Please Help!..Who killed Ski?*GRAPHIC PICS*UPDATE ..IT WAS A HAWK!

[luvmychicknkids]

I had one killed that way back about mid-Summer. Head was missing and the guts were pulled out but still there (it was obviously interrupted mid-meal). At that time most people guessed or agreed that possibly hawk (and there had been some around). I know this time of year seems to be even worse for hawks. I had to rush mine back in yesterday because a hawk was sitting in the tree above them waiting for me to go inside.

Whatever happened to her, it isn't your fault and I am so sorry. I know how your heart breaks losing one of them.

 

[redhen]

Quote:
thats what i am afraid of!(it coming back!)..

..does mass have weasels?...and the thing is..at the bottom of my woods..there is a wet lands from a river run off...so..ALOT of animals go back there to get to the water...i bet it is a weasel!...how in the heck do you catch a weasel?...what about a fox?...we have alot of them also?...thanks so much!, Wendy

 

[redhen]

Quote:
Hi..we do have alot of hawk/eagles here also!....i had been havng trouble with them a little while back...they used to circle my house!..

....but...i havent seen one in a little while now..dosent mean they arent around though....espically if he was sitting in a tree in my woods..i would have never seen him...thanks for your help, WEndy

 

[The Chicken Lady]

Massachusetts definitely has weasels. Weasels are very small, so the only thing that is going to keep them out of your run is hardware cloth. They can easily slip through almost anything else.

Foxes are great diggers. They'll dig under the base of your run to get at your flock. You can either put cement around your run or you can bury wire 1 or 2 feet out from the edge of the run to discourage digging. Electric fencing is also good protection against foxes.

Choosing whether to free range or not is a personal choice. In my opinion, as the human, you have more knowledge of the potential dangers in your area than the chickens do. The chickens may look like they are begging, but think of them as small children begging to do something that may potentially hurt them. Would you let a small child do something you knew could kill them? I kind of doubt it.

The best thing to do is to make sure they are always supervised by you or another person when they free range. One solution to your problem could be to build them a larger run next spring so that they have a larger safe area in which to roam.

I am very sorry for your loss.

 

[redhen]

Quote:
Hi..i hear and appreciate what you are saying!...when my chicken "free range" they are in my fenced in yard...but..you are right..they still can get hurt outside their pen...even if my yard is fenced in...(hawks coming from above...something climbing over/under the fence)....but... when i say..they really like to be let out..its very true...and..i know i am the human....but...i just dont think i can keep them cooped like that all their life....but, thats just my personal choice...and so, i know these things can happen(but it still makes me sad)...and thanks for your advice and insight into this...

.., Wendy

 

[ivan3]

Sorry about your loss. If you decide to use the havahart and are unsure about the pred. The bait (something raw and stringy for this purpose) can be suspended inside the trap in such a fashion that both the trigger plate and the trigger arm will spring the door shut. This can come in handy for beasties like mink/weasel, trap smart coons/occasional fox.

Tie the bait with one end of a twisty tie and extend the other end up through one of the openings in the top of the trap so the bait is suspended just above and behind the trigger plate. Tie a string to the other end of the pipe cleaner and attach the other end of the string to the arm of the trigger release catch. The pred, avoiding/missing the trigger plate pulls down on the suspended bait and the door slams shut as the tension on the string releases the catch.

In the example below what will be a chunk of raw meat is represented by pickachu. I use a stick to run the bait to the back of the trap.

This is quite effective.

Given your description of events, I'd be keeping a weather eye out for both foxes/CD's and raptors.

 

[Wildsky]

sorry redhen!

 

[SterlingAcres]

Quote:
thats what i am afraid of!(it coming back!)..

..does mass have weasels?...and the thing is..at the bottom of my woods..there is a wet lands from a river run off...so..ALOT of animals go back there to get to the water...i bet it is a weasel!...how in the heck do you catch a weasel?...what about a fox?...we have alot of them also?...thanks so much!, Wendy

I'm sure you most definitely have weasels in your area. You can trap them. My grandfather had a mink tear threw 50 birds at once. Ripped all the heads off, ate pieces and left. It came back, was trapped, was killed and was mounted. First real mink I've ever seen. They're nasty.

 

[redhen]

Thanks for the great pics ivan!...they will help me so much!...

..
Wildsky..thanks!...

...(now will you let me have Mike?)...

..

 

[estpr13]

Sorry about your loss. Each one hurts.

I bought a trappers license again this year so that I can legally kill what I catch in my have a heart trap. I don't bait it and still catch a possum, or coon, or cat on average one every two weeks. The trap is set up along one side of my coop between the coop and a fence.

I have also caught my own chickens. Silly birds. The cats I take to the humane society, if they don't have collars. So far I have never caught a cat with a collar. I've caught 5.

Good tip Ivan3. Thanks