I am devistated! !!

[Birdladyof50]

First off i kive in ky outside of louiville. I have been losing chickens now for awhile. They are completely gutted with the bodies left in middle of coop. My chickens have now taken to roosting on my big tree.
Well this morning I opened up my chi see swan geese pen and hansel and gretel were dead. Hansel was completely gutted and left inside of pen and gretel was in her coop with her headless neck through a hole.
I have live traps set and nothing caught.
I am seriously considering letting the rest of my flock (3 Sebastopol geese, 3 large white geese, grey goose, adult runner duck and 6 baby runner ducks) free range 24/7. At least then they would have a fighting chance against whatever is gutting my birds.
It could either be coons, weasels, or????? Please advise.
Also if anyone in my area is willing to part with a mated pair of Chinese swan geese please let me know. My husband is in the process of securing all pens as I write this.

 

[cavemanrich]

Sounds like a weasel or mink. Raccoons eat the whole carcass. They usually kill and carry away to eat elsewhere close by. Maybe you should keep trying to catch whatever it is. Letting the rest fend for themselves wild in the trees is a guarantee that other predators will exploit the opportunity. Securing your coop is the best measure you can take. Probably now , not the best time to ask for someone to give up a pair of swans , until all is secured and under control.

WISHING YOU BEST

 

[quackingdom]

According to The Small-Scale Poultry Flock: (paraphrased)

A fox will kill just one bird at a time and will drag it away to eat it elsewhere. A fox may dig under a fence or wall to get in, if it needs to.
A mink or weasel will eat may kill many birds at a time. They eat the head and neck first, and don't drag it away. (If you are securing your pens, note that one type of weasel can get through an opening only 1 ½ inches wide!)
A possum will first eat the head and internal organs. They don't drag their kill away.
A raccoon will eat it on-site, and usually only makes one kill at a time. They eat the breast first.

Some tips on securing the coop...
Don't leave any openings larger than 1 ½ inches if you think it's a weasel.
If it is a predator that will dig, and you have a dirt floor, you may have to extend the fence or wall underground so that any digging predators will run into a barrier.
If you think it's a raccoon, be sure the doors have secure latches. Raccoons are good at opening doors.

I think you may actually have more predator attacks if they are free-range 24/7 because predators will find it easy to get to them. They probably should be locked up during the night to keep them safe. During the day, there is less chance of predators, so they can free-range then.

I've heard that some people used LGDs (livestock guardian dogs) to protect poultry, though that might not be a feasible option for you. The best thing you can do is keep them locked up for the night and only free for the day.

I hope this helps to stop your predator attacks.

 

[Bryant Redhawk]

First off, do you have water, such as a stream or even a lake nearby? Usually Mink are found near water, much more so than weasels. Raccoons, will kill for the shear fun of killing, eating only a portion of their kill, or just leaving the dead animal whole.
The best methods for determining what critter you are dealing with is by their tracks, the other best method is to set up a game camera and catch them in a picture. At that point you can then capture or dispatch the offender, your choice of course.

first thing to do has already been offered up, secure the area. If you don't have 1/2" mesh (hardware cloth) or 2 x 4 114 gauge fencing with a second layer of hardware cloth. Do that first, if you aren't locking the birds in at or just before nightfall, start doing that too.
predators like the Raccoon will climb a fence to get into the area they desire, or they might use trees as an entry point, Either way, you have to stop them from being able to access the area. A padlock on the coop door(s) will stop them from being able to get inside, coons are very dexterous and can solve problems rather quickly. I've found that if it seems like overkill, it is probably just secure enough.

 

[Birdladyof50]

Thank you so much for all of your helpful replies. We have live traps set out. We have decided to house all the birds together in our most secure/ biggest pen till the weekend when we can wrap all enclosures. Yes we do have a Creek that runs through the yard. The creek is about 150 feet away from pens separated by our house.