Nine 20 week old Roos GONE!

[mercyme]

No I don't. Yet. I've had sheep less than a year. Before the first one set foot on the property I spoke with a family that lives less than a mile from me who have had sheep for 20-30 years. They said they have lost less than five in that entire time to predation and felt that, for them, guard animals weren't worth the trouble.

I'll admit it was a mistake on my part to serve an easy meal by letting the chickens roost low with no fence around them, but I do not have an enclosure with any taller fence. Rarely one of my laying flock will go over the four foot fence. These guys were put in the same area as soon as they were big enough, but none of them were content to stay inside.

 

[centrarchid]

Eventually your more significant night time predators targeting birds roosting in trees will be great-horned owls and raccoons. I allow my birds to roost in trees while leaves are on but also have dogs that outright deny ground predators and make so owls can not grapple prey on ground. The only birds out this time of year also roost on front porch where protection is very good.

 

[mercyme]

No pictures on the game cam, but I found a track this morning just out of camera range. We got a light snow last night so part of the ground was pretty solid. This was in one of the few muddy spots. I'm not experience enough to tell if this is coyote or just a domestic dog that wandered through. It was about 2 1/2 - 3" long.

 

[Oregon Blues]

That looks like dog to me. Coyotes have the same footprint but with longer more narrow feet.

 

[Nambroth]

Just so you are aware, grey foxes are quite adept at climbing trees. Reds can and will sort of do it, but grey foxes make it look easy.
This video isn't very clear, but you can see how easily the foxes scale the trees, even with no low limbs.

Unfortunately, at night and roosting in the open outdoors in a tree, a chicken is not likely to do much flopping around and feather-losing if taken by surprise by a skilled hunter.

So sorry for your loss, and best wishes in dealing with your problem!

 

[mercyme]

Oregon Blues - I thought it was too round, but I just didn't know for sure. Thanks.

Nambroth - Good video, I did not know they could climb like that. This tree is a young beech. It has lots of small limbs and I guess I just was just thinking that too much activity from climbing would shake the tree. Even some shaking may not have made much difference in the outcome though. Thanks

Thanks again guys!