I lost my first chicken last evening! ule

[Bettyboop7499]

I am so sorry to hear about everyone's sweet babies that were lost. I tried to free range my chickens and guinea's, it did not turn out good for me either. Now they are all in pens with fenced tops. Between the owls, hawks, opossums, dogs, coyotes, raccoons, bobcats and snakes, I had lost quite a few, the owls even got a few of my cats and kittens. My neighbor lost half his chickens and all his turkeys a couple of weeks ago. My other neighbor lost all her chickens. We have a 20-acre field between us and them and we thought it would be fine to free range but I decided for all my babies sakes to stop immediately!

I'm sorry! That's horrible! We have twenty acres the our chickens stay very close to the house and their run. I was really shocked to find out one had been taken.

 

[Quackers3211]

I was thinking some kind of bird because of the lack of carnage..never would of thought an owl..just some feathers and gone. I know with free range you're taking a risk but they seem so much happier being able to roam free.

I would continue to let them free range unless you being to start losing a lot more around the same time. The last chicken I lost was a month ago to a hawk but I lost a duck yesterday to an owl. It’s just a pile of feathers and that’s it they are done, the talons are so long it’s over quick for them they don’t have a chance to fight back. Owls are silent, so they don’t even hear them coming. So don’t worry about her having been suffering. And to help with the owl issue maybe start putting them up earlier using some treats.

 

[Quackers3211]

Also you may not see the owl at first. I didn’t see the one that hangs around here until I went out for a late night walk to help scare of predators and enjoy the stars when I heard an owl and found it sitting on a tree above my chicken coop by my duck pen. Thankfully I had put the ducks in their house that night.