Lost our first two chicken to a predator!!!!

[chickenmamalp]

Yesterday we had a chicken disappear I thought maybe she went over the fence and was wandering the neighborhood or maybe she went broody and was sitting on some eggs somewhere .we looked and looked at night in the freezing cold, went out in the rain but no Marsala she was a black sex link . Tonight we came home to find feathers in the yard and now Helen our Amberlink is gone. We think it was a raccoon being its happening toward the evening.........

We feel soooo bad these where our first girls they were only a few days old when we got them. I think they were about 5 months old.
Now I don't want to let them out at all!

Stupid stupid predators we never thought we could feel so horrible over a chicken!!!
Now I know how you all feel

 

[gkeesling]

It's sad you lost your chickens no matter what the preditor. But, I've not heard of a raccoon carrying them off like that. I thought a racoon would try to eat what he wanted there and leave most of the carcass. Do you think you might have foxes around there?

 

[chickenmamalp]

maybe.... we have had bobcats come through. I've never seen a fox.
The first one just disappeared no feathers nothing this one left feathers.....

 

[Sir Birdaholic]

Nite Guard! They Really Work!

 

[gsim]

Am sorry to hear of this. Do you free-range them in your yard? I did not see mention of a pen or run for them. Now that it has had good hunting at your place, it will return until you have no flock remaining. Being that it carried off it's prey, I would think fox, coyote, dog, maybe even bobcat. Coons are known to eat the heads and leave the carcass.

You have to secure your flock first or keep suffering losses. After that, take steps to eliminate the predator. Foxes are nearly impossible to trap in a cage-type trap. Leg traps work for them as well as other preds. Spread a little chicken poop around to mask any human scent. Wintertime stakeouts are not feasible.

 

[chickenmamalp]

We have had a few bobcats .Here is one of them. I haven't seen any in awhile.
The only other thing is racoons at night.

My girls free range and when it gets dark we put them in the coop.
Should we leave them in the coop for a couple of days?
They have not been out today.
We still feel so awful.....

 

[fancbrd4me02]

It sounds like a bobcat to me. They will carry a chicken off and keep coming back until the birds are penned up where it can't get them or until it has eaten all the loose birds. If you are going to get more chickens, build a sturdy night pen with hardware cloth wire for them to roost in at night. You can train them to go in when it starts to get dark , and there are automatic doors you can buy that will close at dusk. Don't leave the birds out late in the evening or early morning.