My whole flock was killed last night, please help me

[Farmer Kitty]

So sorry.......

 

[MissPrissy]

I am sorry you lost your chickens and duck.

I have to agree with baron. It really sounds like a coon. They will grab and eat at the head and go through as many as they can get to. Secure your place as well as you can today. They will keep coming back until you have nothing left for them before they will give up and move on to the next feeding ground.

 

[chicktasticvt]

Im soo sorry to hear that. What you described sounds very much like a fisher cat. Its like a weasel but lager and very nasty. They have no fear of humans. The feathers and the head biting are tell tale signs of a fisher, They are very good at penitraiting even the best of fences, they can enter from the roof of a barn, they have strong jaws and sharp powerfull paws. They normally do their dirty work in the early hours of the morning, leaving a trail of blood and feathers. Be aware now that it has been in your barn, cause if it is a fisher he will be back knowing there is more food there. The farm I use to work at would loose 30-40 chickens a night because of a fisher cat, I really hope that its not a fisher for your sake, they are not easy to get rid of.
Here are a link with more info on them:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fisher_(animal)

 

[Gindee77]

I'm so sorry about your loss.

When we had chickens in the 1990's that's what happened to us. We trapped the devil that did it. It was a huge raccoon. Well, we trapped one raccoon and I can't say that he was alone. We weren't missing any birds, they were just almost all killed and it was a huge mess in my coop. It was like walking into a Freddy Kruger movie! It looked to me like he had killed the chickens just to eat the eggs still inside the hens!!! Their rear ends were all torn apart.

I know how violated and sick you must feel. It's a horrible feeling. When I first read your post, my thought was "human predator"! 30 chickens is a lot to go missing w/o a trace...have you checked all possible entrances for feathers...I can't imagine an animal dragging a chicken thru a small opening without leaving feathers or blood behind.

If you have a video camera, is there any way of setting that up for the night to see if you can find out what's doing all this damage?

 

[BaronRenfrew]

An idea I'm using for my next coop, tin for outside and maybe inside walls. Install it verticly and its hard for critters to climb.

 

[d.k]

*kathy, I'm very sorry you're having to go through this. Where I live it's very difficult to even imagine anything carting away that many birds that doesn't walk on 2 legs.

 

[brettnreno]

Quote:
I wouldn't bother with the red light for predators. Most animals are color blind. I use a red lens on my spotlight to hunt coyotes at night. The red lens acts as a filter so the coyotes can't see the spotlight so it doesn't startle them.

 

[stilwellchick]

Very sorry for your loss. I know how sick you must feel. Gosh darn it we all try so hard to keep our animals safe. Have you figured out where the point of entry was? Good luck with your mission to find the culprit and keep us posted. Maybe a solar or another type of hot wire to turn on at night. Might also contact your local county ag. agent to see if others are having this problem and what to do.

 

[SpottedCrow]

So sorry for your losses.

 

[tfpets]

Thanks, I wondered about that - still researching - is it just the blinking that might help then, or is this just a new gimmick? Why cant there be some deterrent for resting victims like this, just to help increase the odds for our flocks while they rest? They are so vulnerable, even when we think they're safe and secure, like these were. Two of my own survivors made it by being in the rafters of the barn? Two of them still sleep there. Anything lower doesnt stand a chance, does it? What can she do to keep what she had left alive - tonight and from now on, if it's a persistent predator such as a raccoon or weasel?