Lost a chicken, but how?

[LauraMae]

Are there any wounds of any kind on her?

I didn't look too closely. Its my first loss and it was really hard.... all I noticed was when I picked her up it looked like her head almost fell off, but it may have just been broken. I was horrified and just scooped the towel around her tight and carried her back to the house. I'm assuming if it was partially decapitated there would have been blood everywhere out there and there is none. No remnants either except feathers.

 

[LauraMae]

Where are you located? It could have been about any predator. If you have a game camera, put it up because more than likely the predator has been lurking looking for an opportunity or maybe happened by, either way is will probably be back because it made a kill and then you will know what you are dealing with and can make a plan. Good luck...

Yeah I need to get one. My neighbor caught coyotes on his cam one night, I've seen foxes and racoon around, and we have bears too. I'm just kinda thrown because I would have expected all of these to be bloody and to leave a mess. I wanna put up an electric wire on my fence but I feel like I need to know what it is so I know how to place the wire. I think I'm just gonna do a low 6 inch wire and then maybe a 3 foot. I think that will cover small, burrowing, and taller animals.

 

[Krazikatlady64]

I wanna put up an electric wire on my fence but I feel like I need to know what it is so I know how to place the wire. I think I'm just gonna do a low 6 inch wire and then maybe a 3 foot. I think that will cover small, burrowing, and taller animals.

I am sorry for you loss. In my opinion, I think 6" is too high. I would be more inclinded to do 3 - 4 inches. Now I understand electric fencing can be picky in that if somthing such as a blade of grass touches it is inactivated. Take a look at what 6 inches really is. Of course protect the perimeter as far as any digging under. Raccoons kinda have a thumb, so can really do a lot of damage.

 

[LauraMae]

I am sorry for you loss. In my opinion, I think 6" is too high. I would be more inclinded to do 3 - 4 inches. Now I understand electric fencing can be picky in that if somthing such as a blade of grass touches it is inactivated. Take a look at what 6 inches really is. Of course protect the perimeter as far as any digging under. Raccoons kinda have a thumb, so can really do a lot of damage.

Ooooh okay good to know. Thank you!

 

[cmom]

Yeah I need to get one. My neighbor caught coyotes on his cam one night, I've seen foxes and racoon around, and we have bears too. I'm just kinda thrown because I would have expected all of these to be bloody and to leave a mess. I wanna put up an electric wire on my fence but I feel like I need to know what it is so I know how to place the wire. I think I'm just gonna do a low 6 inch wire and then maybe a 3 foot. I think that will cover small, burrowing, and taller animals.

I have electric wires around my coops and pens, concrete under the gates and good heavy duty netting covering my pens all due to losses from predators in the past. Here is a bobcat outside of my chick/grow-out coop the other night.

Here are the wires. I use the poly rope wire. So far over many years nothing as breached the electric wires.

 

[cmom]

I have fence insulators in some places for the wires and other places step in post. I do have to keep the weeds down under the wires. I added another coop and pen so I had to move the wires. My DH helped me with the wires but put the fence insulators too far apart so I put some step in post inbetween the fence insulators to keep it from sagging too much. I have seen some places where a predator has attempted to dig but once it came in contact with the wires, it aborted the attempt. There is netting covering this pen but it was crappy netting that I have since replaced with some good heavy duty netting after an owl went through the crappy netting and killed some birds. After I replaced the crappy netting the owl tried again but got stuck in the netting we were able to get it out into a cage and a wildlife rescue came and got it. Again, good luck...

 

[LauraMae]

I have electric wires around my coops and pens, concrete under the gates and good heavy duty netting covering my pens all due to losses from predators in the past. Here is a bobcat outside of my chick/grow-out coop the other night.
View attachment 2415582
Here are the wires. I use the poly rope wire. So far over many years nothing as breached the electric wires.
View attachment 2415586

Thank you so much for the pics! Its so helpful to see what is successful for others so I know what to do. I'm a brand new chicken farmer so I have no clue how to protect my babies. Thank you so much for your help!

 

[cmom]

It was from lessons learned the hard way. Just trying to help. Good luck again...

 

[cmom]

These threads should help you. Again good luck...
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/electric-fence-basics.1398976/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-treatise-on-electric-fencing.1117877/

 

[cmom]

This is from one of @Howard E post on one of his threads I mentioned above and I believe it to be true. "Done right, one can almost envision a scenario where a varmint could associate the smell of poultry with the jolt they got from the fence and decide to avoid it completely. Smell a chicken and run away? Maybe not as far fetched as it may seem. A varmint does not know what an electric fence is. If chickens are new to the area, and to the varmint, they may not know what a chicken is either. They only know if they touch that wire, it's going to hurt and hurt bad, and that wire is found near chickens, so they may learn to associate the pain they feel with chickens. We can dream can't we?"
Here are some coyotes going behind some of my coops. I think the mother is teaching the youngsters to stay away unless you like the pain.