My First Loss to a Predator

[Lady J]

Sooo....I laid Minnie to rest yesterday. The chickie cam was quiet all night, thank goodness! I needed the sleep. The coon that escaped did not return last night. Maybe I got in enough good, solid body blows with my weapon that it made it think twice about coming back. I'm sure it will be back. It's just a matter of how long it takes for its bruises to heal. When it does, I'll be ready. HOOAH!

 

[tanyabee]

Yes. I have (had) two, Minnie and Abie. Minnie was my favorite.

Oh They really are the sweetest chickens!

 

[MissChick@dee]

Get him good girl!!!

 

[Lady J]

Good advice! I'm trying to eliminate some rats who got into my run. It's been a nightmare because I can't see evidence of their activities in the dirt floor of the run so I haven't been able to set the traps where they are effective. I can only see them hulking in the rafters after dark.

Sooooooo much easier to make it predator-proof in the first place.

I don't know if the same principle would apply to rats, but mice like to crawl along baseboards and walls. They don't like being out in the open. Maybe that will help with your trap strategy.

 

[happyfrenchman]

It/they (2 coons) were back last night, and I was ready! Posted my story in this thread. I found Minnie on the roof of the hen house. She was completely in tact except for 1/2 of her breast and body cavity.

Bravo... I am impressed with your killer instinct. I think chicken keepers need more of that. I believe it is important to avenge your hens. I would like to hear how you accomplished it and what you are planning to perhaps bag the remaining coon.

They always manage to kill the ones you like the most.

 

[Lady J]

Bravo... I am impressed with your killer instinct. I think chicken keepers need more of that. I believe it is important to avenge your hens. I would like to hear how you accomplished it and what you are planning to perhaps bag the remaining coon.

They always manage to kill the ones you like the most.

Here is my story: I caught one at 4:30 a.m. today. I got a baby monitor with sound and a night vision camera. At 4:30 this morning, I was wakened by noise in the pen. It sounded like they were trying to open the door latches. I opened my eyes just in time to see a raccoon walking in front of the camera. I scrambled out there like a colonial Minuteman! By the time I got out there, it seemed to have vanished. I thought I scared it off. Just as I was about to leave, I looked up and saw a coon looking down on me from the rafters. I went on the attack. He got away. I was standing there thinking what I was going to do next. I looked up where he had been and saw something suspicious. I jabbed at it with a lawn implement and, sure enough, it was a second coon!! This one was not so lucky. I hated, hated, hated to do it, but I got him. Also...I found Minnie's body. They tried to drag her out of the pen through the roof rafters. They got her as far as the top of the roof of the hen house. As I was working to strengthen my defenses on the house, I looked up and saw her little feet hanging off the roof of the hen house. Poor baby. Poor, poor baby. She has been partially avenged.

 

[Lady J]

Here is my story: I caught one at 4:30 a.m. today. I got a baby monitor with sound and a night vision camera. At 4:30 this morning, I was wakened by noise in the pen. It sounded like they were trying to open the door latches. I opened my eyes just in time to see a raccoon walking in front of the camera. I scrambled out there like a colonial Minuteman! By the time I got out there, it seemed to have vanished. I thought I scared it off. Just as I was about to leave, I looked up and saw a coon looking down on me from the rafters. I went on the attack. He got away. I was standing there thinking what I was going to do next. I looked up where he had been and saw something suspicious. I jabbed at it with a lawn implement and, sure enough, it was a second coon!! This one was not so lucky. I hated, hated, hated to do it, but I got him. Also...I found Minnie's body. They tried to drag her out of the pen through the roof rafters. They got her as far as the top of the roof of the hen house. As I was working to strengthen my defenses on the house, I looked up and saw her little feet hanging off the roof of the hen house. Poor baby. Poor, poor baby. She has been partially avenged.

P.S. I left the body of the dead coon outside the pen overnight in an attempt to send a message to any others out there. Sounds silly, but it made me feel like I was doing something. It was helping me get my "mad" out.

 

[bruceha2000]

Just move the corpse before it starts to stink!

 

[Lady J]

Just move the corpse before it starts to stink!

Got rid of it the next morning.

 

[Lady J]

Update: The coons are still coming into the pen at night. They seem to be more interested in getting to the chicken feed than they are the chickens, so I'm encouraged by that. Since the loss of Minnie, I have suffered no more losses. I can find no evidence that coons are trying to break into the house. I realize that could change, but, so far, so good. Thank you for all of your sympathy and encouragement.