Pekin duck and pullets missing

[Araucana Nest]

I'm so sorry. My only experience with losing multiples at one go was with a fox. A fox will take your whole flock in one day for the sport of the kill. If there are homes going up around you, they're being driven out of their "homes" and will begin to look for new dining spots. Foxes are very difficult to catch. Best to lock up your flocks until it decides to move out.

 

[cmom]

I have caught a fox in a live trap that killed my most favorite bird when I was out working on the coops. I put traps out and baited them for a few days and let the fox take the bait then set the traps and caught it. I did eliminate it. It was mangy and stinky.

 

[nao57]

We have two dogs but both were in the house when we were gone and quite likely asleep! The foxes in VA would hunt day and night and weren't in the least bothered by humans but we were more suburban then. We are more rural now on almost 7 acres but have neighbors and a few subdivisions around us so there is plenty of activity. I figured the pekin got taken because he was much slower and couldn't fly like the rest and maybe the pullets flew off in fear. I'll take a look for tracks but we quite likely walked all over them by now. Thanks for the suggestion though!

7 acres is a lot of land to protect.

I do hope it works out. Motion sensors would be nice.

I wonder if its possible to train your dogs in what foxes smell like and to get them to be aggressive on this? This seems like a low cost route. Maybe you can make a chew toy out of fox pelt that is low cost, etc. ?

 

[cmom]

This will not help with aerial predators but most any other predator it will.
http://www.plamondon.com/wp/faq-simple-electric-fences-chickens/

 

[Lisafitz]

I'm so sorry. My only experience with losing multiples at one go was with a fox. A fox will take your whole flock in one day for the sport of the kill. If there are homes going up around you, they're being driven out of their "homes" and will begin to look for new dining spots. Foxes are very difficult to catch. Best to lock up your flocks until it decides to move out.

Our confusion was in the lack of feathers or blood especially from the pekin who was fairly big and dropped feathers just walking around!

 

[Lisafitz]

This will not help with aerial predators but most any other predator it will.
http://www.plamondon.com/wp/faq-simple-electric-fences-chickens/

Thank you!

 

[Lisafitz]

7 acres is a lot of land to protect.

I do hope it works out. Motion sensors would be nice.

I wonder if its possible to train your dogs in what foxes smell like and to get them to be aggressive on this? This seems like a low cost route. Maybe you can make a chew toy out of fox pelt that is low cost, etc. ?

We have a young pyr but have not left her out with the chickens alone yet but in the future yes! Our lab is pretty good too at driving anything unfamiliar away but I had both out with me!