Help...sounding alarm

[zanelee]

Twice tonight, my chickens have sounded the alarm, and there is nothing there that I can find. This last time, it was my rooster who got everyone up in arms. There are no tracks no forces entry, no snakes hiding...any ideas or has my rooster gone off his nut?
Thanks for any suggestions or ideas.

 

[jetdog]

Invest in a game camera that has night vision, I just bought one that has night vision with stills and video, curious to see if anything is coming around at night.

 

[boskelli1571]

Hi there, you don't say what sort of coop you have, is it fully enclosed at night?? A weasel can sneak in through a 1/2 inch gap, so check the house carefully. It may be that something larger is trying to get in and roo is sounding the alarm so that you can protect the henhouse - smart bird!

If you have the time/money/inclination you could rig up a trail cam and see what's going on... good luck, bear in mind the roo is probably right......

 

[farmtotable]

My neighbor lost her entire flock to a mink that snuck into her open coop during the day, then hid in there until she closed it up for the night. She was able to find the entrance/exit hole by following the blood trail, and it was unbelievable how tiny it was. She called us, since my husband is a tracker, and he was able to find the mink shortly afterward. They are really smart predators, it's scary. They can collapse down into a tiny pile that's really hard to spot, so you have to look REALLY carefully, even in places you're positive they couldn't cram into.

 

[thomasboyle]

Ditto on the camera suggestion. I have a coop camera set up, and I was amazed at what came around when I am not there. I have pictures of bobcat, coyotes, deer, turkeys, cats etc. Knowing what you are up against makes a huge difference.

 

[centrarchid]

Consider possibility of owl. Place monitoring device if used to see up. I go out with flashlight and shine trees. My dogs are most effective owl repellent.