I just lost over 12 Bantam Chickens Saturday night not sure what to do

[lovemylivestock]

Thank you for the offer backdoorchicken. I understand. My husband blames himself for the weak construction of the coup, plus we had some wind from some storms in November and on Friday/Saturday night which did not help. We will tear it down and rebuild it maybe.

 

[berkeleysprings]

i recomend to all poultry owners who can afford to buy a game camera for 40.00 bucks (digital) so u can see what is around your coop at night , in the dark, when your not there ... i ues many set up to watch 2 leg and 4 leg things and i hide a few

 

[backdoorchicken]

no problem. i am a little over an hour north of you guys so if you ever need a hand let me know.

might i suggest a hunters camera setup somewhere so you can get a better idea of what and how many you are dealing with.

 

[jhm47]

Chances are that if it's a coyote, it will not have babies at this time of year. Coyotes usually only have one litter per year, and that's in the spring. Mating season usually commences when the daylight hours begin to get a lot longer than they are now. Of course, it's possible that it's a coy/dog, and that might mean that it could breed at any time of year. Dogs are not dependent on daylight hours, and if it's a crossbred, who knows what might happen?

It will be back, and kill anything that's small and defenseless. Good luck in destroying it.

 

[CMV]

Coyotes don't generally have babies this time of year. They are packing up for breeding season, but babies usually show up nearer to spring. The yips you heard may be members of the pack communicating with each other- they make a variety of vocalizations. Check out your local laws regarding the use of leg-hold traps. Call your local Fish and Game dept. and find out what your options are before you try to tackle this problem on your own. Last time I looked (in my state) bounties are still offered on coyotes and there is an open season on them year round. You may be able to find hunters/trappers available through this agency. Coyotes are very tricksy so catching them in a live trap is pretty much impossible, but several folks here get them in the leg-hold traps and shoot them, or just shoot them outright.

Sorry for your losses. Good luck.

 

[lovemylivestock]

Thank you all that have responded. I should clarify that the yips/barks we heard were back in the summer time July or so, we just thought since we never got a good view plus no real confirmation of what it was attacking the roosters though my husband saw it(still dark so not a good view) and it was big, a lot bigger than a fox is around here but we didn't want to believe it was anything but a a raccoon or a fox. I am just so worried that it will come back during the day plus we are getting ready to go on our first real vacation and I want this thing gone before then. My husband has a call into some places to see what all he can do about it. I will keep everyone posted. I do really appreciate the support you all are offering, it warms my heart.

 

[pride&joy]

So sorry to hear about your loss

Coyotes or dogs both are very smart and persistent but a symptom of the problem, most of the time removing one will just leave a empty space for the next. I would look into Electric fencing and highly recommend an life stock guardian dog either pup or even an experienced adult out of rescue? I have two Anatolians that look over my goats, chickens and what ever else I put in the barn/garage.

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[matthewschickens]

I would first try to shoot it.
I would also look at the Poultry Net.
It works great for us!
Here it is: http://www.premier1supplies.com/list.php?mode=list&cat_id=139

We are soon going to use:

When she gets older

Matthew

 

[lovemylivestock]

I wouldn't mind the guard dog or an electric fence. Are electric fences safe for my dog, cat and kid. I might be a little confused when it comes to the electric fence idea but I thought they were used to keep a dog in so a collar is required? How would that work to keep something out? I will try to read up on it though it sounds expensive too. As for the dog, I have read some things on them but I fear I'll do what I do best and spoil it. I have heard of a guard donkey but I don't think we have room for that. My husband always wanted the backyard mini farm, we may have gone overboard with adding the goats and getting too many chickens though some came to our home with the intention of being sold but we never found buyers for them especially roosters which the hatchery stuck a lot in our order.

Also I sorta blocked out that we had 2 runner ducks he picked up at the fair and we raised from babies. We loved them and unfortunately last winter something managed to get them probably our coyote/dog-like creature we have but who knows, it left the bodies behind and the pattern said that it was a raccoon or fox-though some people I have told said that raccoons would NEVER eat anything but berries and nuts....ha. We thought the house we made for them to stay in at night was secure plus near the house so we could watch them/hear something. I think that was the hardest thing I had to deal with as we had really bonded with them and they were just so funny and had some real character.


I am so frustrated!

 

[backdoorchicken]

an electric fence is actually a great idea.