INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

Over the past 3 weeks, we lost 2 hens. :hit

We believe the first one succumbed to the 90+ degree high temps that were going on at the time and was subsequently cannibalized. She was a coronation Sussex and absolutely a humongous bird. That was a very disturbing find! RIP Gloria.

Two weeks later, one of our hens' body had been dragged out from under the coop gate but she was a Delaware and too big to get through the yard fencing. We have iron yard fence with bars every 3-ish inches. The predator appears to have repeatedly tried to pull her through the bars, but only succeeded in 'plucking' her chest. Oh, yes, and her head was missing-YIKES! We're theorizing that the predator was a fox, but I was wishing I had kept @Mother2Hens pages of predator evidence she posts every now and again. RIP Barbra.

We have since reinforced the gate area, but doggone it, Barbra was just the sweetest hen. At Easter time, we'd bring her in the house and she loved to have people hold and pet her. We miss them both.

Both our losses were white birds, and now we no longer have anybody white. Perhaps predator-wise, white hens are at greater risk, but we loved being able to see the hens pecking from the house, and the surviving birds are all brown, black, or barred. Much harder to see.
I'm so sorry you lost some! :hit:hugs
Here is a link to one of the predator articles in the Learning Center. It pretty much describes what kind of attacks you get from different predators. Maybe it will be similar to Mother2hens list.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/a-few-tips-on-some-common-predators.64481/
 
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Will you post pictures of your buff Orphington Cockrel?

Here's Mr Babe.
 
I'm so sorry you lost some! :hit:hugs
Here is a link to one of the predator articles in the Learning Center. It pretty much describes what kind of attacks you get from different predators. Maybe it will be similar to Mother2hens list.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/a-few-tips-on-some-common-predators.64481/
I never think of weasels/minks as a threat here in Indy. But my dads friend lost his whole flock to a mint. My dad called me to make sure my coop was mink proof!
 
I never think of weasels/minks as a threat here in Indy. But my dads friend lost his whole flock to a mint. My dad called me to make sure my coop was mink proof!

Losing chicks is never funny, but the auto-correct is. It makes life so much more interesting! I can picture a giant candy cane chasing a chicken.

(I don't mean to be sarcastic nor teasing. I just find word play amusing.)
 

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