My beloved Orps are gone...potential suspects!

[shelleyb1969]

Thank you so much for everyone's condolences. I came here to shed my tears and get some advice because I don't really have any family that fully understands my pain. You all came to my heart's rescue and give me the drive to carry on.

I'm headed outside to take some special treats to my Orp boys and the Cochin hen. The poor things MUST be so traumatized and fearful. I think I'm going to move them into my main coop just in case it's a mink. I can secure the entryway into their roosting area, but a mink could easily squeeze in there anyway. I still have my gorgeous rooster, "Blue", and I truly would call it quits if anything happens to him.

Be back later with an update.

 

[Judy]

We had a coyote attack here, witnessed by a neighbor (who was too far to do anything.) 5 dead, one with its head gone, one just lying dead with no obvious injury, 3 totally missing except for a trail of the roo's feathers. Another hen limped for a month and had a few small scratches. I would never have guessed coyote were it not for the neighbor.

 

[Happy Chooks]

I'm so very sorry!

I too know the feeling of finding the birds in that manner and the horrible feeling that you didn't protect them enough. I've been there also, and it's a horrible feeling. And of course, it's always the favorites that we lose. Again, I'm so sorry!

As for your eggs, please read my thread here. There is still hope for your eggs in the bator.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=464368

 

[kathyinmo]

Oh, Shelley, I am soooo sorry for your loss.

 

[FourPawz]

Shelley, I, too am heartbroken for you and for those poor birds. We had a predator back in the fall and we did the following:

1. Shored up the pen

2. Put a shower radio (so it could stay out in the rain) up at the coop and left it on at night

3. Left floodlights on all night

4. Got a game cam

5. Got a trap

So far, knock wood, we've not had a problem since.

 

[MrsChickendad]

Oh Michelle, I feel so badly for you! Any way it could have been a large owl?

The eggs may still be okay. We went to the poultry seminar last year at MSU where we opened eggs at various stages of development. They were cool, but the embryos were still alive. Dr. Karcher said that after day 13 you have to euthanize them rather than toss them. I was surprised they were still viable.

In any case, hugs to you

. Hope you catch that critter!

Kathy P

 

[HorseFeatherz NV]

Oh, I am so sick for you

I also wonder about an owl - is there any way for it to have gotten to the birds? An owl or hawk will strip the meat away from the bone - like you mentioned about the neck being stripped on one.


I am so sorry

 

[shelleyd2008]

Quote:
I had considered a dog attack...but wasn't sure if they would leave the birds behind. I have found tracks out in the pasture behind my coops before...coming from my neighbors house about 6 acres away. My neighbors will have 1 less dog tomorrow morning if that's what comes back tonight.

Not saying that I'll actually shoot a domestic dog, but I'm sure not gonna let it "play" with anymore of my chickens. Animal control can come and pick it up...IF that's what killed my chooks.

I agree with Katy, sounds like a dog killed them. Maybe the ones who were missing 'parts' were scavenged after death by something else? Dogs are about the only 'predators' that just kill things for the fun of it. A raccoon would have at least eaten parts of all of them.

 

[shelleyb1969]

Okay...I'm back. I went out to give some boiled eggs to the traumatized trio. The roosters are acting pretty normal...not acting too stressed at this point. The Cochin hen is a little stand off-ish, which is very unlike her. The roosters are being just that...ROOSTERS. They're talking to the hen and trying to breed, but she wants no part of it. I've decided that when I go out later to lock everyone up, I'm going to take those 3 into the main coop, set them on the roosts, and let them sleep there tonight...while I hold vigilance at their pen.

I'll move them back out into their pen tomorrow, so they still have some normalcy to their lives.


I have heard and seen owls around here, so I suppose that's possible. But would an owl land on the ground and walk through a "maze" entryway to get to the chickens? An owl would have to walk at least 15-20 feet through a basically enclosed entryway to get to the roosting area of the pen. And I'm not sure if an owl would've been out in that bad weather last night...would've been tough to fly through the snow and freezing rain.

 

[country lady]

So sorry. I had all the emotions that you have after my neighbor's black lab killed three of my six hens last summer. It's so sickening to see the slaughter of our pets. My three remaining hens would not get on the roost for days and quit laying eggs for a couple of weeks. I'm sure they were traumatized. I, too, felt I had let my ladies down. They depend on us for survival. I hope you catch the predator.