Killed during the day!?!?

[Semper]

We have 11 chickens (one rooster and ten hens) 8 months to 2 years. 6 chicks, and a footless chicken.. they were out in the yard like every other day! roaming around eating bugs and such and i found my footless chicken whose never too far from the coop shes usually 20 or less feet, was around 50 feet away. we found a baby about 50 feet under something in another direction and they usually not far from her, we lost for sure a golden, a red, and a little baby white one we found a lot of feathers from them... and one of my big babies and our black one are missing found no feathers or any sign of them. it was after 8 this morning and before 5 this evening but i think it was around 3 to 5..i found no marks or prints from any animal and my dogs have been locked up all day! my cat doesn't come up to the front (where the chickens are) she stays to the back by the horses or in the horse barn/arena.

what would do that? how can i stop it from happening again!?

 

[chixmaidservice]

probably killed by a neighbor's dog, stray dog, or a hawk. only way you can be assured it won't happen again is strong fences for dogs and fence with net over top if a hawk was the culprit. sorry for your loss.

 

[Semper]

No neighbors and no dogs for over two miles and that's in the small town. the dogs are usually tied up in the yard to hopefully keep animals away. there were feathers in the bushes/trees also. would hawks leave a bunch of feathers around? i saw skunk and two babies about a mile or so up the road..

 

[Folly's place]

Keep your remaining birds locked in their safe coop/ run until it's sorted out, because whoever the predator is, it will return! Could be a dog, fox, or coyote. Maybe even a weasel. Hawks generally will take one bird at a time rather than kill many at once. Set out live traps, a game camera if you have one, and warn any neighbors who also have poultry. Good luck! Mary

 

[Semper]

they are all in i tied up one of my dogs near the coop for the day to hopefully scare off anything that tries to come back (i check on her very very often to make sure shes fine) plus im rotating the dogs out throughout the day. looking for our trap. they aren't happy being locked up in the coop but they will have to deal! my cat has found a few weasels and killed them and brought them to me. but i thought they sucked the blood not drug them and ate all of them (from what i can tell)

 

[Reiki Rooster]

I live in Georgia and same thing happened to me today! Between 12 and 12:30 one of my ducks was attacked and dragged through the woods. Luckily I was in and out today, and noticed right away, grabbed my gun went tracking. Didn't find anything but I guess I created enough noise it let go and my duck got away. Poor lil fella missing feathers, but lucky duck has no bites. I was told by fish and game since there was a trail of feathers( many piles not one feather here or there ) it is a fox. They said foxes grab with their mouths and rip off feathers until they can take bites of meat. Bobcats grab and go, no signs, no feathers, nothing left, like a UFO cam and took your chicken. And lastly they told me dogs would kill the birds and leave the carcasses, dogs kill for fun.

Scares me because it attacked during the day, I'm setting up some traps tomorrow, and my animals are so mad at me for keeping them penned right now. Hope you figure out what is going on with your flock soon, and good luck

 

[Semper]

we figured it was a fox or coyote as my dogs last fall killed and left the bodies... i wasnt out with them. i left one of my dog tied up over there today at a time. as they cant be trusted with chickens they get locked or tied up! im up in North Dakota, and mine are making noise trying to get me to let them out!!!

 

[dekel18042]

Quote: Foxes can attack either day or night. This time of year they are often out during the day because they have pups to feed.

 

[Reiki Rooster]

Oh poop, how would I even start to find the den? I don't wish starvation on anything, nor do I want an entire family of foxes on my land...

 

[Folly's place]

Electrified poultry netting at premier1supplies.com.