My goose and chicken are gone and the hen house door was forced open

[CONNOR VERNON]

I am so very sorry to hear of your loss

I am in Aus so do not have the same predators as you would and while I have no experience with raccoons, I have read on here many, many times how they can lift hooks, open doors etc.

If the door opens outwards and the hooks holding it in were bent, I think you are dealing more with an animal predator, not a chicken napping.

I live in Australia too so it was either a fox or a human

 

[Teila]

I live in Australia too so it was either a fox or a human

Ah, OK Connor, sorry, I did not realise you were in Aus also, my bad!

Hhhhm, yeah, that does narrow down the field a bit hey .. we do not have anything like the powerful predators they do in the states.

No claw marks? I have heard of a large goanna breaking into a chicken coop.

 

[CONNOR VERNON]

it is ok I am pretty sure this is a U.S site anyways

nothing no tracks no feathers no noise I was awake all night because I had a horrible feeling but when I check the animals they were ok then in the morning they were gone,

 

[Teila]

it is ok I am pretty sure this is a U.S site anyways

nothing no tracks no feathers no noise I was awake all night because I had a horrible feeling but when I check the animals they were ok then in the morning they were gone,

Sadly, you may never know what happened The other thing I did think of though is a dog. May be from a neighbouring property or a stray.

If I read it right, you still have some chickens, ducks and geese left? It might be worth trying to set up a game cam if you can get one. This might help you with working out what is happening. Animal or human predator, it may return.

 

[CONNOR VERNON]

Sadly, you may never know what happened The other thing I did think of though is a dog. May be from a neighbouring property or a stray.

If I read it right, you still have some chickens, ducks and geese left? It might be worth trying to set up a game cam if you can get one. This might help you with working out what is happening. Animal or human predator, it may return.

yeah i still have some animals left i was thinking of putting up a motion camera with a noise maker on a timer so if the light is still on after an amount of time the noise will go off because the light will scare the fox but not a human or dog so the noise goes off and we hear it and come out

 

[CONNOR VERNON]

We just fox proofed the chicken coop

 

[Sunshine Flock]

It's so sad when something like this happens. My rooster was attacked by a coyote when the flock was free ranging. I'm with them all day while we work on the fencing for their run. Even safely tucked inside a good run, they're still vulnerable. It seems there's always more that can be done.

I'm glad you're working on protecting the coop. I installed two identical sliding latches for the coop doors (the people door and the chicken door). One is up at the top and the other at the very bottom. The slider for the people door is large enough that it comes with a hole for a lock or carabiner. I haven't purchased the carabiners yet, but I'm going to right away. The slider for the chicken door doesn't have that option because of its size, so I'm going to jerryrig something to prevent it from opening.

Sliders are two-step mechanisms. I often read that three-step door latches are best, especially for raccoons. You can add that third step with a carabiner. If there's any chance a human did this, add a lock instead, top and bottom.

That's the next phase for your coop protection. Keep us updated on what you do for your coop. It helps remind others that there's always more we can do. I for one appreciate it.

Cheers.

 

[handydad]

If you have noisy birds and nearby neighbors that live close enough for the noise to be a problem, it's possible that they may have let them loose.
It might have seemed an easier solution to them than talking with you about what they may think of as inconsiderate nuisance noise.

 

[ChickenGirl555]

I don't know what could've happened based on what people are saying, but I hope you find them soon and I wish you the best of luck!

 

[Lazy Farmer]

Bang the the feed can or pail, scoop or what ever you use to feed with. Their ears are trained to that sound.