Lost three in 24 hours

[GreatPyrLover]

I have lost my two roosters and one hen in the past 24 hrs...they were locked in the coop...go out there to feed and check on them and the body is in the coop and the head is gone....I would imagine its happening early in the morning when its starting to get light and the chickens have gotten up from roosting...what do you think it is...the last time we had this happen we caught a coon...I am gonna try to get some traps today and figure out a way to get some smaller wire and put it over the wire I have now...the chickens can stick their head out of the wire I have now.....this really ticks me off...I know its natural but it drives me up the wall!!!! Esp to not know what it is and that it probably scared the crap out of my chickens!!!!

 

[Mattemma]

Maybe a weasle or coon? Home depot sells traps for $45. I just caught groundhogs with mine,but the cage held up well.
Hope you get the critter!

 

[drdoolittle]

I agree, probably a raccoon. So sorry that happened.

 

[madimorg]

Quote:
Sounds like you are definitely going to need some hardware cloth and skip the chicken wire. This is much stronger and also the holes are tiny so you wont have the issues again. I'd concentrate on making the coop more predator proof right away.

 

[GreatPyrLover]

Where can you get the hardware cloth? Can I get that at Home Dept too?

 

[madimorg]

Quote:
Not sure about Home Depot... we got ours at Tractor Supply and I know that we actually saw some lower prices on it online when doing a search. We went with Tractor Supply instead of ordering it because I needed it "now" and didn't want to wait. From the sounds of what you have going on, I do think it'll solve most of your problem. Best of luck and sorry to hear of your losses... I cant imagine how sad it must be.