Official BYC Poll: The Worst Predator

[Jennyjones]

My first post. My 4 young hens are now 3. A tail amount of feathers near the coop. A few hundred feet away a half cup of fresh intestines. But no other feathers or chicken parts anywhere. I fist thought of my dogs being bad. But they would have left signs of their bad behavior and I can't find any. This is on a rainy afternoon. Any help on what my chicken killer is? Thank you, Jenny

 

[Mrichard0930]

My first post. My 4 young hens are now 3. A tail amount of feathers near the coop. A few hundred feet away a half cup of fresh intestines. But no other feathers or chicken parts anywhere. I fist thought of my dogs being bad. But they would have left signs of their bad behavior and I can't find any. This is on a rainy afternoon. Any help on what my chicken killer is? Thank you, Jenny

Sorry to hear this. Do you have fox around that was my first thought with feathers everywhere?

 

[Mrichard0930]

They should have fisher on the list too. My poor Donald was killed last week found him laid neatly in brushes ten feet into our woods. He was actually alive and taken to emergency vet but passed the next day. The vet swore it was a dog given the wound size and were actually 40 some wounds manly around breast. His head looked fine. Five days later our female was killed and dead on spot laid neatly the same exact way about 50 feet from where Donald was days before same about ten feet in bushes. She too looked fine my boyfriend said it looked like a clean kill at her neck possibly. No trace of feathers nothing no fight. Last year around this time we thoghht we saw a fisher (mainly back body and tail) but weren’t certain. I read they kill and leave to come back for. It happens right before dusk. Literally ten minutes before we were putting them in their pen unfortunately. All day I was out and the minute I turn my back to go inside for a minute so it felt very predator stalky like. It it is a fisher we need to watch out two kitties as well which we’ve been keeping indoors since. Does anyone have any idea what it could be? Last year I tried introducing another adopted female to the flock and she ran away I found her in neighbors yard feathers everywhere so I knew a fox got her. Thanks

 

[Bettyboop7499]

Skunks?!! I never in a Millions years wouldve thought about a skunk getting to my chickens!

 

[barkdh]

I was curious as to which predator the most chickens have been lost to.

I have lost many chickens to several different predators over the 3 to 4 years I have been keeping them. I have lost 3 to bears, 6 to a couple of fox that I am sure of, (I caught them running out of my yard with my girls in their mouths). Hawks an unnamed amount and weasels, let me just say when they strike I loose a great many at one time and it is absolutely heart breaking. Last year I lost 11, killed every bird in the coop and they were my prized ones. Specific breeds that I had plans for. Then 2 nights ago I woke up to chicken screeching ( I had an australorp that would literally scream when something was trying to get into the coop) at 3 in the morning. I do not usually open up the coop at night and look in when it has not been torn at but I had spotted a fox from the bedroom window when looking out. Opened up the door and discovered 7 of my girls. There was hardly any blood and only on was partially beheaded. We reinforced the coop even more so that it was...I believe the door had a crack in it and this is how they squeezed in. I am still reeling from this and heartbroken they went after my older girls that I had been attached to.

 

[barkdh]

What no one has lost a chicken to an Eagle?

I had a bald eagle fly over the yard a few years ago...might have been thinking about swiping one it was flying pretty low but my dog started chasing it. They are huge!

 

[barkdh]

The worst predator is other chickens, followed by sheep! I have never lost a bird to anything other than another chicken, ( older birds killing chicks, or roosters killing each other), and we had one hen get trampled by a sheep this summer. Our birds free range, we live in a rural area, but, they go in the barn and night and are securely locked in . The only thing I worry about are hawks, but we have not lost any yet. I'm never sure how people lose birds to mammals, the only thing that could get my birds is a man or a bear during the night. Here are some of the secrets..1) have shelter available for free range birds, we use pallets on legs, plus lots of spruce trees. 2) keep aggressive roosters , my main boys will stand up to anything, anything that comes near the hens. 3) keep 4 legged grazers with the chickens, just having something bigger around helps, and, the chickens are smart enough to follow the sheep and goats around. 4) GET A GOOD DOG!! We do all the above, and we do not lose chickens to predators!!!!

Do you keep the dog outside with the birds all of the time?

 

[Eqs81995]

Surprisingly, I haven’t had any wild predators get any of my girls. The lone exception was a buff Orpington named Nell, whom I would suspect was offed by either a coyote or a fox. The only trace we found of her was a pile of feathers. We also have hawks, but they’ve never taken any interest in the chickens (knock on wood). Most of the predation in my flock was from my idiot dog. He managed to kill 3 out the four birds in my first flock. Needless to say, the current flock never free ranges unsupervised.

 

[Mossy500]

Lost 2 girls to a hawk this winter. Both Were Bantams, and the smallest of the bantams.

 

[Trish1974]

What no one has lost a chicken to an Eagle?

I had a bald eagle fly over the yard a few years ago...might have been thinking about swiping one it was flying pretty low but my dog started chasing it. They are huge!

My neighbor lost his rooster to a juvenile bald eagle two springs ago... on my land! The neighbor on the other side of me witnessed the attack. I'm the one that found the kill spot. I was really attached to that rooster (this was before I had my own flock and the neighbor's free range flock came to visit me daily). That rooster was awesome! I bet I cried for 2 weeks over him.