Official BYC Poll: The Worst Predator

[raventearsx]

Most of mine have been carried away by hawks, etc. Dogs have damaged a lot of my birds, but only actually killed one.

I voted bobcat, though, because my neighbor lost thirteen in one night to a bobcat last month. I've never heard of so many killed at once before.

 

[luvmigrls]

An update- for those who commented on the dog attack on my girls a week ago today. I am still treating the one that barely made it. I have followed your good advice by the use of Probiotics, Electrolytes, Vit E, and yogurt in her food/water. I have been giving her fish, broccoli, greens, fruit as well as her regular diet. I had treated the wounds with Hydrogen Peroxide, flushed, and applied an antibacterial gel daily. Two days later I smelt infection where the muscle and tissue had been torn from each other and filled the crevice with the gel. I immediately started Penicillin G Procaine injections. Day 4 I let her out in an isolated pen so she could get some fresh air, sunshine and be with her peers. The limp in her leg was better the next day having gotten a little more room to exercise. Her appetite increased after two days of shots as well. And last but not least, much prayer. We have a long way to go but I believe we are out of the deep woods. Thanks again for your continued support.

 

[Snegurochka]

Lost two to hawks, 5 to raccoons, and one to what was possibly a rat. Twice a raccoon found a weakness in the hen house and got in, shook a hen to death, and then got stuck in there. The other occasion I was a kid and left the front door of the coop wide open one night--I was lucky I only lost three. The worst part was it didn't actually eat them, just mangled them (one had a broken neck and had to be put down.) The rat (?) found a hole in my chicken wire run just big enough to tear the wing off my BR hen (she survived) and then grab my little BR roo and eat his insides through the fence. So traumatized I had to skip band camp that day.

So now I do regular chicken wire inspections (I don't close off the run at night, since it's covered and I'm lazy), and my coop is like a fortress. I've heard too many dog horror stories though (ripping right through the chicken wire!? Having trouble sleeping at night now!) so this year I'm replacing the run with a dog kennel covered in hardware cloth on the bottom 2 ft., and chicken wire on the rest, including the roof.

 

[ChickenAlgebra]

We don't naturally have bears here. However, last year, some dingbat brought back a black bear sow who had triplets. Thankfully, she didn't go after the chickens. She was trapped in the horse field by our mule and donkey and neighbors donkey pair. All 4 of us adults went out to see what the riot was going on, dispatched all 4 of them.

Momma was reported to see how she got here, but she didn't have any tracking id. Called sheriff who lives across the road. He came over, looked at what was going on, his wife came over, picked up the triplets and finished the SSS.

However, bear wins because they do so MUCH damage and not much stops them. I'll take the coyotes, raccoons, hawks and eagles over ANY bear.

 

[emvickrey]

Several years ago we lost most of our flock to weasels and a racoon finished them off. I went to feed one morning and it was a masacre. Dead chickens laying everywhere. The survivers where standing in the duck pool. Next day more dead chickens and survivors standing on a roof DH put up for a roost. Then had a lone duck and a coon got it.

This time around it was about 3 years ago, stray dogs got about 4 chickens. This last summer we had disappearing eggs. I had a small round goard for a fake egg and I kept finding it on the floor. One day I found it busted open and it had teeth marks on it. About a week later I was taking one of my midnight walks around the coop and pens and the chickens in the coop where out in the pen as far away as they could get from the coop. I went in and found a coon. I was surprised it was just after eggs and not the chickens. I found and fixed where he broke in at and disposed of the raccoon.

Tonight we heard a bobcat. Then the guineas sounded off their alarm. So I suppose we have to contend with a bob cat now. Not looking forward to that. We have coyotes all over this area and we've seen foot prints around the coop but no sign of trying to get in. The guinea sleep in a tree over the coop and I imagine their screaming scares everything away. I hope anyway.

Oh and snakes. I've had several steal eggs. I've even found them living in crevaces around the coop.

 

[shelleyd2008]

Too bad we can't choose 2...the worst predators I've had are a toss-up between dogs (mine

) and rats.

 

[angelbabyamy]

I have lost birds to hawks and skunks- I panic if we aren't home by dusk. Those skunks are just waiting............ We have 4 geese that roam the property. I think it helps a bit.

 

[lebentier]

rats drive me crazy!

 

[emvickrey]

Quote:
If you don't have a cat, put out some rat bait or traps. We had a huge problem with mice. They where everywhere. They had tunneled in the coop and house and we had holes in the yard everywhere. So we got some of those mouse/rat poison blocks, shoved them down the holes and covered the holes with bricks or other heavy things. Before long, no more mice.

 

[shelleyd2008]

Quote:
You sound like me. Last year I lost at least 10 quail, untold numbers of baby chicks and at least 8 ducklings, 5-6 full grown bantam chickens and at least 1 LF hen to the rats. Oh, and we lost probably 30 pigeons to them too. The rats are finally gone thank God!