- Oct 10, 2011
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Until last week I had 6 *2 week old black orphinton chicks in an old live trap being used as a coop, it was located off the ground and in a shed. They were doing great and thriving until one morning when I checked on them and 4 were dead! Some had their heads pulled through the wire and others were just laid out, it appeared that some (not many) feathers were missing but no blood or obvious struggles, no teeth/bite marks that I noticed and all 4 of the carcasses were present. The remaining 2 were seemingly unharmed and were moved to a new/safe location, they are doing great today. Another incident yesterday! I brood my hens away from the general population, I use a 55 gallon barrel. this barrel is laid on its side - like you would roll it - it has an oval cut out of the top, and dime sized air holes cut out through-out, I keep 1x2" welded wire tight across the top (the oval cut out). I had my hen with her 7 2&3 day old chicks in the barrel, they were thriving and doing well until yesterday! I went to feed and there lay my hen *dead, with 1 dead chick under her, the other 6 chicks GONE. No sign of a struggle, no bite marks that I notice and momma was stiff with her head buried into her wing - comb still very pink. The barrel lives in the same location that the orphington incident occurred. I have talked around to my fellow farmers and general consensus is snake? I get that a snake could get in and out of the barrel but *6* chicks at the same time and what about the momma? Could this be a venomous snake that struck the momma as she was attempting to defend? Could a snake have killed the ophingtons? Or should I be looking for another predator? We have seen rat droppings around but I don't think a rat could get back out of the barrel nor, would even the biggest monster rat eat 6 chicks in one sitting. We also know that we have a copperhead lurking, we smell it, but haven't located it yet. We set the live trap in hopes that the predator will return but it won't catch a snake. I fear for the other 2 broodies that are sitting on eggs due to hatch out this week? Opinions on my predator/predatorS !!! Raccoon and Fox have been tossed around - possible for the orphingtons but not so much for the peeps because of the barrel dimensions. Ferret and weasel have also been discussed but we have never seen them in our area (Eastern Central Alabama). Thanks for any ideas and input. Also nothing in the general coop (roos and egg layers) or in the tractor (12 weeks old) have been bothered - each located about 5 feet away from the shed.
