One of my chickens was killed and I am full of guilt

[cmom]

Gladys

 

[nuthatched]

I have no idea what killed it. Whatever it was took it out of the enclosure and its head was missing. The rest of the body was still there though. I live in crofton maryland, so maybe a coyote? I have no idea.

If the head was gone, most likely coons or possum.

 

[Matejka]

Hardware cloth is your friend.

 

[mcdze]

all comes with experience .. anybody thats kept chickens has experienced loss like that .. but yeah i learned long time back that predators will yank birds right through chicken wire ... the bottom areas need to be something they cant get ahold of them through .. i still get losses and they come from unexpected things, like the last one i had was a dominant hen that killed a really young rooster 'through' the chicken wire barrier .. took awhile to figure it out, but that was a heart sinking setback, i shouldve known better ..

 

[RoyalChick]

Welcome to BYC and I am so sorry this happened.
I lost one of mine to a fox and that is what brought me to BYC to learn more about how to protect them.
I suggest you read some of the build threads and search on predator protection on BYC. You will get lots of clear 'must do' things and some debates. Hardware cloth vs chicken wire is generally a 'must do' as is some way of preventing digging predators (I chose the hardware cloth skirt method).
Don't feel too bad, you can only do your best and learn from the experience, but I certainly know how you feel - I blamed myself and still do really.

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

You made the same honest mistake that many, Many others have made before you, & that is thinking that chicken wire is for building chicken pens. You protected them the best you knew how, and didnt know that just about any mammalian predator can go through or pull off chicken wire to get to the chickens. I was told a long time ago, by an old country farmer, that the original purpose of chicken wire was to keep chickens out of peoples vegetable gardens. Nothing more, nothing less. Today may be the first time u have ever heard of hardware cloth? Wrapping the sides & top of your entire run with hardware cloth, & adding a 3" apron along the bottom to keep out digging predators, will be one of your best defenses against varmits. If u can put up an electric fence, that is a great option too, & possibly cheaper. (Guardian dogs and traps can help too). Read and research all u can on the "coop & run contruction forum" to get ideas and understanding re how to fortify your enclosure. If you decide to use hardware cloth, know that it is MUCH cheaper to buy in rolls of 50 or 100 feet. Buying the small 10ft rolls one at a time is most expensive. If u decide on the electric fence route, there are others here that have a wealth of information and advice on erecting electric fences. The main thing today/tonight is to keep your other 2 safe. Do u feel like they are safe tonight? Not trying to make u overly fearful or paranoid, but now that a predator knows they are there, it will return, & try even harder to get at the remaining two.​

 

[Allthefloofs]

Oh my goodness, I am so sorry for your loss! One of the unfortunate things I have discovered about chicken keeping is that everything wants to eat my girls. We had a coyote take one last week and I still feel guilty that I left to run errands and left them out. I understand the distress and guilt you feel! We also had two deaths of beloved girls in our first year, it was so devastating to have happen and we felt so terrible that we could not have prevented their deaths. Time heals, and we soon have good memories of them. We learn from our mistakes. It is really remarkable how special they can become to us. I was very surprised at how much I came to love them all. Right now be kind to yourself, it is clear you loved her so much and that you feel a sense of dedication and responsibility to keep your others safe. I am sorry again, I know it hurts.

 

[cmom]

My pens have welded wire and chicken wire. The outside perimeter fence is chicken wire. Outside of that are the electric wires. Nothing has gotten past the electric wires so far. They have been up for many years. As I have added more coops over the years and have expanded my pens I also added more of the hot wires and once a predator touches them they don't come back for more.