I feel awful...

[MichelleBB]

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...?

 

[50-45-1]

If your hens were not eaten I would agree that it may have been a dog.
A fox or coyote would have taken a carcus with them to eat.
A hawk or owl would have eaten some breast meat or taken the head.
Racoon or possum kills usually happen at night and meat or guts will be eaten
Were your chickens ok earlier in the day?
Are they in a secure coop at night?
Sorry this happened free ranging always has risks.
Yes, get a game camera and put it up and get some idea what is in your yard when you are not looking. I have 7 cameras up in the summer. I have good footage of everything except cougar so far. Some day I expect to get that too. There have been sightings here. I am in Benzie county not far from where you are
Good luck!
Everything eats chicken.

 

[Sally PB]

Sorry for your losses!

 

[MichelleBB]

If your hens were not eaten I would agree that it may have been a dog.
A fox or coyote would have taken a carcus with them to eat.
A hawk or owl would have eaten some breast meat or taken the head.
Racoon or possum kills usually happen at night and meat or guts will be eaten
Were your chickens ok earlier in the day?
Are they in a secure coop at night?
Sorry this happened free ranging always has risks.
Yes, get a game camera and put it up and get some idea what is in your yard when you are not looking. I have 7 cameras up in the summer. I have good footage of everything except cougar so far. Some day I expect to get that too. There have been sightings here. I am in Benzie county not far from where you are
Good luck!
Everything eats chicken.

Thank you. You are close, I’m about 20 mins south of Benzie. Everything was normal this morning and when I was out midday... I was home and never heard the guinea fowl, which I normally would if anything is out of the ordinary. I’m wondering if it happened while I was in the shower and that’s why I didn’t hear anything unusual. The cameras you’re talking about, do you mean like trail cams?

 

[MichelleBB]

Sorry for your losses!

Thank you.

 

[bobbi-j]

I’m sorry that happened. Don’t beat yourself up. The unfortunate reality is, if you have chickens, you will eventually lose some to predators. As already stated, everything likes chicken. If they weren’t eaten, I would suspect a dog found the self-propelled squeaky toys. The only way to minimize predators is to not free range, and even that is not a guarantee.

 

[Mtnboomer]

Thank you. You are close, I’m about 20 mins south of Benzie. Everything was normal this morning and when I was out midday... I was home and never heard the guinea fowl, which I normally would if anything is out of the ordinary. I’m wondering if it happened while I was in the shower and that’s why I didn’t hear anything unusual. The cameras you’re talking about, do you mean like trail cams?

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.

 

[50-45-1]

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.

 

[Folly's place]

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

 

[MichelleBB]

I’m sorry that happened. Don’t beat yourself up. The unfortunate reality is, if you have chickens, you will eventually lose some to predators. As already stated, everything likes chicken. If they weren’t eaten, I would suspect a dog found the self-propelled squeaky toys. The only way to minimize predators is to not free range, and even that is not a guarantee.

Thank you, I appreciate the advice and kind words. It’s my first (chicken) loss and I’m taking it much harder than I would have guessed.