Lost my birds to a cat (need advice)

[scubamob]

sorry to hear about losing so many birds. it is always a constant battle here in michigan, if you do have mink there i would lean towards that being the the predator killing and leaving the body's though i have found they eat the heads. the best way i have found of catching them is live trap with one of the body's, they come back for them. it could also be a bird of prey but they seem to take the body's. i have surprisingly caught them in live traps too. i would strongly suggest the investment in some sorts of traps. i have no idea of the laws over there but live traps are the only sure way not to kill some thing unintentionally. expectantly if you have your dog out there. best of luck.

 

[Goldenpheasantlover]

Pheasants don't go into a coop, they much prefer to roost. The only reason mine were so friendly was because we had a mutual agreement: I wouldn't pick them up and they'd come and sit on my lap

You could probably coop them every night, but they won't go in there voluntarily.
It might have been more than one, and I did suspect an owl or bird predator for the ones in the tree. I was a big bushy conifer they were in with lots of little branches close together, but they just walked in underneath and jumped from branch to branch. We only have bantam birds which will make it easier for birds of prey, and we do have a barn owl that lives nearby. As far as predators we have a lot of the worst: owls, foxes, cats, dogs (although ours is terrified of chickens and the neighbours' don't come to our place because our dog chases them). I haven't seen any pine martens around here, but I suppose it is still a possibility.
What is still bothering me is that hole. A bird of prey wouldn't make a hole, and I know our neighbour's dogs wouldn't (they are very small terriers and wouldn't be able to reach that high). Because of the digging it kind of makes me think it was a fox...
Looks like I'll be going trap shopping next week!

 

[centrarchid]

Quote:
An experienced red fox could work its way through a conifer if its growth form is like our white pines. We had a dalmation that could follow us up nearly 20 feet into one of our pines by walking on limbs of regularly spaced rings of limbs. A fox would be light enough to walk out on limbs to make grab.

 

[chickened]

A picture is worth a thousand words...get a game camera see what is lurking around your home and take appropriate action.

 

[DinosRBirds]

Set a live trap with tuna and marshmallows as bait

 

[Moochie]

Find it and destroy it!
That's a last resource actually. There's a cat that my mom saw and that I've seen trying to kill our birds. I'm going to try to catch it and turn it in to animal control if continues to come back.

 

[chickened]

Get yourself a python I hear they love cats.

 

[sawmane1]

get a b-b gun and you can figure out the rest

 

[theFox]

You have weasels, mink, stoats, badgers, hedgehogs, fox, dogs, and cats of the four footed predators.

Several raptors for the airborne assults.

Weasels, mink, stoats, badgers, hedgehogs, fox, dogs, and cats (to a small degree) will all dig.

Puncture wounds on the back sounds like dog or fox.

Fox, cats, and raptors can all take prey from a tree.

Dogs are apt to just sit around a tree and make a noise.

 

[Reg]

Quote:
Our gardens are fenced 3 sides so dogs dont normally get in. You can not stop a cat tho & i dont think its fair to complain about a cat bothing your birds anyway.

If you keep birds its up to you to make sure they can not be got at. You don't have the right to kill everything that steps in your garden just because you keep hens.

You also have to remember we dont keep guns. Well Farmers, bank robber & muggers do

If i loose a hen to a fox I may change my mind tho