Lost our flock

[secuono]

Bolt cutters suck, they all have tiny gaps and some wires are just a bit too small and you have to turn half way and re-cut or just jiggle it[says not to], heh.

 

[Miss Lydia]

what size are minks and weasels say compared to a cat or large rat? just for reference.

 

[dieselgrl48]

Could be Rats.I had Never had a carnage like I did this summer.I lost 25 graduated birds within a couple of days in a Closed coop.They didnt bother any of the bigger bird's just the young one's.Many were dragged behind wire in the pens some had chewed neck's and most just dead.The rat's had came in and burrowed I guess into the large cellar room which is underneath that building which We converted and added 6 nice closed pens inside.Once I tripled checked the bird's after the first couple of nights and had the last ones in closed pen and they were same dead next day...We went below and put rat bait's in.Within a few days We had A few HUGE dead ones and probably were more burrowed.Never had problem with rats getting birds but was a new one for US and They surely will.We musta got them all because last run of grad's all did great except for a couple of stinking hawk attacks during day.Hope you can get what ever is getting yours good luck

 

[andysforrest]

We had a problem with rats last winter, hence the reason we built the new coop. I know I've said it before, but I go back to my original comment, Why haven't we had a problem before now? When the chickens had been in that same coop all summer long...

Thanks for the ideas of the flashlight - I'll definitely do that so I can find the holes.

And I'll be investing in some hardware cloth for future flocks!

 

[ivan3]

secuono wrote: Bolt cutters suck, they all have tiny gaps and some wires are just a bit too small and you have to turn half way and re-cut or just jiggle it[says not to], heh.

[insert `scratching the head' smilie - thought we had one

]

I use the ones in the shot in previous post and go through the hardware cloth like a knife through warm butter. I place the HWC on flat surface, barely open the `jaws', press down hard on the wire and Chop/chop/Chop... Still wear heavy leather gloves (too many puncture wounds using other manual cutting tools to size the HWC) to work with the stuff after cutting. This particular pair of cutters has seen a lot of use (have used to cut twenty+ `panels' from 200ft. of 6ft. welded wire fencing and have worked over about 75ft. of the .5" HWC (most short sections used to skirt Pecan saplings). No `gaps' on blade edges, yet. Have had pairs of cheap wire cutter pliers that I ended up using as strippers because of the `gaps'.

Miss Lydia wrote: what size are minks and weasels say compared to a cat or large rat? just for reference.

Think, Ferret. We have Least and Long tailed Weasels. Least is a bit longer than a good sized Grey Squirrel, Long tailed about the length of a `domestic' Ferret (longer legs - they are low slung but `skitter' across the road in front of the car at night, backs arched up). Have seen Minks a bit longer than an adult Muskrat (shot a Mink years ago in the pond - thought it was a Muskrat at first in the dusk) but the others were also about the length of a ferret. Watched a Long tailed Weasel disappear into a Mole `hole' so, they can get into some pretty tight places. Only weasel predation I've ever seen was on a neighbor's quail - killed all twelve but didn't just eat one and `bleed' the others, made quite a mess of several. Don't often see them around here (thank goodness).

Just the local reference: http://extension.missouri.edu/publications/DisplayPub.aspx?P=MX135

andysforrest wrote: I know I've said it before, but I go back to my original comment, Why haven't we had a problem before now? When the chickens had been in that same coop all summer long...

Winter's coming on, loss of food sources elsewhere, etc., etc. ... Short answer for all predation: `If you have chickens, they will come' (eventually, if not sooner).

Take care!

ed: bad gwamma​

 

[chickenology]

Very sorry for your loss, how awful! My new coop also has windows with regular window screen (they are locked open only about 2 inches), and when I originally asked DH to cover them this summer with hardware cloth, he thought I was crazy. I made him read this entire post, and he will be covering them with hardware cloth tomorrow. I know you must be devastated, but sharing your story hopefully will help protect others. Thank you!

 

[aimeeinwv]

I'm so sorry!!!!! I'm not sure what it is either, but hate to hear this bad news ( just wanted to tell you I understand, lost 65 this week to dogs. It's so hurtful!