Starryeyed82
Hatching
Hi, my name is Sarah. By bf and I started a flock this spring with 2 Rhode Island reds, 2 Speckled Sussex, 2 Barred Rocks and 2 Golden Laced Wyandottes. 1 of the RR passed so we ended up with 7 hens and then someone gave us 3 female mallard ducks.
We were letting them free range in the backyard because they kept escaping out of the fence but they would come back to the coop every evening to get their grain and be locked up for the night. We lost 6 of our 7 hens in one evening 3 weeks ago, they just vanished, no signs of a struggle, no feathers, nothing. We got 2 roosters from a friend 2 weeks ago, so it was the one hen, 2 roosters and 3 ducks. Monday evening my rooster and last hen disappeared just like the first 6. Last night 1 duck went missing; I found feathers near the duck pond but not really enough to consider it an attack. So we're now down to 1 rooster and 2 ducks.
A friend who also raises chickens in the area thinks it's the work of a fox, saying that they "grab and go". We've been trying to scramble and build a better enclosed area but with work and kids, it's taking longer than I had hoped and our flock has been decimated. Does anyone have any advice on what to do about the predator? I'm afraid that if all the birds are taken it will then get our 2 cats. I have access to a have-a-heart trap and was thinking that if we catch whatever the predator is in the trap, I could hand it over to Fish and Game to dispose or relocate it. Until then, I'm keeping the remaining birds in the coop. Any advice would be appreciated!
We were letting them free range in the backyard because they kept escaping out of the fence but they would come back to the coop every evening to get their grain and be locked up for the night. We lost 6 of our 7 hens in one evening 3 weeks ago, they just vanished, no signs of a struggle, no feathers, nothing. We got 2 roosters from a friend 2 weeks ago, so it was the one hen, 2 roosters and 3 ducks. Monday evening my rooster and last hen disappeared just like the first 6. Last night 1 duck went missing; I found feathers near the duck pond but not really enough to consider it an attack. So we're now down to 1 rooster and 2 ducks.
A friend who also raises chickens in the area thinks it's the work of a fox, saying that they "grab and go". We've been trying to scramble and build a better enclosed area but with work and kids, it's taking longer than I had hoped and our flock has been decimated. Does anyone have any advice on what to do about the predator? I'm afraid that if all the birds are taken it will then get our 2 cats. I have access to a have-a-heart trap and was thinking that if we catch whatever the predator is in the trap, I could hand it over to Fish and Game to dispose or relocate it. Until then, I'm keeping the remaining birds in the coop. Any advice would be appreciated!
