MEMORIAL TO MY CHICKENS TAKEN BY RACCOON

[scratch'n'peck]

Last month four of our three year old hens were killed by raccoons. One took our Ferdi through a whole they made in wire. We fortified the wiring but the coons kept looking for a way in. They also thwarted the live traps. Eventually they made their way over the fence through the avian netting on top and loosened the hinges on the pop door (curse those cheep screws included with the hinges). They got three more hens - Phoebe, Lola and Chloe. They are survived by our lonely Ruby and Sophie who roosted furthest from the pop door. It was hard to look at the last photos that I took of them at first, but I finally decided to post some of them.

From front to back: Poebe, Lola, Ruby, Chloe and Ferdi




And here is a favorite photo taken over the winter of Chloe, Lola and Ferdi



Ferdi Birdy



Lola





Sophie (below), our lonesome surviving hen of the coop has decided to cope by going broody, which leaves our poor Ruby roo out in the run by himself all day. He consoles himself by crowing at the bachelor rooster in the other coop.



We did finally put out different traps and caught 3 raccoons. We are in the process of building a new run and have ordered chicks. We hope we raise the chicks to be as sweet and charming as our dearly departed hens. The circle of life continues here - we have been consoled by raising three darling goslings. For photos of them see:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/684338/pics-of-hatching-goslings#post_9285329

 

[americana-lover]

wow, I am so dearly sorry. My uncles hens were attacked by raccoons also, and I know how hard it is to lose a beloved pet. They were so beautiful. I also have a pop-up door into my coop, but i have put a lock on the hatch, just for safety. Thank you for telling your story. Rest in peace Chloe, Lola, and Ferdi.

If you only have one chicken left, you should try to spend more time with her. She will get extremely lonely.

Americana-lover

 

[okallthis4eggs]

Sorry about your loss. Hope the new run is built using hardware cloth instead of the chicken wire. Focus on building the coop and run strong instead of trying to catch all of the predators. You can win the battle keeping them out but you can never catch all of the predators.

 

[Egg Lover]

Wow..........beautiful girls. So sorry, too many danged coons in Michigan. We haven't had any trouble yet, I spotted a juvenile the other day ,we scared him off and it hasn't returned.

 

[scratch'n'peck]

Thanks for the kind words.

Yes, we will be enlarging the run and using lots of hardware cloth, welded wire and maybe some metal sheeting or siding around the bottom 2 feet. Of course we got better screws for the hinges to the pop doors, too. Sadly we got complacent and didn't realize how materials (especially chicken wire) can deteriorate after 3 plus years.

Ruby rooster was untouched by the coons along with Sophie. As a rooster well past his adolescents, he is attentive to Sophie without being over bearing. Now that she is broody in her nest box, he will keep trying to call her out to sample every treat. I make sure she takes a break from the nest box every day.

 

[GardenGal]

Scratch'n'Peck, I'm so sorry you lost your sweet chickens. I wish chicken wire came with huge warning signs to tell you it is only good for keeping chickens in, not for keeping predators out. Hoping your new flock members will be safe and happy for years to come.