Just sick.....

[Bramsmom]

I came home to find 10 of the 11 hens I've had for a year dead. I don't know how the one hen survived...she is one of the first chickens I've owned. I have an electric fence, and within the electric fence I have a dog kennel with a secure top and bottom attached to the coop. I never let the chickens free range, but they do have access to hang out inside the electric fence, but when I go to work I keep them secure in the kennel. Well...not today. I wasn't going to be gone that long...and now I have one freaked out hen. 3 hens were dead inside the fence with what looked like a puncture wound to their backs, their heads intact...the other 7 I can't find anywhere. There is a lot of feathers heading towards the woods, but I can't find one trace of any bird. The fence was peeled back slightly from the opening, not knocked down. I wonder what killed my chickens? This is the hard part of raising chickens.....awful.

 

[Shireshome]

So sorry for your lose. But hold out a little hope for some other survivors they could be hiding. Sounds like a dog/s or coyote. Any animal tracks in the dirt?

 

[wowmanacat]

so sorry for your lost, I to have lost a chicken today, to a dog.

 

[Bramsmom]

Shireshome...thanks to your advise, I walked the wood and found one Red Star. She has a small puncture wound on her back, but I think she'll be ok...other than that, they are all gone.

 

[Bramsmom]

wowmanacat...I'm sorry to hear of the loss of your hen. It's a painful lesson learned for me.

 

[theoldchick]

So sorry to hear of this.

 

[Nic&Chickies]

Oh, yes, I remember that sick feeling!

Just over 14 months ago, I experienced pretty much the same thing--all 4 of mine, dead--and the dog that did it was still inside the fence. I feel for you, and hope you figure things out.

 

[Shireshome]

Small puncture wound doesn't sound like dog or coyote so I would still hold out some hope of more returning, I have heard of scared chickens being gone for days before returning. Try going out before dusk and calling like you would if you were going to feed them. Good job on finding the Red Star, here is to hoping a few more turn up.

 

[QuackerJackFarms]

So sorry to read this. I too know how you feel. Same thing happened to me Dec 24th of last year. It was a crappy Christmas! Keep us posted. Maybe a few more will trickle home.

big hugs to you.

And welcome to BYC. You'll find lots of support here.

 

[Bullitt]

It seems like the kind of thing a fox will do -- try to kill all the chickens. And since there were feathers towards the woods, I would guess it's a wild animal.

Maybe you can find some tracks and determine what killed your chickens.

You might want to set a trap or something. Once an animal gets a free meal, he'll come back looking for more.