Just when you think you’re safe...

[ValerieJ]

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I covered the fence with insulation for now until we can do something different. What i can’t understand is why she was out of the coop when it wasn’t even light yet!

That does seem odd, but perhaps it was the predator that drew her out. Sometimes I cannot figure out what they are thinking at all. If you think about it, they have to come to the fence line too close for the raccoon to be able to reach in and grab. I notice that when my cat comes to the chicken run with me, he'll sit on the outside of the fence looking in and invariably a hen will be sitting right on the other side curious about him. Until they've been attacked, they don't know to be afraid. My hens are super alert to aerial predators, but only because they were attacked by bald eagles last summer. Before that they just waddled around fat, dumb and happy.

So, don't feel like the lone ranger here. I now have bird netting over my chicken run, which is too large to enclose and has a small orchard in it. Our job this spring will be to build a safe enclosure within the run for the high threat times. When the eagles have babies to feed and the river isn't giving up any fish, we need a safe place for our girls.

 

[Pennys Mama]

That does seem odd, but perhaps it was the predator that drew her out. Sometimes I cannot figure out what they are thinking at all. If you think about it, they have to come to the fence line too close for the raccoon to be able to reach in and grab. I notice that when my cat comes to the chicken run with me, he'll sit on the outside of the fence looking in and invariably a hen will be sitting right on the other side curious about him. Until they've been attacked, they don't know to be afraid. My hens are super alert to aerial predators, but only because they were attacked by bald eagles last summer. Before that they just waddled around fat, dumb and happy.

So, don't feel like the lone ranger here. I now have bird netting over my chicken run, which is too large to enclose and has a small orchard in it. Our job this spring will be to build a safe enclosure within the run for the high threat times. When the eagles have babies to feed and the river isn't giving up any fish, we need a safe place for our girls.

Agreed. I love my chickens but they are absolute idiots at times. The raccoon says, "Here chicky chicky", and that hen will come over. Dummies.

 

[Rooapalooza]

My old group of chickens liked to get up obscenely early. I used to have to leave for work at 4:30a. They were ready for me to let them out! The group I have now are pretty late sleepers .

I'm sorry you lost a chicken! It's really hard. But you are lucky you only lost one. Use this as a lesson and make it better for your remaining birds. Next time you might lose more than one. You will feel much, much worse if it happens again (speaking from experience).

 

[hayley3]

Raccoons are very strong...they can bend metal to get inside places. They can tear up tarps and open latches with their fingers. if they know there's a meal inside they work harder at it. They will just knock that pole over and climb right through or over or in-between.

 

[cmom]

That does seem odd, but perhaps it was the predator that drew her out. Sometimes I cannot figure out what they are thinking at all. If you think about it, they have to come to the fence line too close for the raccoon to be able to reach in and grab. I notice that when my cat comes to the chicken run with me, he'll sit on the outside of the fence looking in and invariably a hen will be sitting right on the other side curious about him. Until they've been attacked, they don't know to be afraid. My hens are super alert to aerial predators, but only because they were attacked by bald eagles last summer. Before that they just waddled around fat, dumb and happy.

So, don't feel like the lone ranger here. I now have bird netting over my chicken run, which is too large to enclose and has a small orchard in it. Our job this spring will be to build a safe enclosure within the run for the high threat times. When the eagles have babies to feed and the river isn't giving up any fish, we need a safe place for our girls.

So true...

 

[Monkeysmom5018]

Thank you for everyone’s responses! So far so good, haven’t seen the raccoon come back. I borrow 2 trail cams but i just have to figure out how to set them up lol. We used to close the pop door at night, but now we have a tiny coop (an eco flex ) in the run where 4 chickens and 2 broodies sleep at night.

 

[50-45-1]

is it possible that the raccoon was inside the enclosure and killed your bird?
a raccoon can climb the chain link/chicken wire up to the corners of your gate where it looks like there is a gap big enough to squeeze through.
my husband who worked in construction once worked on a house where the raccoons were climbing the wood siding up to the gable where there was a 3 inch gap that allowed them into the attic. i have to wonder how the raccoons even knew that there was an opening up that high.
Yes, a full size fat coon can squeeze through a pretty small opening when motivated.
sorry for your loss. i hope you get the cameras up and running and positively identify what it was and eliminate it.
by the way, if it was a raccoon, and if he is not already wize to a box trap, it may be possible to live trap him. your local animal control may be helpful in that area. give them a call since you are in a populated neighborhood.

 

[Folly's place]

It would be best to have your birds inside until you have upgraded their coop and run. Nothing about that run is really safe enough, so at least have them in their coop, it it's actually solid, with locks.
All openings need to be no larger than 1/2", everywhere, to keep predators out. 'Semi-protected' runs work, until they don't, and definitely they aren't good enough at night.
Most of us have learned the hard way, over time, and made changes that protect our birds better, and we still have disasters at times.
Mary

 

[Howard E]

I doubt the lost bird was captured through the fence. More likely, even a good sized coon could have gotten past the corner openings in the chain link gate pictured in post #19. So maybe nabbed her off the roost, then was taking it out and got stopped at the gate. If it was a coon, that insulation board wouldn't last as long as it took you to put it up. As to why it hasn't been back, this time of year coons often den up during a cold snap.

Chain link gates......the types with the rounded corners always leave holes in the corners.....all 4 corners. Folks would be shocked at how easy it is for even good sized predators to go through those. For a mink or weasel, they wouldn't even slow down.

And what is covering the triangle directly above the gate?

 

[Butterscotchbitesfinger]

You’re not. We’ve had chickens for almost 3 years and have lost a couple to hawks here And there unfortunately. We thought our coop and run were like Fort Knox until early this Morning when i got a text from my daughter (Waiting for the bus at 6:50am) that the chickens were freaking out. It wasn’t quite light out. I ran outside and they were all terrified and one of my original girls, an Easter egger was dead, half eaten and pulled partially through the fence. She was our biggest chicken and best layer. Prints in the Snow appear to be raccoon prints and I’m now on guard for sure. I always look to the skies but now enemies are everywhere. We are too close to other houses to shoot, but am getting trail cams tomorrow and if I see anything, hubby will get his .22 out regardless. We have a Great Dane and a Saint Bernard who share the same hard so I really thought their smell would deter any predators

I am so sorry to hear. We have had a similar problem lately, we have a house sitter who stays at our house while we go away on holidays, during this time he had let the chickens out and gone down the shops. In that time 2 separate attacks happened, a fox (we think) had attacked and taken out big blue Brahma X, and a hawk had taken out pekin bantam and her two chicks. It was nuts! With the bushfires animals are coming down from the mountains are hungry so I suppose our chickens make for an awesome meal.