Mayhem! and Hi We are still new

[Paulagevans]

Hi. This is our first time to cry 'uncle'
and to join y'all.
We have tried to raise flocks of chickens for four years. We successfully started with 4h- our whole family fell madly in love with our first girls-we put them out -they made craters all over the yard so we fashioned a coop, had eggs all year. We were blissful.
Then we came home to a massacre. All dead. We figured a weasel-puncture wounds and whole chickens.
We grieved.
We ordered 24 mixed chicks and tried again. In love. Beefy coop with electric wire and netting. They were beautiful.
Massacre. Took awhile to recover.
This winter I, mom, tried raising 10 co-op Sussex, 2 flea market silkies+3 chicks. Bacteria plague. Saved only the silkies and four Sussex. Did have 2 hens also that survived massacre #2.
THIS LAST WEEK, both silkies and chicks -shredded by a different type of killer. Yesterday and today it got my older hens. I have one old silkie rooster and a free range auracana rooster fearing for their lives.
During this Job-ish period, We've trapped cats opposums raccoons skunks...
Now
At my very wits end.

 

[Stiggy]

Sorry to hear of your loss, its a terrible thing to happen once but multiple times . what kind of fencing were you using on your enclosure? and is it 1/2 inch hardwire mesh?

 

[3riverschick]

Oh no! What disasters!

,

,
Stiggy is right. hardware cloth is our friend. It's abut the only thing to protect against weasels.
If it's size of a quarter or larger , weasels can get thru. I am kinda surprised the electricity didn't
stop them, sigh.
here's an illustrated BYC thread with maybe some new ideas for you?

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/703322/predator-proof-chicken-run
and a couple of outside articles for more ideas.
http://www.ehow.com/how_7686681_keep-weasel-out-chicken-coop.html
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/466593/weasel-proofing-coop-and-cage
Best Success,
Karen in western PA

 

[drumstick diva]

Would you please put up a picture of your coop/runs, whatever - where your birds were massacred, so we can tell you what needs to be beefed up and how to do it.
The predators must be tweeting their buddies to come party at your coop. This has to stop, it's war now.

 

[TwoCrows]

Welcome to BYC!

I am so sorry about all the losses. Sounds like you need to revamp your entire coop and if they are not in a run, maybe one is in order.

I hope you can get this under control. Once the predators know where a meal is, they aren't going to quit. Ever. So get it predator proofed up. It can be done. So sorry.

 

[Kelsie2290]

Hello and Welcome To BYC! Sorry for your losses. X5 the above suggestions with fortifying your coop and run, you might check out the Predator forum also for help figuring out how to and what you are dealing with, and if you have one a game or video camera set up might help https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/13/predators-and-pests

 

[roostersandhens]

 

[Stiggy]

also it sounds like some traps are in order. I was talking to a friend who was having stoat and ferrit problems ( we don't have weasels here in NZ to my knowledge) they used a live bait hen in a crate with a larger crate ( so a crate in a crate) around her to keep her safe and then they sourrounded her in traps. the next morning there were 37 stoats and ferrits. after a few nights with a different hen each time they had almost solved their problem, now they had a problems of what to do with the dead stoats and ferrits.

 

[Paulagevans]

Wow. Thank you so much. I feel better. Yes. Will take pics. Also, thought I would put hardware cloth on inside of current fence-which is what E TN folks call hog fence.

 

[gander007]