My beloved Orps are gone...potential suspects!

[buff]

I am so sorry for your lost I know what it feels like, for I have lost my chickens to many predators: dog, raccoon, hawks, and I not quite sure if it was a mink or some kind of weasle. We have caught raccoons and a mink/weasle in a live trap. But I do know that we had raccoons outside of our coop at one time and lost alot of chickens all at once. So we think maybe a family of coons. I hope you catch the predator. But you might want to invest in a live trap if it is a coon then you can make sure it gets taken care of.

 

[sumatra]

Fox? We once watched a pair get in our run. It was empty just then, but I was surprised to see two together like that. I've got 4 dogs an 8 foot fence and what is really important--geese. Turkeys warn everyone about the hawks during the day, but the geese never sleep. I always lost birds, even with the dogs and fence, but not a one since then. You have my sympathy!

 

[tazcat70]

Shelley, I am so sorry.

I can honestly say I know exactly how you feel and I wish there was something I could do for you.

I lost my Orps last Saturday to a dog attack.

 

[shelleyb1969]

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Oh Taz...

...I'm sorry for your loss, too. It's horrible that we have in common the same terrible incident with our Orp flock.

 

[tazcat70]

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Be careful not move them back too soon. I lost the majority of my flock on Monday, the dog(s) didn't come right back. They waited a couple of days to do more damage.

 

[tazcat70]

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Oh Taz...

...I'm sorry for your loss, too. It's horrible that we have in common the same terrible incident with our Orp flock.

Thanks so much. I can tell you it does get easier. I don't cry every time I see their pen now.

 

[goldeneggtees]

So sorry Shelley, that's a horrible story and one that I hope never happens here,but I know one never knows what's around the corner. Hope you are able to figure out who and what did it and catch them before they do further damage.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

I am so sorry for your losses.

May you be able to replace your flock swiftly and easily.

 

[tigtoy]

so sorry for your loss.

 

[HorseFeatherz NV]

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While I do not have personal experience with an owl walking a maze to get the birds, I have read about it.


We have a family of GHO (great horned owls) who like to sit on our house at night. They wake me with their whoo, hoos. For five years all was good and then they (or a young one) decided to dine on my ducks at night. Now the ducks are locked up.

When I found our first dinned duck - it was stripped like you mentioned, and the head was gone. It was early, early morning and as I looked around *wondering WTH happened* I saw the owl sitting on our house roof. "Our owls" will fly no matter what the night is like - but they do prefer to come out in the nice calm part of a storm.

again