Official BYC Poll: The Worst Predator

[mc08daniel]

Moved into our home back in November of last year, and since then we have lost close to 30 chickens, over a years time. The house is very close to a creek and very woody...We think it is coons. They never leave a body or gut trail, just a few feathers...and always hit at night. A couple of weeks ago had one try to get a caged rooster, the Rooster "Jeb jr" game fowl, fought back and was attacked so bad his poor feet were so tore up, broke some toes, and mouth so beat up some of it festered up and fell off, and was just a bloody mess...(Now with some major TLC he is doing just fine) all the other chickens where free range that got gone...we have put out live traps and leg traps....to no avail.

 

[mc08daniel]

Quote:
I am so sorry to hear that..it is very hard to lose the chickies that get close to us....did the possum leave the body? Most possum will only eat a chicken from the butt and leave the rest...(I kno that is hard to talk about)

 

[OtterCreekRanch]

All of our losses have been to dogs...our dogs...

 

[dirtydozen]

For me its dogs. A dog dug inder the fence of my pen and killed all twelve of them. I fixed the problem and buried the wire. Our hens free range during the day and are locked up at night. My new policy is, if a dog isnt attached to a human by a leash, its not gonna survive on my place. Years ago when we had chickens, I tried the 'warning shot'. It doesnt do any good. No more warnings.

 

[dirtydozen]

A question. Living in Texas, what kind of predator is going to pull a hen head and through the fence, kill it, and take only the head and neck? Had alot of coyotes howling real close to the house the last two nights with the full moon.

 

[Opa]

Raccoons are the most adept at pulling birds through wire fencing and are most likely your culprit.

 

[TinaS]

Our chickens are kept in a coop we built inside a barn. They're allowed to free roam during the day and closed up at sunset.
Yesterday, We lost our first chicken but have no idea what the predator could be. The hen simply disappeared. We have 14 chickens in all, (2 roosters, 12 hens). They are just under 6months old, raised from chicks. We looked everywhere trying to find some evidence of footprints, blood or feathers but were unsuccessful.
If this predator was large enough to take the chicken and leave no feathers behind, I am guessing it had to be a fox or coyote..maybe hawk?

We thought they'd be safe during the day but are keeping them enclosed full time now..We're afraid to let them roam. We're going to build an enclosed area for them as soon as our finances allow.

We live on a 3 acre farmette in the country (Illinois) surrounded by cornfields. We've seen every predator possible at one time or another. I just wish we knew exactly what we're dealing with.

Thanks,
Tina


I have a very happy update!! It was really bothering me that I couldn't find any signs that something bad had happened to that missing chicken. I couldn't let it go so I kept wandering around through the trees and buildings. I walked past a wood pile, looked down and there she was!! She had gotten herself stuck in a pocket between the logs and was very still, not making a sound. She had been without food or water for maybe 14 hours or so and she spent a wet night outside but she's ok!!

 

[shellyk]

We lost 2 pullets this summer to a bald eagle. We've got a net over their run now and we saw the eagle come down and hover over the net so we know for sure that's what it was. I would like to let them free range in our pasture but I'm too afraid to now. Are predators mainly a problem at night? I think it was evening/dusk that the eagle was attacking.

 

[cjwaldon]

Quote:
Every time I have lost one to a fox, there is a small pile of feathers and nothing else. The fox would come in shortly before or at dusk.

My birds free range during the day. Lately I have one that will go missing for a night and no amount of searching will yield any clues. Then the following night she is back in the coop again. She does this about once a week. I need to band them so I can tell if it's the same hen doing it each time . . . .

 

[surgerynut]

I've changed my mind about the worst predator for chickens. I had originally voted for dogs, because I have lost 5 to them, 1 to a raccoon and 1 to a hawk. I have lost 10 birds to Haemophilus paragallinarum, so this evil bacteria gets my vote for the worst predator. Infectious Corzya SUCKS!!!