Massacre at My House

[Katt577]

All has been well. Started with 14 chicks...17 weeks later there are 2 roosters and 12 hens. That was until I got home today! Feathers everywhere. So many feathers! I will probably never know what happened but we found 6 all good, 1 confirmed dead (no damage, no blood, no missing feathers), just dead. Missing are 1 polish rooster, 3 buff orp hens and 1 white rock hens. That leaves 2 Reds...Found but maimed. One has a puncture wound through its ribs and missing feathers on its back, the other is issing a chunk of tail feathers and skin. I cleaned the wounds with peroxide and and coated with triple antibiotic ointment. I also separated them from everyone else. Question...Is there anything else I can do for them. What should I look out for. I am devasted and sad and I miss my flock but I want to take the best care of the ones I have left.

 

[mgw]

so sorry to hear of such losses. what kind of preds do you have where you live.

 

[Sir Birdaholic]

Sounds dog like. they kill what runs & then pick the one they want.

 

[noodleroo]

I'm so sorry this happened to you. Sounds like a dog or dogs maybe. Hope you find it and dispatch it....

 

[FarmerJamie]

Were they free-ranging at that time, or in a run? If in a run, work to make sure it's REALLY secure.

Tighten up the defences and try again.

Sorry for your loss. Been there, done that with the massacre thing - it's not fun.

 

[ekemily]

does sound like dogs or coyotes. Hope what you have left makes it.

 

[gamamachik]

Sounds like dogs

so sorry for your loss, that is hard to come home to that..

 

[Katt577]

I haven't seen anything around. But I know there are foxs, coyotes, hawks around. I never see dogs in the yard other than mine. They were free ranging at the time. We've been leaving them out for weeks. I expected an occational kill. But 5 completely gone with only a few piles of feathers and 2 injured was worse than I would have ever expected.

 

[Kittymomma]

Not coyotes, they grab and go. I've lost a few to them and seldom find more then a few feathers unless I'm able to track it aways and then 10-20 yards back into the bush there will be a big pile. The neighbor got a new dog a few weeks ago (gone now) and she got one of my young roos, I'm sure it would have been more if I hadn't been home, but the amount of feathers that came off that poor bird in just a few minutes was amazing. I'd check around with the neighbors, chances are good one of their dogs came home with a "squeaky toy" (that's how dogs see chickens) and hopefully they'll be as good about it as my neighbors were.

 

[Katt577]

My three buffs are gone, but I found no buff feathers anywhere. Does anyone think they might come back tomorrow?