I can't remember...coon or possum

[dovecanyon]

Something got six of my neighbor's young chickens last night. Pulled them through the wire, and ate the whole thing, feathers and all. Nothing left but a couple spots of blood inside the run. I can't remember which one eats everything, coon or possum. I promised to ask you all for ID help. Thanks.

 

[SteveH]

Ate ALL of 6 chickens in one night ????? That's got to be something larger than a coon or possum unless your talking about little bitty chickies .

 

[redhen]

i bet something carried them off...

 

[teach1rusl]

So the run is covered? In other words, you know for a fact that something pulled them through the wire rather than came over the fence/wire and got them???

 

[dovecanyon]

The chicks were in a mini coop/run set-up, used as an outdoor brooder. She has used this several times for her chicks to transition from the house. The coop is solid, with a wood floor and locked door, and the run is solid with top and bottom. It is a sturdy metal dog kennel, 2'x3'x2'. Five sides are wire, and the opening is securily attached to the coop. She built the thing like Fort Knox. The chicks are 3 weeks old. It is so warm here now that they are in the outdoor brooder set-up with a heat lamp. Nothing could get inside. I went over and looked, and there is no place where it could have got in. There were 5 chicks still in the coop, I guess they are the ones that didn't come out into the run. The other six are just gone. There were a few spots of blood inside the little run, and only 2 or 3 feathers outside. Whatever took them had to pull them out through the wire. I could see where it had tried to dig under the run, but the bottom is wire so it couldn't get in. It had to have reached in through the wire and pulled them out. The kennel wire is about 1"x4" wire. My friend is just sick, she feels so guilty. She and I have decided to take turns sitting outside in her yard all night, hoping to find out what it is. I thought it might be nice to know what we are looking for. We live in a town, and are surrounded on all sides by other houses. I will contact Animal Control to try to get a trap tomorrow, but in the meantime my neighbor really wants to know what did this. She's sitting out there right now with a 22, but I'm afraid she will be in trouble for using a firearm in the city, so I'm going now to take my turn and put away the gun. I'll take my laptop out with me...

 

[silkiechicken]

Sounds like a coon to me. Possums are more opportunisitic. Coons work in teams and after opening a coop door, took out about a dozen girls and the rooster. All standard adults too.

 

[dovecanyon]

So far we haven't been able to catch the varmint in the yard, but we will be sitting out for a few more nights. I helped her build a solid wood box to set over the little mini-run at night. It latches securily on to the coop, and completely encloses the run. For sure nothing is going to get her remaining 5 babies now!

Thanks silkiechicken, for the info. I thought it was probably a racoon. So surprised to have one in this residential neighborhood, although one fellow down the block saw a fox hop his fence one night last week and came to warn me, so anything is possible.

Still waiting for a call-back from Animal Control on a trap.

 

[gsim]

Met a man at my local Tractor Supply store who had just suffered a dual coon attack in broad daylight. They tag-teamed his 8 ft wide run and took turns stampeding the chooks from one side to the other of the narrow run. It was either chain link or welded wire, but I cannot recall which. They killed/dismembered 3 before he could get outside from his kitchen. He was buying hardware cloth mesh when we talked.

Anyone relying on chain link or welded wire alone is going to walk onto a scene of carnage some fine day and regret not having proper security for their flock. It is only a matter of when, not if.