I feel awful...

[MichelleBB]

Trail cams work great, especially those with video capabilities. Cheap ones begin at about $40 but have blurry image issues. Mid priced $120-150 offer some incredible quality.
Some folks use home security camera systems thst again vary in price and quality.
I also free range and know your pain. Don't beat yourself up. Its a part of life. Do what you can to convince predators that daytime is too risky for an attack and keep them in secured coop at night. I have managed to keep my losses to a minimum (avg 1 bird/yr) in this way, all taken in midday when I and the dog were away running errands.

Thank you for the advice, I appreciate it.

 

[MichelleBB]

Yes, trail cameras.
The coyote and bobcat were close to the coop. The bear picture was farther out in my woods. I just like to know what is out there.
I also get suprise pictures of trespassing people every summer.

 

[MichelleBB]

Wow! I am looking into trail cams as we speak. Thank you!

 

[MichelleBB]

I'm so sorry for your losses, it is devastating. Probably a canine, dog or fox most likely. Whoever it is will be back, so if you still have live birds, keep them in at least for now. Your predator might return tomorrow, so if you can, be ready to at least ID who shows up.
Game cameras do help see what's out there, and electric fencing is your friend.
Mary

Thank you for the advice and kind words. I was thinking that I should keep them in tomorrow and keep a lookout to see if it comes back....

 

[Mtnboomer]

Yes, trail cameras.
The coyote and bobcat were close to the coop. The bear picture was farther out in my woods. I just like to know what is out there.
I also get suprise pictures of trespassing people every summer.

Where do you live? Your woods look like ours, teaming with wildlife. Our bears are usually in the 250-300lb range but we get "trash bears" relocated from NC or eastern VA. Those have been shot and weighed around 400-500lbs some exceeding 600lbs. Those guys are bigguns!

 

[cmom]

I noticed you are a fairly new member So sorry for your loss. It's sad to say but when you free range it's a risk you take and sooner or later you will loose birds. I have several game cameras. I don't free range anymore due to losses from predators in the past but my birds all have nice large safe pens. I have electric wires around my coops and pens, good heavy duty netting covering the pens and concrete under the gates as I said all due to losses from predators in the past. You can use this method that works pretty well for ground predators but not aerial predators. I have several game cameras on my property. I love my cameras. The predator will be back. Good luck...
http://www.plamondon.com/wp/faq-simple-electric-fences-chickens/

 

[cmom]

Depending on your use not all game cameras are the same. All pretty much take good daytime picture but not all are equal for nighttime pictures. Here most of the predators roam at night. I think the adults teach their young that a bird isn't worth getting a good zap for. Again, good luck...

 

[BigBlueHen53]

At about 5 pm today, I went out to find 4 dead hens. It was clearly an attack by something... none were drug off or eaten. All had some obvious signs of trauma. It was still 2 hours before dusk... I hadn’t seen anything out of the ordinary. Do you seasoned folks think this was a dog? I have 30 acres and have always free ranged without incident. I’m devastated. Any advice on what I can do to prevent this other than not free ranging? Anyone use cameras etc...?

I'm sorry for your losses too. You do not say whether there were feathers everywhere, what the signs of trauma were, or if the birds were partially eaten. In my experience, dogs eat part of the kill, starting at the vent and going inside. Sorry to be graphic. You'e gotten good advice here, most particularly from @cmom. The predator will be back. It is a dusk-time hunter. Until you can set up protections, try to lure your birds into the coop a little early and lock them up if you can't stand guard. And don't free-range for at least a month till the predator moves on, possibly never. Good luck.

 

[Mtnboomer]

Depending on your use not all game cameras are the same. All pretty much take good daytime picture but not all are equal for nighttime pictures. Here most of the predators roam at night. I think the adults teach their young that a bird isn't worth getting a good zap for. Again, good luck...

Depends on the predator. Bears don't care about electric fences if there is an award on the other side (except maybe young bears). If your coop is secure enough to make tearing it apart to get inside not worth the effort, you don't need the electric fence. If your coop is easily breached, an adult bear will walk right through it and rip the coop apart.

Wire fencing is worthless against bears too. Thats one of the reasons why I have always free ranged. Why keep making repairs again and again? Instead, make the coop as resistant as possible and keep them inside it at night. Its been that simple for me.

Obviously, this is all moot if you dont have bears in your area.

Generally speaking, my dog (probably his scent more than anything) is enough to deter most daylight predators. As an emerging homesteader, there is also a lot of daytime activity around the house that also helps.
The breed matters. Larger breeds are more formidable prey. It takes larger or bolder predators to attempt to tackle them. I keep brahmas and I believe that is why the hawks and owls watch intently but have never attacked. A 10-11 lb rooster is a force to be reckoned with by a 3-6lb hawk. Not saying it isn't possible, but predators weigh the risks too.
Point is there are many factors that lead to success free ranging and minimizing losses. One should not be afraid or discouraged from doing it just because of potential predation or consider fencing their yard like fort knox to protect their chickens. Yes there are risks and yes losses will eventually occur but that is also possible in fenced runs. If you choose to free range, the risks are higher and cant be ignored, proper precautions must be taken, and the potential for loss must be recognized and accepted. If you can't, fence them in a run, but the potential for loss is always there. How many posts are on here about predators breaching runs and coops? So personally, id rather them be free.

Purely my humble opinion.

 

[50-45-1]

I am in northern Michigan about 30 miles from the poster.
I only posted the bear picture to show the kinds of things you may capture on your camera that you might not expect.
I was standing in the woods on that trail scrolling through the pictures and that picture made me JUMP and quickly look behind me! Spooked me something awful. I had other cameras farther out (we have 98 acres), but I quickly walked back to the house and got our 3 dogs, The pepper spray, the hand held boat horn, the cell phone and my 18 year old daughter for backup, just in case.
as far as chickens go the bears do not bother them. Our neighbor close by has an awful time keeping them out of his bee hives. He has 6 strand high powered electrical fence and some mornings it looks like a herd of buffalo stampeded through it. They are quite motivated when it comes to honey.