Lost my first chickens (young pullets) night before last!

[swdunn0926]

OK I have (had) 10 young EE pullets I was raising to replace my older hens and have babied them since hatch and protected them like crazy. Well not to well I guess since I forgot to close their coop night before last, well when I went out to feed yesterday morning I feed them without going into the coop. When I got home after work I went to get the eggs and there inside the door were two of my young pullets (my solid buff and my speckled EE) heads missing and my heart sank! I knew from the posts of others what did the deed. So I set off to the shed, got my travel cage and some twine grabbed a hot dog from the fridge and set up my make shift trap. Waited for the sun to go down and set that puppy. Went out at midnight and caught the possum took the shovel to him and have learned my lesson. Sorry but well learned lesson.

 

[toletiquesbysam]

Sorry to hear that happened, but glad you got the culprit!! Good for you!!!

 

[CallyB57]

I was afraid that would happen to my birds, as we have so many possums around...one even came up on the back deck - then climbed another flight of steps to get to a 4x4 stoop - used to do that when we had a cat and fed it on the stoop. It would sit there and eat while we watched it out of the back door window. Possums are so gross...really. So, every night I go double-check to make sure the little 'hen' door on my henhouse is shut and latched, and my birds are secure. I am sorry you lost your birds...I just can't imagine something so horrible happening to mine.

 

[mediazeal]

Hmm, I didn't think possum would take their heads, I thought they attacked from the back.
Raccoons attack like you have described.
Might be you have more than one predator around.
So sorry you lost your little babies.

 

[Emzyyy]

Im sorry to hear about your chicks and to think that is my hedgehog's closest relative?

 

[jjthink]

The pred may well have been a raccoon, not the oppossum.

 

[lil_chick_chick]

I also hear that possums take the heads off, we had 21 killed the other night (already replaced them) but no heads were off, just a bunch of feathers and some blood, a couple got torn into, but heads were still there, we think it was a raccoon, since we have seen coon tracks right in are drive-way, plus at the time they were in a pin so we know it wasnt no dog. Sorry for your loss, I know it can be so frusterating.

 

[mkeawsh]

Yep, sounds like a raccoon. They are notorious for taking the heads and leaving the rest of the bloody mess.

Gail

 

[Bizzybirdy]

Yah...racoons take the heads off and possums usually clean up what's left eating the sides. Bet ya have more than one predator.

I hate racoons...am sitting up again tonight waiting for one.

Chickens are closed up in their "fortress" but I have a goose sitting in an open shed. Grrrrrrrrrrrrr.