I got wiped out!

[edb]

We had a very small roo that a friend gave my son. While we were at a flea market a little over a week ago,we found a small buttercup hen with 10 chicks. The chicks were growing very fast and we even had a turkin in the mix. This morning I walked out to find a section of the wire had been pulled loose. The pen was filled with feathers and all my chickens were gone. I closely inspected the wire and found a small amount of hair. It was a raccoon and I tracked several small trails to patches of feathers. I did find one chick alive in the bushes. I now have several traps set, I expect to thin the coon population before trying again.

 

[Emzyyy]

sorry about your birds. I wish there were other ways than killing the coons but I guess sometimes its the only thing you can do. They need ratcoon control or something.

 

[citrusdreams]

Wow, lots of bad luck tonight

I'm very sorry for your loss. I hope you're able to resolve it so you can have chickens again.

What kind of wire did they pull back? how was it attached? To what was it attached?

 

[reesepoultry]

i feel you on that. I had a bad problem with coon they ate a bunch of my poultry and eggs and feed and even cats and kittens. We had to take care of them too. now we have dogs and they don't dare come back.

 

[reesepoultry]

Quote:
It doesn't matter how it attached if it poultry wire and the chickens are near it they will stick there hans right through it and eat them through the cage.

 

[hillbillly]

yep, they got 3 of my guineas that way too,
right through the fence.

 

[Emzyyy]

Get a paintball gun or BIG airsoft gun.

 

[RM44]

I have had a coon tear right through a trap made with 1/2" hardware cloth. Of course, he was trapped inside and had a vested interst in escaping.

My coop has 1/2" hardware cloth overlayed with chicken wire. I hope that will be enough to stop the little furry devils. I also plan to do some preventative trapping with a Havahart trap: catfood, tuna, peanut butter, and marshmallows all work well for bait. The little masked demons really dig the marshmallows for some reason.

 

[Big C]

Quote:
Good luck on trapping and disposing of your predators! Be proactive and don't wait on they to dispose of them for you.
You may want to look into an electric fence or welded wire or both and still keep a trap set after you lock the coop.

 

[edb]

You guys are very kind. The loss is 100% my fault due to the fact that I of all people know about problems with predators. I know that my area has a healthy population of coons, opossums and coyotes. As a life long hunter I'm the one all my friends call to trap these critters. Predator control should be a ongoing process for everyone with poultry. I have no illusion that these predators will ever stay away from my coop.

reesepoultry, The wire I'm referring to is normal "chicken wire" and it was stapled every 6 to 8 inches. I will now nail or screw a strip over all attached areas.

Yes, I will have a full coop very soon.

Thanks you all!