Mystery Predator

[wkimble]

We are newbie chicken owners in Western North Carolina and have loved every minute of it until this morning. We had done a fairly good job of securing our chickens so we were horrified when we went out to our coop to find 5 of 6 chickens missing and the fencing all torn up!

The wire was punched through under the coop and then the predator got into the fenced area and then proceeded into the actual coop. then it looks like it got spooked and tore a 2 1/2 foot hole through the other side of the coop to escape. We had regular 1" chicken wire around a 10x10 pen area.

We found some small holes in the wire on the other side where it attempted to break the wire to enter - about 6" in diameter. We found black hairs in the wire where the predator escaped. There was only one small pile of leftovers in the pen of one of the younger chicks. No tracks and no other remains.

What is strong enough to tear through the chicken wire, but small enough to fit into the door into the coop area (about 1' x 15") and get the sleeping chickens? What would eat 5 chickens in one sitting? Help - we are mystified and need to reinforce everything. We think it was a coyote but the black hairs could indicate a black bear. we didn't think black bears would eat live stock and at least not go to all that trouble to get in the pen. Thank you!

 

[mmwb]

Stengthwise, it could be any number of things, but I would expect raccoons. They are amazingly strong and tenacious. I've caught a couple in box traps that tore the pans off the the trap and tied the trigger rods in knots. In one case it was a medium sized female and the rod was 1/4" cold rolled steel.

This time of year, if not a boar, than it could easily be a sow with young. The young are large enough to kill chickens with easy by now. A family group could easily kill a dozen chickens in short order.

Chicken wire makes a good boundary for chickens, but coon, coyotes, and large dogs can make quick work of them. I'm sorry you lost your birds.

 

[~*Sweet Cheeks*~]

Sounds like coon(s).

You need to cover or replace all the chicken wire for hardware cloth.

Best of luck to you with the ones you have left.

 

[Camelot Farms]

I agree that coons are a good bet, but do coons usually take the prey with them? Ive always thought they were more of a shred and tear predator.

What about a coyote? They will cart them off to eat with their babies back in the den. Some of our coyotes are dark in color.

Just a thought...

 

[ozark hen]

sorry to tell you but most any animal can go through chicken wire. You need to put some stronger gauge wire around the bottom three feet or so of your run. I would also put it under ground around the peritmeter (sp?) of your run so they can't dig under. I close up my coop at night so nothing can get inside...are you able to lock them up at night? If you can't lock them up at night then I would change the fencing and allow a large dog to run at night to protect them.

 

[spectrumranch]

Quote:
My quess would be coyote or a dog. A raccoon would NOT need to make a 2.5 foot hole to enter or exit, so I would quess something larger.

I don't think a bear, as if it made a 6" hole in one spot already- it would have just kept tearing that spot open.

Dogs generally kill and leave the birds lay BUT SOME will eat them or carry them off.

With the dark hairs- I would almost lean towards a dog.

JMO- Randy

 

[wkimble]

Thanks everyone for the replies. All the information is helpful as we are learning. We are leaning toward the coyote as being the culprit due to the fact that so many chickens were gone at one time. But in any case, we are getting the hardwire and will reinforce the whole thing in the next few days.

 

[mmwb]

"do coons usually take the prey with them?"

Sometimes.

 

[Bizzybirdy]

Ya, racoons will take the chickens away, sometimes leaving just a pile of feathers...sometimes nothing.

They are very vicious and can rip chicken wire down with ease.

Now I have a possum that has found a very small corner of my chicken house that he has dug into by tunneling under an adjacent building. I will have to figure out a way to stop this tonight until I can pour some concrete in that corner tomorrow. Nothing is open around here on Sundays.

These predators are extremely SMART!

 

[4 Love of Baby Chickens]

I bet it's a family of coons. I hate those buggers. I lost over half of my flock to them over 13 months ago in 3 nights.

Sorry for your loss of your babies.