where the food is on their route and they visit these spots every night looking for opportunities. Considering all the livestock you have you probably have raccoons coming by at night looking for scattered feed. The fact that this happened on the only night you left the door open leads me to believe you have something visiting you nightly and unfortunately they found the open door.

I don't know if our weasels are nocturnal, the few that I have seen were foraging during the day.

 

[CHchickie86]

I'm not sure of the predatory or feeding behaviors of weasels but having grown up in San Diego I can tell you that raccoons almost seem to have a "newspaper route," that they follow every night. They know where the food is on their route and they visit these spots every night looking for opportunities. Considering all the livestock you have you probably have raccoons coming by at night looking for scattered feed. The fact that this happened on the only night you left the door open leads me to believe you have something visiting you nightly and unfortunately they found the open door.

I don't know if our weasels are nocturnal, the few that I have seen were foraging during the day.

Totally my thought as well. As far as the trapper claiming that a coyote was mad is a little far fetched. They don't hold grudges like humans just because you altered your routine. A lot of animals are opportunistic eaters and whatever creature did this just happened upon the open door. I think a weasel or raccoon are the two most likely suspects.

 

[ranaldifamilyfa]

thanks guys! yeah from what ive read weasels arent as active at night My lone survivor is still hanging on, shes got some wounds on her neck that are healing, shes still in shock and isnt moving around much, nor is she up and walking. but she does change spots from one time i check on her to the next, but her preferred position is sitting down resting with her head drooped. the poor thing has been through alot. any tips on helping a chicken come through something like this? any of her injuries seem minor, I think her behavior is all due to shock right now. I took her out of the coop immediately and placed her in a warm covered place next to my two roosters (my only other chickens left) there is wire between them, but she can atleast hear a familiar bird and knows she isnt all alone. and she has a warm comfortable box and food and water. poor thing.

Anyway, another person I spoke with yesterday mentioned the fact that we just got hit with INTENSE wild fires recently and that has changed the population of coyotes and their hunting styles. this person suggested rather than being angry, or vengeful the coyote may have simply just been desperate. that they had been watching my movements and letting the animals in or out each day, or at night it had been coming around by the coop and inspecting things and then got desperate and hungry the one time I left the door open and took advantage, and possibly there were more ith it than just one.... Either way, I dont have any hens in the coop right now, and when I replenish my flock my problem is solved my simply REMEMBERING to close the back door.

Thank you all for your help.