Heritage Large Fowl - Phase II

[ronott1]

The turkeys were not really locked up. They were just in a fenced in area. I'm assuming what ever it was got through the gate. I 'm not 100% sure what happened to the turkeys since I don't take care of them, my dad does. These attacks must be happening soon after dark since I got out there last night at 11:30 and it had already been done. Lots of feathers in and outside the coop. No blood or body parts though. I haven't seen the bodies yet, but today I will be following the trail and seeing if I can find anything. Do you mean like a mountain lion when you say large cat?? I don't think we have anything of that sort around here. I know though with the turkeys it was the same thing. Just one would get killed and the rest were fine.

One of the things that is happening now is the recovery of species that were endangered. Ohio has had some Cougar sightings but nowevidence of them returning in great numbers.

Bobcats are a completely different story. They have recovered enough that they may be removed from the endangered list in Ohio:

http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2014/01/10/ohio-bobcat-no-longer-threatened.html

As the population increases, you will see them move into new areas. Predators do that and we are seeing an increase of problems from new predators. People are saying things like: "I have had chickens for 20 years and never had a problem with (insert predator here)."

Cute little bugger too!

 

[fowlman01]

Does anyone have any idea on what could kill Brahma hens and some decent sized turkeys( these turkeys are at least 20 pounds )? What ever it is attacks them in the coop and then drags them off into the weeds/trees that are near by. I just lost my third female today. Could it be a big coon? Just thought I would mention that yesterday something was above the nesting boxes in my light Brahma coop. It was probably the size of a small cat and was able to get up and down from about three and a half to four feet and squeeze through a two or maybe three inch gap. That problem was solved today though since I bought wire mesh that is the quarter inch size and put that all around the gap that's in the back to keep it out. Maybe I have two different predators

? Maybe next week I should work on that automatic door opener. Problem is that some nights, like tonight, I work until eleven so I don't always get the birds locked up right at dark. I think I figured it would cost me about $60 to build the automatic door.

A big coon can do that, but more than likely it is a big cat of some kind. Foxes can take down a 20 lb bird, but I've only seen that happen when they are extremely hungry and have a family to feed. you could very easily have more than one predator. I have had mink kills here and they pretty much kill everything in the pen and generally don't take on a 20lb bird.

Prevention is the best cure.

Walt

 

[NeilsHamburgs]

Spend some time and money on getting your pens fixed right.Makeshift pens and fencing is just an invitation to anything and everything that likes chicken.

 

[ronott1]

Spend some time and money on getting your pens fixed right.Makeshift pens and fencing is just an invitation to anything and everything that likes chicken.

I agree.

It can be tough sometimes to get the coops predator proof and can be battle.

Take a bunch of pictures of the coops and post them on the Coops thread for tips. They will often see things you did not even think of.

 

[subhanalah]

The feathers had me thinking canine, so fox is a good idea.
I would keep the bird inside the house while trying to trap or otherwise take care of this issue.

 

[gjensen]

Spend some time and money on getting your pens fixed right.Makeshift pens and fencing is just an invitation to anything and everything that likes chicken.

I hate to say it, but that is what I was thinking. Everything eats chicken. If the housing is not secure, trouble is coming. It is our responsibility to secure them.

Whatever it is, has a free buffet right now. There is no need to hunt when it comes that easy.

No traps, hassle, or CSIs are required if the enclosures are secure.

Free ranging during the day is another story. I let them range, and understand that eventually something will get one or two. That is life, and I keep a few more than I need.

 

[Wisher1000]

I have a very secure coop. It's 12x24, fully roofed with rafters and metal roofing, 2x4 welded dog wire floor to ceiling, 2' apron of dog wire secured to the bottom and buried just underground on the outside. I also have lots of predators. I was in the coop the other night when a fox appeared at the fence to peer at me. I also have a very large (maybe a 1/4 of an acre) fenced in area meant to keep out stray dogs. Inside this area, there is a spring that runs in all but the driest months of summer. I have lost several young cockerels in the past month and suspected a hawk. Last week, I saw the hawk swoop down to get a cockerel while it drank at the spring. The hawk missed and flew off empty handed....er.......taloned. I put out a waterer, under cover, near the coop and have not lost any to that hawk since. My layer flock free range all day and retire to the coop at night. I have an automatic door that closes at 8pm. I prefer losing the occasional bird to keeping them confined and denying them the opportunity to forage in the woods and just be chickens. Now, I do confine my breeders, because losing the right bird would set my whole breeding program back. Even those birds are allowed to free range, supervised, when it is not breeding season.

I believe there is just as much harm in constant confinement, as there is in occasionally feeding a predator.

 

[brahmabreeder]

Well the fencing it had dug under doesn't really have an effect on this pen. That fencing is part of an area we fenced a while ago and have been meaning to tear down. This coop just happened to be ten or fifteen feet from that area. This coop is just sitting in the back area with no fencing around it. I just go out in the morning and let them out all day then lock them up at night. The coop its self is actually very secure, when it's locked up. I think I will get the supplies next week for the automatic pop door that way it always closes right when it gets dark. That way there is no question if it is locked or not. The two windows I put in have netting over them since they stay open all the time so no one cooks inside if I forget to let them out. The only area that would be questionable if the rest was all locked would be the nesting boxes. They just have a lift top that doesn't weigh that much. I do however have hook and eye type latches to hold it shut. Probably should fix that since a coon could figure out how to open that.

Earlier when I was tracking the trail I did find crap from the animal and took a picture. If anyone wants to see that I will post it. That might help to narrow possible predators down. I also have a few pictures of one of the dead birds that were out there. I think that was an older one. I couldn't find the other two since it had drug them into an area with lots of young trees and weeds that had thorns on them. Decided to stop at that point since I had already managed to cut my self going through the fence in the back that I now realize needs fixed so the goats don't get out or ate for that matter! I have Nigerians, so they aren't very big. I have been making sure they get locked up since the deaths have started.

At least on the bright side I came up with an idea for another breeder coop while I was trying to find where it had been taking my birds. My dad last year built a 6' by 8' structure type thing for his turkeys and now doesn't need it since he quit on the turkeys. It just needs one more piece of the metal roofing. Then some plywood for the floor and sides. I'll probably build the nesting boxes so they hang outside the coop instead of inside in order to give each pen maximum space. I'll end up putting three pens inside. Maybe next fall I'll have bantam dark Brahmas...

 

[Lacy Blues]

Well the fencing it had dug under doesn't really have an effect on this pen. That fencing is part of an area we fenced a while ago and have been meaning to tear down. This coop just happened to be ten or fifteen feet from that area. This coop is just sitting in the back area with no fencing around it. I just go out in the morning and let them out all day then lock them up at night. The coop its self is actually very secure, when it's locked up. I think I will get the supplies next week for the automatic pop door that way it always closes right when it gets dark. That way there is no question if it is locked or not. The two windows I put in have netting over them since they stay open all the time so no one cooks inside if I forget to let them out. The only area that would be questionable if the rest was all locked would be the nesting boxes. They just have a lift top that doesn't weigh that much. I do however have hook and eye type latches to hold it shut. Probably should fix that since a coon could figure out how to open that.

Earlier when I was tracking the trail I did find crap from the animal and took a picture. If anyone wants to see that I will post it. That might help to narrow possible predators down. I also have a few pictures of one of the dead birds that were out there. I think that was an older one. I couldn't find the other two since it had drug them into an area with lots of young trees and weeds that had thorns on them. Decided to stop at that point since I had already managed to cut my self going through the fence in the back that I now realize needs fixed so the goats don't get out or ate for that matter! I have Nigerians, so they aren't very big. I have been making sure they get locked up since the deaths have started.

At least on the bright side I came up with an idea for another breeder coop while I was trying to find where it had been taking my birds. My dad last year built a 6' by 8' structure type thing for his turkeys and now doesn't need it since he quit on the turkeys. It just needs one more piece of the metal roofing. Then some plywood for the floor and sides. I'll probably build the nesting boxes so they hang outside the coop instead of inside in order to give each pen maximum space. I'll end up putting three pens inside. Maybe next fall I'll have bantam dark Brahmas...

I hate to break it to you but coons can open hooks and eyes. I don't think they can open the kind that has a sliding lock on it though.

If you have one turkey left, you may lose him soon if you aren't able to get him secured in short order.

 

[brahmabreeder]

The last turkey/chicken should be fine as both have been moved. I put the buff hen in the breeder coop with the pair of buffs that are in there. I need to get the trap out there and see if maybe I can catch it.