Lost 3 dozen chickens in less than 48hours

[KKatknap]

I have a couple of motion detector lights, as well as motion detector sprinklers. They do have the solar type for lights. The sprinklers are battery operated. I have watched the sprinklers chase away three raccoons at one time.

ETA - Good luck getting it figured out. I can't imagine the frustration and discouragement of losing so many!!

 

[rhodewarrior]

Do you have coyotes in your area? They are known to grab their food and run, and more are hunting during the day now. They have learned that humans put their pets up and night, so they hunt for them during the day. One afternoon, I had a feeling I wasn't alone, and sure enough in the avocado grove next door, there was a HUGE one going after rats! Otherwise, it does sound like a human to me as well. Sorry that you are losing your babies.

 

[ellieroo]

Vote Human

 

[dadof4]

I've seen rats carry off a load of chicks in one night.

 

[halo]

Can coyotes get to them? Because they will haul them off without a trace. Coons will kill them right there, coyotes take them to their dens, and they have pups right now. I had a coyote dig under one of my pens and take off with 4 or 5 Ameraucana pullets. No trace, but the dug hole. She didnt do a very good job, because 2 of them came back from across the road, amazingly enough. I did put out a trap and catch it the next day.

 

[redhen]

A say a fox or coyote.. they both will carry off their food.

 

[Akane]

No bodies I could understand but no feathers? Even just having a dog grab a chicken leaves a huge pile of feathers. Much less killing 3 dozen of them. Most of the chickens also roost on top of a door so they are more than head height. The rest roost on a bar at shoulder height with nothing to climb on to get there. I don't think any type of coyote, fox, or dog could get them without scaring them down and then half would take off as well as a mass of feathers while they grabbed at them. There aren't even scattered chickens. There are no chickens from that coop. I could understand the chicks (they were about 8weeks old) since they were mostly hiding behind the door instead of roosting yet and they are small easily eaten things that wouldn't leave much behind. Can anything really haul off a dozen grown bantams in one evening though without so much as a feather left behind? There are maybe a handful of feathers on the coop floor which I would consider normal for that number of chickens.

 

[redhen]

Quote:
True....
Can you get a game cam up??