Pls help!!! Have Predator Problem

[ChickenGuy53]

Hi there ok well today I found one of my young adult roosters dead that somehow didn't get Locked up last night with the other chickens. His head was gone and that was it!! I know it wasn't a bird that did it because his tail feathers were pulled out like there had been a chase!! That's the fourth bird I've lost and I found all of them exactly like this!!! I've tried trapping but have had no luck!!! I can't figure out what is doing it!! Pls help!!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

What are you using for a trap and as bait?

 

[cppeace]

I'd guess a raccoon is your culprit. If you're able to dispatch of it with a gun then I recommend a dog proof trap for raccoons, put tuna fish near it and bait it with marshmallow. His paw will get caught and it will be sitting there waiting on you in the morning. You do need to be able to kill it, have a catch pole or be able to contact someone who will come get it.

 

[coleco]

Focus your efforts on Raccoons.

 

[slingshotandLAR]

I'd guess a raccoon is your culprit. If you're able to dispatch of it with a gun then I recommend a dog proof trap for raccoons, put tuna fish near it and bait it with marshmallow. His paw will get caught and it will be sitting there waiting on you in the morning. You do need to be able to kill it, have a catch pole or be able to contact someone who will come get it. 

I agree with this....

My brother and I are animal damage control trappers and DP coon traps work amazing for raccoons.....

Problem is they are not readily available like cage traps, they also generally don't catch opossums which could also be your problem. If you get the dog proofs I advise the pull only style( they have 2 styles one has a 2 way trigger called push-pull) I say this because a skunk can set of the 2 way trigger and than your in a pickle. It's much easier dealing with a skunk in a cage trap.

 

[cockdoodledoo]

Do you have any other animals near by perhaps a dog u, poor rooster

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Thanks for posting. I taught a community college class on predator protection Saturday. In addition to predator proofing coop and run, it covered electric fencing, electronic aides like the night eyes, wildlife/trail cameras to baby monitors and trapping by various means. That includes box traps, leg traps, body traps, snares and homemade weasel traps.
I had considered the night eyes thing before for myself but not seriously. Not until preparing for the class did I realize how inexpensive they were and after reading the reviews, which you just confirmed, their efficacy.
I'm ordering at least 2 today.

ETA
I'll be using them in conjunction with the game camera to see what effect they have.

 

[jtn42248]

When we first bought this place a couple of years ago we had a real problem with raccoons and skunks around our chicken coop. No matter what I tried they would come and try to get into the coop at night. The only thing that worked was a shotgun but I knew that was not the solution I wanted. I then, on a whim, bought a couple of the "night eyes" contraptions, put them at eye level in a couple of places in the chicken run and thought, if they don't work it was a cheap lesson learned. Well, we still have raccoons and skunks that circle the area but not a single one has ventured into the chicken run since I put up the "night eyes". They have my thumbs up for sure.

 

[lumpy14]

its a raccoon that did it. i had the same thing happen to four of my chickens. inspect your coop in the morning and at night when your chickens are locked up for the night. they are usually active at night so make sure there are no holes in your coop. double layer your chicken wire so no chickens can stick there head out. a raccoon got two of my chickens that way. hope this helped.