Need help. losing chickens but not sure what is killing them***WARNING GRAPHIC PICS***

[chickengeorgeto]

wrong thread

 

[Mehjr10]

Do you have tops on your runs? If not you may want think about the Birds from above. The Redtail Hawks around my house are busy feeding the little ones and are constantly hanging around my coop and run, which is covered with netting.. They will hit the chicken from behind and then strip from the backside in most cases, they may be able to carry the smaller ones off.
Also is it during the day? Coons will typically hit at night or during low light. The Hawks like it where they can see well.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

wrong thread

 

[keenecowboy]

My losses are at night. It was after 10 when i last checked the coop. They leave the rest of the chicken on the ground.
Someone suggested maybe an owl in the barn.

 

[keirys]

I love the duke dog proof trap also I bait mine with cat food

 

[Africanchild]

I'm betting a raccoon. I've had problems with foxes and coons. I'm stumped right now by a predator problem too. I'm missing 5 chickens...I free range and two were during the day and three at night. I can't find any tracks, feathers, blood, bodies...zilch! It's like they've disappeared into thin air. Might have to set my live traps too.

Good Luck!

 

[mrstomcat]

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I would say possum. Coons usually take the entire bird. My first year I caught 18 coons. Second only 2-3. This year so far one but I have a very smart coon now. I wired some chicken bones and wired it to the cage. Done this twice and the coon has taken the food and not thrown the trap. I have wired it above the flap, to the back and tonight I'm going to try wiring it to the bottom. I've been told if a coon has ever been caught and got away its rare to get him in another one. Any other ideas? Anyone? I'm using a live trap but may have to change and use steel traps. So far my chickens are safe. I am afraid of one tearing through the screens though. Another idea is to set up a camera. I got a cheap one at frys and it takes very good night shots. My coop is ground but I have the 1/8" wire tacked around the bottom with landscape timbers against the house. Good luck. Sad to see your babies slaughtered.

 

[jellybellyx6]

Last year we lost 150 birds in just a week. We started loosing eggs first and we shot a possum we saw a couple of coons the next night and shot them, then on morning three and four we saw three foxes climb our 6ft pen fence and take a hen like it was nothing to them. So now we are building coops that the birds are going to be closed and pad locked into, we have a LGD that we raised all winter long and the pens that will have good wire on the top of the pens. We were free ranging birds last year but now we know that is not an option at all here. We have also spotted a moutain lion a couple of times but as far as we know we have not had any losses to the lion.

 

[Mehjr10]

​

I would say possum. Coons usually take the entire bird. My first year I caught 18 coons. Second only 2-3. This year so far one but I have a very smart coon now. I wired some chicken bones and wired it to the cage. Done this twice and the coon has taken the food and not thrown the trap. I have wired it above the flap, to the back and tonight I'm going to try wiring it to the bottom. I've been told if a coon has ever been caught and got away its rare to get him in another one. Any other ideas? Anyone? I'm using a live trap but may have to change and use steel traps. So far my chickens are safe. I am afraid of one tearing through the screens though. Another idea is to set up a camera. I got a cheap one at frys and it takes very good night shots. My coop is ground but I have the 1/8" wire tacked around the bottom with landscape timbers against the house. Good luck. Sad to see your babies slaughtered.

Look at the Duke leg hold dog proof trap, mentioned earlier in the thread.

 

[mrstomcat]

I did look at the dog proof trap and already have one ordered. Thanks. Had never heard of that