pleaseHelp!! half my flock killed!! bobcat??

[DepotMudilk]

Thanks so much for all the great advice ! I am in south Florida and understand the Jurassic park feeling. Even having snakes come and eat eggs. Nikkers poor goat! im very sorry about your chicken. I hope your traps work. That's how my buff was. She loved being held & was almost taken by a hawk as a pullet but hid under my legs. I too am very angry & ready to get this creature Off my land I love that the wildlife has found habitat in a developing area but not when they eat my cats chickens & ducks. The print did not have claw marks that I could see. I found some heading down a burrow which my dog excavated with no luck.Im ordering a trap today, any ideas on where to find whole dead chickens? The red star is still very lethargic and tucked into a nesting box. We've given her sugar & salt water but im not sure shes drinking. Thanks again for all the help.

 

[blucoondawg]

If you can't find a dead chicken you could always shoot a blackbird or starling or some other such annoyance and use that, up here the trappers have very good luck with a muskrat carcass after it's hide is removed, it doesn't have to be a bird, you could also try any sort of bait like sardines or whatever and hang a large feather or 2 from the top of the trap in the back, varmint callers often times will hang feathers when they pursue cats, the feather will flit around in the breeze and this really catches their attention, maybe try that first if you don't have access to any carcasses. Also I would somehow stake the trap down or tie it down so the cat cant come from the side or back and flip the thing over and trip the trigger.

 

[HatchCraft]

If you have squirrels around shoot one, they make the best bait. If you use smelly bait like fish you will likely catch coons and opossums , there sense of smell is better. When using a live trap I catch 90% of the cats during daylight hours, usually late afternoon.

 

[DepotMudilk]

Midnight Massacre. Last night we had a big storm roll through which seemed to provide the perfect cover for this predator. I went out this morning and it had jumped a fence then bitten & torn through the coop & dragged my rock out & ate her outside the pen. It also attacked the rhode island which I couldn't find. I eventually found her hiding, she has some cuts & lost alot of feathers. They're all in shock & in a large dog crate in the house for now. What's the best way to encourage them to eat & drink? Also my trap wont be here for another week. What can I do in the meantime? Im considering a late night steakout with bait.

 

[DepotMudilk]

 

[DepotMudilk]

What's left of the rock. A foot & feathers. The coop. And one of the tunnels where we've been finding paw prints. Scat outside the burrow.

 

[nikkers390]

This does not seem like the work of a bobcat. More likely a dog or coyote, could even be a raccoon, but i doubt it. That's a pretty big hole in the fence. What kind of footprints did you find?
For the chickens in shock, keep them calm. Get a dropper or a syringe if they are not drinking and try to put some sugar water or better yet some electrolytes in their beaks (gatorade should work in a pinch.) Keep them warm and in a quiet dim place.
Clean any wounds and use Neosporin, but NOT the one with pain killer. Heard that is toxic to chickens.
I would also reinforce the fence with welded wire since chicken wire alone is not effective against many predators. Best is the welded wire fence, reinforced with hardware cloth and a skirt of hardware cloth (I use 1" chicken wire, works for me) at least 18" on the ground covered with pavers.
Makes you want to build a garage for the chickens
So sorry to hear what happened. I know how it feels.

 

[DepotMudilk]

This is a track I found around October the tracks now look like this

 

[DepotMudilk]

this is the bobcat I saw in the summer. Would it go through a fence like that?

 

[nikkers390]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/18670/poultry-predator-identification
This may prove helpful