Lost 3 chicks last night!

[chickenwoods]

This morning i went out to get the chickens up and going,,and i was very upset...
I saw a chick hanging from the top of the tracter by his neck

then went around to the other side of the tracter and there was another chick laying dead on her side...

and a wing from another lost bird laying outside the tractor...What a HORRIBLE night!
Whatever predator it was it attacked one through the wire, pulled her through ate her,went on top the tracter and treid to pull one through the top,hanging the chicken from the roof of the tracter and tried to pull another through the wire but couldnt..

Tonight im gonna be ready for this predator whatever it is,coon,skunk,possum, possible bobcat..Traps and all..
I aint gonna let this masacure happen agian....

They got one of my favorite chicks, she was a light red color possible a Buff orp,she was the nicest thing ever!!,i could pick her up in my hand and she would set there and cluck..They were only a month old..

 

[WindyOaksYokes]

oh hun... I am so sorry... yep... sounds like a coon to me from what I have read... but Im certainly no expert!!! Please let us know when you get that (#*@#%&*$ whatever it was... hopefully though it wont come back...

 

[peeps7]

Yeah sorry about your chick. I have a 3 day old silkie and if something got him that something would feel sorry. Good Luck


P.S I love animals and even have a ton of them but if something killed one of em then you know.

 

[Lothiriel]

I'm so sorry you lost your chick.:aww I hope you find the "whatever-it-is" before it takes more! Good Luck!

 

[SpottedCrow]

Sounds like a raccoon to me also...
sorry that you lost your chicks.

 

[peepkeeper]

I agree that it sounds like a racoon, although coyotes will do the same thing sometimes. Why not spread flour around the tractor and then see what kind of prints you get?

 

[JaciesCoop]

I'm so sorry about your chicks. Mine are a month old now and I would be devastated! I did loose one the 2nd week and that was hard enough but to lose that many. Again, I'm so sorry.

 

[JacobsRewardFarm]

I had a similar experience last week, though I only lost one. Got pulled through the wire and its head chewed off. Not sure if it was a hen or roo. :-( So I moved the flock of 24 over to my "Fort Knox" tractor and have been working on ideas for beefing up the pvc tractor that the raccoon (I'm betting) got through. It's a "quanset hut" shaped pvc tractor, 6.5 feet x 10 feet. I'm thinking of putting a length of corrugated roofing along the bottom edge of the tractor on at least 3 sides, about 2 feet high, to keep the coons from being able to reach through and grab a chicken. They usually sleep at the far end of the tractor, so the "door" end isn't as vulnerable.

It's horrible to walk out to feed and find bits of chicken - especially one you liked a lot. I'm so sorry.

I know not everybody believes this, but I pray God's protection around my entire property line and all my critters every night. But I got a little lazy that night :-(.

On my way to church this morning, a coyote crossed the road 2 houses down from my house. I prayed that he would find his breakfast somewhere else. I think he was wandering close to the houses because dove season has started, and it sounds like a war zone around here.

Here's the tractor that the coon reached through to grab one of my chickens:

Here's Ft. Knox:

Stay safe!
Cindy T.
Parker, TX

 

[arlee453]

What is the smallest size wire that they can reach through? I have 1/4" hardware cloth on my new panels for the bottom 3', and 1" grid wire on the Chick-N-Barn.

Should I reinfoce the ChickNBarn/Run with 1/4"?? Or is the 1" square small enough? They do go into the barn at night and there's no wire there that a perp could reach through...

Susan

 

[chickenwoods]

I do believe it is possible for a coon to reach through a 1" inch wire..If u could afford the 1/4" it might save you alot of trouble in the future.

Thanks for all the replys,
I got my trap set towards the woods next to my tracter,I know they will be back tonight..

Jacobsrewardfarm, your ft.knox chicken tractor is FANTASTIC!!! That is awesome!!!!! lol with my chicken tracter you have to be careful about moving it bc it might fall apart LOL!!